Family Sticks Together - Prologue
"What did I tell you, you little shit!" yelled a sickeningly drunken man, kicking a small, 6 year old, spiky blonde haired boy across a room. He hit the wall with a loud thump. The boy had previous cuts and bruises on his arms and legs. "I told you all not to mess with my things when I'm gone! And what do you do? You delinquents mess with my things!"
"I-I-I'm s-so-sorry Makado-sama! sniffle It was my fault. I was just was trying to help you out! I won't do it again! I have learned my lesson" cried the boy, tears running down his face as he tried to back away from the drunken man. He got as far as the wall, before he was picked up by his throat.
"No, I don't think you have" spat Makado. He then proceeded to squeeze his hands, choking the boy. The blonde began struggling and kicking his legs wildly. Just then, a 3 year old brunette boy ran into the room.
"What are you doing to my aniki?" cried the brunette boy as he ran to try to aid his brother.
"Kiba, stay out of this. Naruto must be punished for his actions." said Makado coldly.
"Stop Makado-sama! Stop, your hurting aniki!" cried Kiba who was desperately struggling to release the older man's grip on his brother's neck. At the sound of the commotion, two teenagers, a girl with straight blue hair and a boy with spiky orange hair.
"Makado-sama" said the orange haired boy. "please stop. It was not Naruto's fault. It was my own. "
"N-nii-san" struggled Naruto with tears in his eyes. "You gulp d-don't…"
"Well then" said Makado dropping the blonde boy to the floor, ignoring his cries of pain. "So you are the one to blame, eh?" The blue haired girl, Konan, took advantage of Makado's momentary distraction to pick up the crying Naruto in one arm and grab Kiba's hand with the other and hurry them out of the room.
Once she had gotten the two boys to the safety of their and the others' joined rooms, she checked their conditions. Konan, age 13, along with her brothers Pein, age 14, Naruto, age 6, and Kiba, age 3, were orphans living with Makado, their abusive and alcohol-addicted caretaker. Living with them, were 8 other kids. Kisame, Sasori, Kurenai, and Kakuzu, who were 16 and Deidara, Tobi, Hidan, and Itachi, who were 15. They had tried to tell the school about the abuse, but the school didn't believe them, choosing Makado's word over theirs.
"Naruto-kun, where does it hurt? And Kiba-kun, are you ok?" asked Konan caringly as she set the two boys down on a bed. She loved her brothers and hated to see them hurt. Although she considered everyone else her family as well, her true brothers would always remain dearest. Kiba shook his head 'No' and tilted his head down. He felt bad since he was unable to help his brother escape from Makado. A few crashes were heard from the other room and a sickening thud as well. Kiba cringed at the sound and he wrapped his arms around his sister's waist. She pulled him into her lap and continued with Naruto.
"H-here nee-san" Naruto said, pointing to his chest. Konan pulled him to her and placed him in her lap alongside Kiba.
"Shush, shush" she said trying to comfort the boys. "Its ok, your safe now." Kiba hugged her tightly, buried his face in her chest and began crying. This ultimately made Naruto cry again too. He mimicked Kiba and hugged/cried into his sister. She ran circles with her fingers on their backs trying to calm the upset boys, while whispering words of comfort to them. She looked up to see Pein limp in the room and gasped.
"Don't worry imouto-san" Pein half-smiled at Konan with one eye open and one eye shut. "Makado was really drunk and passed out. He didn't even hit me that hard"
"Still" she said "you it looks like it really hurts. I'm worried about you…"
"Don't, okay? I won't let anything happen to you three. I will always protect you, got that?"
"I know," she sighed "that's what worries me." The two older siblings then went silent. Naruto took this chance for himself.
"N-nii-san" started Naruto.
"Yes?" replied Pein.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry for messing with Makado's things. I just thought that if I cleaned up his room a little, he wouldn't have so much to be angry about." As he was saying this, the sound of the front door opening and closing meant the older kids had gotten home from school. They could hear Sasori and Deidara arguing about art, Kurenai yelling at Tobi, and Hidan trying to convert Itachi to Jashinism. However they all immediately stopped their conversations upon seeing a crying Kiba in a worried Konan's arms and a slightly bruised, sniffling Naruto hugging a badly bruised Pein.
"What happened, un?" asked Deidara
"Makado came home drunk again. But today he was early. Naruto had been caught picking up things, trying to clean in Makado's room and was to be punished. There were shouts and cries and Pein and I ran in to find Kiba trying to free Naruto, who was being choked by Makado. Pein told Makado that it was he who had told Naruto to go in there and put Makado's clean clothes away. And Pein took Naruto's punishment." explained Konan, whose head drooped and eyes began to tear up themselves.
"Pein," stated Sasori, "you need medical attention"
"N-no, no I think I'm fine… Thanks though."
"Damn it! This shouldn't have happened to you all. We should have been here! We're supposed to protect you guys! How could we let this happen?" Kisame said angrily.
"There's not much we could do" replied Kakuzu quietly.
