Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Naruto's always been a happy-go-lucky guy. But with the recent passing of his parents, he finds it harder and harder to maintain that cheerful attitude, so it's up to his favorite cousin and new foreign friends to help him become the man his parents would want him to be - happy and fulfilled.
Stuck in Aoyama
Oh god. It hurts. This ache is too intense. My heart is swollen and caught in my throat. I can't breathe.
Stuck in Aoyama
Naruto stared out the airplane window. It had been a long flight, and he was tired. He wasn't looking forward to moving away from all of his childhood friends, but there wasn't much that could be done about that.
He sighed. The Yamanaka's were nice. Aunt Yumiko was particularly friendly, and his Uncle Hyosuke was an imposing but humorous man, and his cousin Ino was pretty awesome.
He was used to the long flight; but this flight was particularly taxing, what with his parent's recent passing. He visited Japan every Christmas with his parents, because it was the only major holiday that both countries celebrated and stayed with his mother's family every thanksgiving. But they always left when the spring semester started again. This year he would take classes with his cousin.
His eyes squeezed shut as he thought about what would happen to all of his parents' things. They had been too young for death, just over forty. They still had time to get rid of all their debt, which was less than the typical American family. But it was still enough that they had to sell off their estate. Essentially, whatever didn't belong to Naruto (and the things he couldn't sneak away with) was going to be sold in an auction.
He tightened his fists around the arm rests and tried to control his breathing. He was going to miss the way his home always smelled like his mother – freshly baked cookies, laundry detergent, and sunshine.
"Fuck," he murmured, trying to keep the tears back and from falling, as he replayed the old video on his iPod. His mother dancing with his father at some holiday get-together before little one-year-old and some-odd-months Naruto stumbled over in his race car jammies, pacifier in mouth, and worn baby blanket in hand.
"Say, 'hello,' Naruto!" his mother laughed.
"'Ello, Mawrumo!" the smaller version of himself exclaimed as he extended his arms "Cawry you?" He tilted his head to the side as he asked.
His mother laughed and picked him up.
Naruto's mouth curved slightly at his younger self and the little happy faces on his iPod.
He started the next video and tried not to cry again. It was Christmas and four-year-old Naruto and five-year-old Ino were cuddled under similar blankets. The young Naruto looked so confused because Ino was so excited she was talking faster than usual, and Naruto couldn't keep up. He couldn't understand a word she was saying. "Mom," he whined, "make Ino stop talking so fast." He looked genuinely disgruntled, and his mother laughed as she normally did.
God. Nothing upset his mother. Nothing made her angry. She just always laughed. If he broke a glass or scraped his knee, she would just give a carefree laugh. It was like her laugh made everything better. He would stop crying at her smile, and every kiss healed every cut. He wondered briefly if his mother was the only one who never scolded her child. He couldn't remember a single reprimanding word. But every time another mother might have said 'no,' she just laughed and shooed him off to bed or school or wherever else he might need to be.
He got an F on a major test once, and she congratulated him on showing up for it.
"I don't suppose you studied, did you? Well, at least you tried. And these look like some pretty legitimate guesses."
He wondered why he hadn't grown up to be more rebellious.
Of course, all his pondering caused him to be distracted through the rest of the home movie; so he replayed it.
"Don't worry, Sweetie. I don't know what she's saying either."