/AUTHOR'S NOTE\
Hello again, everybody. Thank you for taking your time to read my debut. I feel happy to see that people enjoying it and as well as give compliment and opinion for me to step to a higher level. It's not been long, but as promise, this is my second shot. For the moment, I decide to stick with short stories and drabbles in the future to observe the feedback that I will be receive. I have one or two long shot in-progress, probably in around 70% of completion, I will release it for you to enjoy.
This one was made as a tribute to the Mother's Day Celebration for in my country, which falls on 10th, 11th and 12th of May, although the release was a bit late. To all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day.
Disclaimer : I only partly own Aki and Minoru with the other fanfic author, not Naruto and the Gang.
BETWEEN MOM AND DAD
"Hey, dad."
"Yes, Minoru-chan?"
"Are you strong?"
"(Chuckles) Why's the sudden inquiry? Of course I am, because I'm the Hokage, remember?"
"Nana-chan says otherwise."
Naruto remembers Akimichi Nana, Chouji and Ino's daughter. Curious, he smiles and asked, "Oh, and who is it she says?"
"She says that her mother told her that, Mom is stronger."
"Mom? Hmm, sure. She's quite strong. Not as strong as I am actually."
"Really, dad?" Minoru gives a skeptical look.
"Of course it is, -tte bayo!"
"Narutooo!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"Come here a moment."
"What's the matter, honey?" Nervous laugh escapes his throat.
Minoru just blankly look down the hallway, towards the direction his Dad walks through. He knows for sure, ever time his Mom used that kind of tone, his Dad never came out straight. He remembers well, that each time, his Dad will show two kinds of expressions later on. First, The Pouting; means that he just lost to the argument. Second, The Goofy Grin; something really good happened towards the outcome of the argument, usually. What's the word Iruka-Sensei used? Oh yeah, Win-win Situation. He didn't understand what's that supposed to mean, but for the latter, everytime it occurs, he will always be accompanied with a bottle of milk and forcefully sent to sleep at his own room that night when he was smaller. He always spends the night in between them since it's warmer that way. But when that happens, well, he'll be disappointed for sure. Mom and Dad must be hiding something that they didn't want him to see. And he has no idea of what that is.
His little sister, Aki, plays happily by his side, rattling the baby's toys and tries to stack some blocks on top of each other. Some distant stern voice of his Mom's heard and his Dad tries to give reasons of his logic to cool her down. Minoru's bored eyes just look towards the door, waiting for his cue. A moment pass, his Mom voice had quiet down a little, until a 'Death Statement' from his Dad that he barely heard echoes.
"I can't just drag Hinata to go, although she has the right as part of the Council. Of course, her body is nicer and can stand out the most in this stupid gathering, but I think bringing my spouse is…Uh, Sakura-Chan, are you okay?"
"Owh, she has Nicer. Body? Stand. Out. The Most?" A dark aura is emitting stronger and stronger through the statement. A death sentence.
Oh, my. Naruto paled.
Yup, that's my cue, Minoru thought to himself.
THUNG. BOOM. CRASH. FLOP. FLOP. Between the thunderous sounds, his Dad, in shock tone tries to ask what is she doing; packing her stuff, panicking towards his wife action. Not long after, his Mom stands at the room door and shouts at her children, dragging some packed clothing.
"Minoru, Aki! Pack your stuff, now! We're going to Grandma's! And say Goodbye to your Dad!"
"Goodbye?! What are you trying to do?!"
"I'm divorcing you, you idiot jerk!"
"Whaaaattt!? No, wait! Please, let's talk about this calmly now! Don't make rash decisions! You just misunderstood what I'm trying to say! I didn't mean anything to it!" Naruto is panicking a lot now, trying to forcefully push his wife back into the room.
"What did you mean misunderstood, that you didn't mean it!? Let me go, you stupid ignorant perv!" More and more faint banter's heard as his Dad closed the door to avoid his Mom from escaping.
Minoru just let out a sigh. "Aki-chan, come. Let's take a walk"
"Big Brother, pick me up! Pick me up!" Aki gleefully ask Minoru. He giggles and picks her, walks out of the Hokage's Mansion to give some time to his parents. He makes his way towards his and Naruto's favorite spot – Ichiraku Ramen.
