Riayu: Hi guys (and/or girls)! Welcome to Konoha Institute of Technology (Aka KIT)
Sharin: Don't you think that's a little ironic?
Riayu: Of course I do, that's why I'm using it! It was my friends idea. Thanks, Akcessed!
Sharin: Just so you know, this is a collab, Riayu isn't responsible for the output of all the chapter.
Disclaimer: Guess who doesn't own Naruto! I'll give you a hint, I don't!
The three authors of this collab are Riayu, AkcessedImagination, and Sye216. Enjoy!
"Kuro, wake up," the little boy opened his onyx eyes, his lips bending as he saw the dark skinned face of his mother. She smiled back and bent down, kissing his forehead softly.
"Good morning, mommy," he said groggily, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. She picked him up and held him closely, rocking him back and forth as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. He yawned, stretched, then wrapped his arms around her neck.
"What do you want for breakfast, Kuro-chan?" she asked, carrying him out of the room and down the hallway to the kitchen. She set him down and began to go through cabinets, looking for breakfast food.
"Chocolate cake and ice cream," he exclaimed, smiling up at her.
"That's not breakfast, silly," she smiled fondly as she took eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator. "Go wake grandma up, Kuro-chan," she said, putting the food on the counter and pulling out a griddle, heating it and turning to see that Kuro was looking at her as sternly as a three-year-old can. "Please," she added, giving him a gooey smile. He nodded, his face relaxing into its usual childish smile as he turned and ran down the hallway and into his grandmother's room. The woman that slept in the bed was no more than thirty years old, not the usual grandmother, and had auburn hair and baby-blue eyes, laugh lines at the corners. Her slight snores filled Kuro's ears as he approached her bed cautiously, but, as always, her eyes fluttered opened as he grew near.
"You'll never surprise me, Kuro-chan, not like that," she swung her legs out from under the covers and stood up, stretching momentarily before scooping him into her arms and kissing his cheek.
"Mommy's making breakfast," he said as the smell wafted through the house. "She wouldn't let me have cake," he pouted.
"Growing boys don't need cake for breakfast, they need meat and vegetables." She said, carrying him out into the kitchen and setting him down in a chair.
"Good morning, mother," Sharin said cheerily, flipping the bacon and eggs over on the griddle.
"Anything?" the woman asked, reaching into the fridge for juice.
"Nothing, just the same old bird and the name Sharin. I'm sorry, mother, this must be a burden."
"Don't worry; you and Kuro have brought happiness to my home. You do more than your part around the house, helping to take care of an old woman," she smiled.
"You're nowhere near being and old woman," Sharin slid the bacon onto a plate and the eggs onto another, putting them both down on the table before taking out three plates and putting them down as well.
"Thank you, Kuro-chan," she had put out the silverware and napkins and was back in his seat, waiting for the women to join him.
"Grandma Lucy, sit down, I'll get the drinks," Kuro offered, on his feet in a blur of speed and at her side in an instant.
"Don't you worry about me, I can handle this much," she said, smiling at him as she took down three glasses and put them on the table, filling each with orange juice. They sat and ate in silence, Sharin watching the clock closely. When it was quarter to eight she stood up, putting her dishes in the sink and running into the bathroom to brush her teeth and use the toilet one last time.
"I'm off to school," she called as she pulled her bag off of the hook by the door, dangling it from her fingers as she put her shoes on and opened the door, slamming it shut behind her. She walked down the sidewalk at a brisk pace, plugging headphones into her ears as she walked and pressing a button on her Zune to play the music. The minute she stepped onto campus her music was off and her senses were sharp. She walked quietly and quickly, pulling her hood up over her head to hide her strangely colored hair and face. She carried her bag like a briefcase and swung her arms in time with her step, watching everyone to make sure no one was watching her.
When she got to her first class she settled in a seat in the back corner nearest the window, watching the people mill below as she waited for class to start. Slowly other people began to file in, taking seats near the front of the class if they were nerds and as far back as possible if they were slackers. The teacher came in and began her usual lecture on alleles and gametes, writing on the board in loop cursive. Sharin watched the other students, some taking note feverishly, others listening to their MP3 players. She sat, doodling in her notebook and staring out of the window, jotting down occasional notes, but mostly enjoying the view.
Half-way through the hour-long class she felt someone's eyes on her and looked to see a young woman staring at her with midnight-blue eyes. The girl was tall, thin, and had pale skin that contrasted with her raven hair. Sharin had never noticed the girl before and chose to ignore her now, pulling her hood up to block out the girl's gaze.
"Sharin?" the professor called, looking at her expectantly.
"Yes," she said automatically.
"Who decides whether the child is male or female?" she asked. Sharin gave the answer then looked back down at her notebook; her hand was moving the pencil to sketch lines on a new sheet. The girl with the pale skin and dark hair was forming on the page and she watched as background erupted behind her. A room with counters and shelves, monitors pushed up against walls, medical utensils scattered over the counters and floor. The girl was lying on her back, her skin exposed to the opened air, metal objects sticking haphazardly out of a deep wound on her abdomen. Her hand froze, the pencil clanking down onto the desk and onto the floor, rolling under someone's desk, the boy ignoring it completely.
"Sharin?" the professor called, but she was frozen solid, her face bent in disgusted fear. "Sharin," everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to say something. Slowly she began to feel her fingertips and feet, the numbness fading away. She looked up at the teacher, glanced at the board where a list of words were written, and said the first thing that came to mind.
