Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. Xin belongs to one of my fellow Ffnet authors by the name of TeeBeeMe. I'd highly suggest checking her out :) She has some awesome stories.
-I-
Idiosyncrasies
Chapter One
Homecoming
"And that, children, wraps up our lessons for the day. Are there any questions?"
Akio snorted when not one hand went up. Why would there be any questions? There were less than two weeks left of school. None of these students were worried about asking questions anymore. All they were worried about now was getting a passing grade on the final and getting the hell out. Not that he actually cared either. He'd managed to get a B for both semesters, so it didn't matter if he actually passed or failed his final. Hell, he probably didn't even have to show up.
No, what Akio was worried about was his father. The old man had somehow managed to get sick to the point he'd been hospitalized last night. Considering his father was one of the healthiest people he'd ever met, the fact that he was sick baffled the maroon-haired teenager. He'd never seen the man so much as cough.
The moment the bell rag, Akio was out of the classroom. He hurried to his locker to shove the few book he had left into it. Before he could make another quick exit, two arms snaked around his waist.
"You've been avoiding me."
Akio groaned. "It's not so much as avoiding as it is being emotionally unavailable, Tris." The girl wrapped around him frowned. "I hadn't realized someone had to be emotionally available to be friends. Or you know, function like a normal human being does." She let him go and crossed her arms as she moved in front of him. Akio sighed and tried to step around her. In turn she moved to block his path again. "I understand what you're going through, trust me. But you have people that care about you AND your dad. You don't have to go through this alone."
'We care about you, Akio.'
Funny. The last person who told him that ended up embarrassing him in front of an entire school.
"I know, Tris." If nothing those words would appease her for the moment. Until he disappeared again. "I kind of need to get to the hospital." He said, not noticing phone vibrating silently at the bottom of his backpack. Or the 15 missed calls from the hospital.
"Call me sometime, Akio." She said, giving his shoulder a squeeze before letting him pass.
"Will do."
-I-
"Akio Hyuuga?" A nerve-wracked, disheveled looking nurse pulled him aside as soon as he approached his dad's room. When he looked at her, she seemed a little unnerved by his pale pupil-less green eyes. The one thing that identified him as a Hyuuga. Not that that mattered here in Ishi. There were no clans. No old traditions. No one to snort and talk behind your back when you made a mistake. If all he got were a few strange glances here and there for his eyes, he'd much rather stay as far away from his clan as possible. It just so happened that Ishi was the best place to end up.
"Hm? Yes, that's me." He shook away his thoughts for the moment, eyebrows furrowing when the nurse chewed her lip.
"We've been trying to reach you all day..." She started. "Unfortunately your father passed away this morning. We contacted a Ms.-" The ground came a lot faster than he thought it would have. He hadn't even heard what else the nurse said. The news of his father's death so suddenly was too much for the already fragile boy. This was too much.
He couldn't think. He couldn't breath. Tears blurred his vision.
'The old man can't be dead.' He'd just threw Akio a birthday party last week. They'd wrestled on the trampoline not even 3 days ago. He didn't even bother fighting back the tears. He sobbed openly and loudly.
"DAD!"
He was on the verge of a blackout. He could feel it teasing on the edges of his vision. Anything would be better than this. Better than sitting his suffering this kind of hurt.
The man who'd driven nearly 50 miles in near tsunami like conditions to pick him up from a bus station laid in the other room, dead.
"A Ms. Hyuuga said she would be here as soon as she could." Whatever she was talking about, he didn't care. He couldn't fight anymore. The Black took him and his consciousness with it.
-I-
"Father…? Do you know where Natsuki-sensei went?" Hinata Hyuuga asked quietly, peeking into her father's study. The man didn't look up from his work as he spoke.
"She went to Ishi. Akio's father has passed away. Seeing as he has no family there, I'd wager she's bringing him back here." After he spoke though, Hiashi did offer a cursory glance towards his elder daughter. As he expected, her reaction was one of slight fear and anticipation. "You and your friends leave him be for a few days. I doubt he'll want to be bothered."
He hadn't said it out loud, Hinata knew precisely what he meant.
'I doubt he'll want to be bothered by you guys.'
"Hai, father." The heiress said quietly before excusing herself. Her heart was racing as he walked towards her room, wringing her hands. Should she tell the others? The group had kind of fallen apart after Akio left, but they deserved to know. Right? As she pulled her door open, her face fell.
"Do we even deserve a second chance?"
"Second chance for what?" The young Hyuuga squeaked when her younger twin jumped from behind the door, hands behind her head. "Why're you all mopey?"
"Maybe because someone just tried to scare me." Hinata spat sarcastically. When the younger twin only grinned wider and tilted her head, Hinata sighed. Of course Xin wouldn't take Hinata's little outburst then seriously. "Akio's coming home." Just saying those words again drove a spike of hurt and worry deeper into Hinata's chest.
'He's coming home.'
"Well we cant's sit here." Hinata could already see those devious little cogwheels in her sisters head spinning out of control. "We have to tell the others." And though she really wasn't up to facing the others again, Hinata grudgingly let herself be dragged. At least she'd get to see Naruto one last time before bed.
Great.
-I-
The days felt like they had turned to months for Akio, but he knew it had been no more than 24 hours since he found his dad. What he did in those 24 hours he couldn't remember exactly. He remembered a swarm of faces. A vast number of phone calls.
"Akio?"
And then there was the constant call of his name, be it from his sister or his mother's voice over the phone. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Left alone to his thoughts and his emotions. But his older insisted she stay with him until their mother came and got him.
"You know I would much rather go to Suna with you right?" The maroon-haired teen said, his pale eyes never leaving the wall. How long had he been laying like this, only staring at a spot on the wall. It couldn't have been that long. Could it? Behind him his sister, Sora, shifted.