Taking the specially provided baby's chair, he puts Aki down, sloppily bumps to the stool, looking at Grand-Uncle Teuchi for his usual. Seeing the black cloud that drifting above the 9-years-old boy's head, he understands that to make the order as 'double in everything'. The boy's had an appetite matching his Dad, especially when he's not in the mood.
"Yo, Minoru-Chan, Aki-Chan. What are you doing here at this hour?" A chirp voice appears. Minoru, who's had his face to be buried on the counter, respond without raising his face, in a groaning and dispirited voice.
"Good evening, Kakashi-Sensei. I just feel for ramen at the moment."
Kakashi looks at the soulless boy, expecting something not good had happen. Seeing the order that came a second after reconfirms his assumption.
"Your parents?" He asks in monotone voice. Minoru grunts, confirming the rightful guess.
"How bad this time?"
"Grandma & Grandpa's house." He looks at Kakashi, shrugged.
"Oh my, that's pretty bad." Kakashi nods as a gesture of understanding and sympathy.
"Yeah, but not as bad as the one time Dad was sent flying through the window, sucker punch by Mom. Uncle Nara said that had broken Dad's all-time records when they were younger."
"Oh believe me; I've seen too much of that when they were teens. In my defense, your Dad do deserves it for being a total idiot."
They laugh. Minoru feels a lot better. "It has been quite some time since they fought this bad. But from what I remember, Sensei, Mom and Dad both couldn't stay mad at each other for long. They always find ways to…ermm, what they call it?"
"Compromise? Peace treaty?"
"Yeah, yeah. That. It's just in a matter of time. That is why I decided to take a walk with Aki-Chan."
"Well, I think that is what being married is all about, I guess. We can never escape from troubling issues, we may end up in a little fight, but all in all, as long as we make up for each other's mistakes and face the problem head on, it will definitely leads to good ending and stronger bonds. Well, in your Mom and Dad's case, the 'little fight' is probably an understatement, seeing them both is the New Generation Sannin."
Minoru chuckles at the joke made by the Jounin. "You use too much complicated terms, Sensei. Except the joke, I have no idea of what you're talking about."
"Well, you're your Dad's son, after all. Not just a spitting image, except the eyes. Just don't take after his incurable stupidity." Kakashi replied.
They laugh some more. Kakashi's company does make his mood to be a lot brighter. Minoru feels grateful towards that. They spent hours and hours talking a lot of random things. Kakashi even takes Aki and plays with her. Aki is known to be quite fond of him, the only other man apart from Naruto and Minoru.
Just as they busy with chatting, Sakura and Naruto both arrived at the ramen bar.
"Minoru? Aki-chan? Ah, there you are. I've been so worried that both of you suddenly disappeared like that," Sakura's worrisome voice told the young boy, panting a bit in between. His dad, standing behind her mom, looks relieved but concern nonetheless.
"I'm sorry Mom, Dad, for making you both worried. I didn't intend to. It's just I caught up in conversation with Kakashi-Sensei and didn't realize that times flew by."
"Thank you, Kakashi-san, for keeping them companied. We apologized for the trouble caused."
"Please, no trouble at all here. No worries. Seeing that I'm also their Godfather; it's part of my job, too, to look after them. Right?" Kakashi tries to reason with them to ease the regrettable tone in her voice. Naruto and Sakura both feel grateful towards their former teacher.
While his parents and Kakashi are caught up in conversation, Minoru observes his dad expression. He's not sulking, which means the latter expression; The Goofy Grin. In an innocent, resolute voice, Minoru interrupts.
"Mom, Dad. Did you bring Aki-chan's milk?"
"Milk?" They both wondered at the boy's question.
"Yeah, since Aki will be sleeping with me tonight, right? Seeing that Dad is not sulking, I can assume that it is the moment of 'Shoving a Bottle of Milk and Send to Sleep in Own Room So That Mom and Dad Can Do Secret Mission Together That Me and Aki Cannot Know' kind of things. Like the one you used to do when I was small. Or is it not?" Minoru ask, in an innocent and confused look.
Silence. Naruto stammers and awkwardly smiles at the boy and the both of them try to hide their blush.
"Oh my, that is quite an apt interpretation, Minoru-chan." Kakashi tries to smiles, but quickly hides it and look the other way when the young parents gave him the Death Glare.
"Oh, and one more thing, Dad."
"W…what is it, son?"
"Well, Nana-chan was right. Mom is stronger than you are."
"Err…"
-THE END-