"Yes there was" said Kurenai. "If you all didn't have to flirt with all the girls after school, we could have been here earlier and we could have maybe saved them from him"
Tobi tried to lighten the oppressive mood with "Tobi is a good b-"
"Not fucking now Tobi" said a pissed Hidan.
"Hidan!" scolded Kurenai and Konan. "Watch your language around Kiba and Naruto!"
"Ahh hehe. Sorry Konan-chan, Kurenai-chan" said Hidan rubbing the back of his neck with his eyes closed, apologetically.
"Ahhh" Pein winced at the pain in his side before beginning to collapse. Luckily, Itachi caught him and carried him to the bathroom. Kakuzu grabbed Naruto's hand and lead him to the same place to tend to his bruises.
Kiba got up from Konan's lap, wiping his tears and walked over to Sasori, Deidara and Tobi, where he said "Dei-chan, sniffle I'm hungry, will you make me something to eat?"
"Yes, of course un." Deidara said picking up the boy. "Come on Tobi and danna, you're gonna help me make dinner for everyone." This received a grumble from Sasori and a loud squeal from Tobi. The artists and the masked man left the room with the small boy in order to make him something to eat, and prepare dinner for a soon waking Makado.
Kisame went and sat over next to Konan and put a hand on her shoulder, to try to make her feel better. At the feel of his warm touch, she turned and buried her head in his chest sobbing, wrapping her arms around his waist. Kisame was startled at her sudden movement, but returned it by resting his head on hers whilst rubbing her back soothingly. Hidan and Kurenai figured the two would need some time, so they resolved to go help out in the kitchen.
They sat like that for a while, before Konan looked up and said "Kisame-san"
"What is it Konan-chan?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For ruining your shirt."
Kisame looked down. For sure, his white shirt had been stained with a mixture of tears and makeup. It was a good shirt, but he decided not to be mad at her, considering her emotional state. "Its ok, it will wash out. But it seems to me that something else is troubling you. You usually don't cry so much over stuff like this. You can tell me anything, you know that."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Tell me, it will make you feel better"
"No, I don't want to"
"Konan," Kisame said sternly, yet gentle. "Whatever this is, its eating you up on the inside. You need to let it out. You can trust me when I say I won't tell anyone if you don't wont me to"
She hesitated for a moment, but felt she could in fact trust him and began. "Well, its about school. Some of the jock guys have been hitting on me and Pein has been telling them off rudely. Sometimes they get really angry and want to fight him. And you know Pein, he won't back down from a challenge. I keep pulling my brother away, preventing the fights. But I fear that one day he might tell off the wrong person, and I won't be able to stop them and that the person hurts Pein really, really bad" She finished with a slight sigh and sob.
"That won't ever happen. Pein may be hotheaded sometimes, but he is a smart kid. Besides, you could always tell all of us and I could end the whole thing myself." he said cracking his knuckles.
"No," she said pulling his fists down. "No more violence. Violence has hurt and killed so many people… like my parents…. You get into enough fights at school anyways. I want you to stop."
"But that takes all the fun out of it" he said playfully wiping her eyes.
"Come on, sniffle I bet Deidara is making something really good for everyone" Konan said, holding Kisame's hand and leading him out of the room.
Meanwhile in the bathroom…
"Ow" squeaked Naruto as Itachi rubbed antibiotic gel on the cut on Naruto's cheek.
"Sit still Naruto" said Itachi impatiently. "Moving around is only making this harder and making it hurt more"
"Sorry" Naruto replied. "It just really hurts. Oooohh"
"I know it hurts, just try, ok? I'm almost done" said Itachi.
"Ok" Naruto said with downcast eyes. "Pein, how bad did sniffle did Makado hurt you?"
"Oh not so bad. I'm fine, really I am" Pein said trying to lift his brother's spirits. 'I can never tell him the truth… how it hurts so much I feel like passing out… He and his siblings would worry to much…' "I'm more worried about you. How much does it hurt? Tell me the truth."
"It hurts just a little now, thanks to Itachi." said Naruto, still disheartened.
"There, all finished." said Itachi, as he finished bandaging the boy.
"Hey Naruto, I bet Deidara is making something yummy in the kitchen for dinner, you should go see what it is" said Kakuzu.
"Ok! Bye Kakuzu! Thanks Itachi! Sorry again nii-san! " said Naruto as he hugged Pein. Pein rumpled his hair and he scooted him out the door. Once Naruto was out of earshot, Kakuzu asked "It hurts like hell, doesn't it?"
"Yeah" replied Pein.
"Why do you always act like the pain is not there?" asked Itachi.
"Because…because I have to be strong for their sake. Naruto and Kiba never knew our parents, they were too young. Konan and I have to be there for them. They all look up to me…and they care so much about and for me…I don't like seeing them hurt or saddened. I do it because I love them" replied Pein. " sniffle They're the only blood family I've got"
"You know you've got all of us" said Kakuzu.
"I know" said Pein. "You all are so good to us. I really don't know what we would do without you guys"
"Ok I'm all finished here" said Kakuzu after cleaning and dressing Pein's last cut. "We should prepare for Makado's wakening" And the 3 walked out the door towards the others.