"I know. But I don't think a teenaged boy in a girl's dorm would be a great idea." She said, her hand brushing stray strands of hair away from his face like she had when he was younger. "Sara would be more than happy to take you if a boat ride to Kiri weren't so expensive..."
"Dad had-"
"The money dad put away for the three of us is for college, Akio. He wouldn't want you to take it and go to Kiri." She sighed. "Besides, Sara isn't in the best position to finish school and take care of you and I hate to say it bu neither am I."
Akio knew this from the start, that he didn't have much choice aside from running away. They didn't have any family here in Ishi and he couldn't take the money if he tried. It was locked away in an account that he nor his sisters would have access to until they were 25.
'And I'll be damned if I run away again.'
He had to go back to Konoha. He had to face his past. The thought made him clench his blanket tight. He wouldn't blackout out again.
"I'm glad we got to bury him at least." Akio choked out, tears pricking on the edges of his eyes. It was a rushed, impromptu funeral at their family's lot. But it was short and sweet. Like his dad said he wanted his funeral to be. So that no one would cry or mourn him for long.
"I am too." And that was the last thing they said. After that they only sat in Akio's room, their mutual grief bringing them close for the moment. They both knew this wouldn't last long, their mother was coming, but they both savored it. School kept his sisters away. Their visits were few and far between. So they took advantage of what little time they ever spent together. Only this time, there was nothing to take advantage of but the silence. "Mom should be here soon."
If she wasn't already. Akio could feel the constant vibration his phone under his pillow. Call after call. Text after text.
"Sora? Akio?" Speaking of the devil. His mother's voice was followed by the frantic sound of someone running up the steps. Sora stood and grabbed for her brother, who reluctantly got up from his spot on the bed. The two of them walked out of their dad's room and met their mother in the hallway. She stood there her pale eyes wide in surprise. No doubt she was surprised. They hadn't seen each other in years.
"Oh Akio-kun..." She walked over to him and hesitantly reached up to cup his cheek, pale lilac eyes staring into pale brown ones. He remembered her always pulling her hair back into a near bun, but now it hung limply around her face. He remembered lipstick and eyeshadow and mascara, but now there wasn't a spot of makeup visible on her face. Dark circles ringed her eyes. "You've grown up so much..."
She'd fallen apart. Had it been because of him. Guilt welled up in his chest. "Mom..." Tears pricked on the edges of his eyes again.
"Shh… It's okay baby." She said softly, giving a tight smile. "You don't have to apologize for anything."
-I-
Akio looked back at his home one old time. His dad had owned the place so there wasn't necessarily any need to sell it. At this moment, he didn't even think he'd have the heart to even think of that. So instead he made sure every door was locked and every curtain drawn.
'We can leave it just like it is.'
Each of them would have a key hanging around their neck. Him, Sora, and Sera. No matter what happened, they would always have a home to come back to.
"Akio? Are you ready?" The teenager chewed his lip, hand wrapped around his Key. Was he ready? No. But would he ever be? Probably not. He turned and gave his mother a soft smile. She smiled back and for a moment Akio could've sworn he saw his father standing there beside her, arm wrapped around her waist. But he knew he probably was seeing things. Stuff like that only happened in stories and movies.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He said, climbing into the SUV parked in the driveway. His dad wouldn't want him to hesitate even if he wasn't. "Back to Konoha we go."
-I-
The car ride back was over just as quickly as it had started. The moment they rode into the city limits of Konohagakure no Sato, apprehension gripped the young Hyuuga. He didn't want to do this. Part of him wanted to run. To go to Kiri. Haku would let him stay, he was sure of it. He didn't want to deal with traditions and whispers. He didn't want to deal with his old friends.
"It's okay Akio. Breathe." His mother said softly, reaching over and giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze.
As if to spite her, the moment she said that they'd arrived at Hyuuga Manor to a sight Akio could have lived without. On the porch stood a group of people he could have done without seeing ever again.
Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata, Xin, Neji Hyuuga, Ino Yamanaka, a red haired boy Akio hadn't recognized, Shikamaru Nara, Temari no Sabuku, Sasuke Uchiha, and TenTen. Each one of them, save for the red haired one, he used to call friend. He would've trusted them with his life if the circumstance came up. But now? He wouldn't trust any of them as far as he could throw them. They'd proved they didn't deserve to be trusted.
Their expressions ranged from excitement to regret to just down right fear. Natsuki tilted her head, confused and curious at the same time. "What are they all doing here? It's been ages since I've seen them all at once..." Akio only frowned, leaning heavily into his seat. He was mourning. He shouldn't have had to deal with this shit. As Natsuki pulled into the drive way and cut the engine, she looked over to her youngest and smiled softly. "You're going to have to confront them eventually."
"Or I could just avoid them. I don't have to speak to any of them." Save for his three cousins. He lived with them. Still, that didn't mean he had to like them.
"But then everything is left unresolved, Akio-kun. Do you want to hold onto that grudge and be unhappy?" Akio remained quiet, mulling over his mother's words for a long moment. Outside, excitement turned to worry. Not that he cared.
"Fine." Maybe it as the fact that his father's death was still affecting him, but Akio realized that he hadn't needed the added stress and drama that came with the grudge on top of all his other problems.'
So reluctantly, he opened the door.
-I-
end chapter one.
A/N : I hope you guys enjoyed. Read and review please. I beg of you. Tell me how good it was or how bad it sucked. Hell, you can even tell me how much you'd like to bury me under 50 pounds of cookie dough for how bad you think this sucks (not that I'd mind being buried under that much dough.) Any criticism is helpful. Even the flames. :D