"You spelled gametes wrong," the classroom erupted in laughter and the professor's face flamed in fury.
"Go," her voice shook as she pointed at the door. Sharin opened her mouth but she just shook his head. "Just go." She stood, throwing her notebook and pen into her bag before storming out of the room, slamming the door on the laughter coming from inside the room. She leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself, wiping at the moisture collecting in her eyes, being angry always seemed to make her cry. The minute her anger began to ebb she felt her face flush with embarrassment. She had just been kicked out of class on her first day of school, what was she supposed to do now?
The only thing she could do, go to the library and read something. Or surf the internet. She liked that choice better and was out of the building and heading towards the library in an instant. She pulled her hood up over her brightly colored hair as she walked, even though there was almost no one outside, and the few that were had spread out in the shade of trees to avoid the glaring sun. The librarian gave her a look when she walked in so she pulled her hood down before taking a seat at a free computer, signing into her account and turning on the internet. She was looking at pictures done by Picasso when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Her head whipped around, a few strands of hair falling into her face. It was a girl, great, girls' were the worst.
"I'm sorry to bother you," she girl said, truly genuine. "I was just wondering how you got your hair to turn that color," her eyes were completely innocent, her voice void of any mocking tone. Her hair was plain brown, pulled back into two buns. She smiled down at her, eyes friendly. Sharin couldn't risk it; she couldn't draw attention to herself. She couldn't make friends. So she did what she always did.
"No habla ingles." The girl look confused and did what they always did, backed away, going back to her friends and laughing quietly with them when they made a joke.
"That's not true," someone said, the voice hushed. "You can speak English perfectly." Sharin turned her head to see the boy she had met earlier sitting there, his raven hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. "Sharin, right?" he asked, standing up from his computer and walking over to lean against the table beside her.
"Yeah…Sorry, I'm terrible with names." She gave him a questioning look.
"Uchiha Itachi," he said, nodding without smiling. "Why'd you lie to her?"
"Getting close to people leads to questions that have complicated answers. Most of them I don't have any answers to at all. It was a mistake to have mentioned anything to you before," she added matter-of-factly. "I shouldn't have told you anything."
"I see," he was about to turn away, but she grabbed his wrist. She had seen the hurt in his eyes. She had seen it the first time she met him as well. It didn't have anything to do with what she had just said, something had happened, and she wanted to know what.
"But, since I already started sharing, I guess it wouldn't hurt you to know more." She said when he turned back towards her. "If you'll share some stuff with me." He nodded, grabbed his books, and followed her out of the library to the quadrangle. He sat on the small brick projection that surrounded the flag pole and patted the space next to him, inviting her to join. She sat, feeling awkward at the fact that their shoulders were nearly touching, her face turning hot.
"Right," Itachi said, looking at her face closely. It was soft with a rather pronounced chin, though it wasn't in a negative way. He skin was tanned, her eyes shining brightly, her lips full and soft looking. "Who's Kuro?"
Her face turned tomato red in a matter of seconds, her eyes filling with anxiety. She brought her hands up, resting her elbows on her knees, and pressed her palms against her eyes. Itachi had been assuming it was a boyfriend, but what about a boyfriend could be so embarrassing.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, not taking her hands away from her eyes. "It's just…I didn't think you would remember. I really hoped you wouldn't remember." She sighed, took a bottle out of her bag, and took a long drink. The color drained back to normal color and she sighed again, holding the bottle out to Itachi.
"Want some?" she asked. He looked at it warily. Kids were notorious for carrying sake around in their water bottles, and he was strictly against drinking it. "Don't worry; it's just water with lemon in it." He took the bottle and drank some, feeling it cool him slightly.
"Right, Kuro is my son. Kuro Taiyu…" she trailed off, not able to give a last name. Her face began to heat again when he was silent. "You okay?" she asked, looking at him. His eyes and face were both carefully blank.
"How old is he?" he asked, his voice low.
"Mmm…two years and a few months. He's actually very smart for his age. And he's got a great sense of humor." She laughed nervously and was relieved to see him crack a smile.
"Okay then, it's your turn to ask me a question."
"Can I ask you anything?" she asked, looking down at her folded hands.
"Yup, anything at all."
"Why are your eyes so sad?" she asked, still not looking up from her hands. She could feel him stiffen, could tell that he was trying to keep his face blank, could tell his eyes were confused, all without looking at him.
"A friend of mine died three years ago in a train crash." He said, his voice neutral.
"Did you love her?" Sharin asked, still staring down at her hands.
"Yes," he whispered.
"Did she know?"
"I think so."
"Did she love you back?"
"I hope so."
"Yo, Itachi, you okay?" Sasori asked, staring as his brunette friend walked through the door. It was late, dinner had already been eaten and the dishes cleaned up. Usually Itachi wasn't home this late, it was a little strange.
"Fine," Itachi said absently, hanging his sweatshirt on a hook by the door and taking the elastic out of his hair. He lay back on the couch, pinching the bridge of his as he closed his eyes.
"Cheer up emo kid," a girl's voice said, something heavy crushed his chest.
"Suki," he said, his voice breathless. "Get off of me."
"Not unless you smile," he said, grinding her butt into his chest.
"Suki, I'll call your dad and get him to put you into that private college."
"I'd like to see you try," she said, getting off of him and sitting on the end of the couch. "What's wrong?"
"I met someone today," he said, pulling himself up and sitting cross-legged.
"Heaven forbid you make another friend, Itachi," she said sarcastically.
"Not what I meant. She seemed sort of familiar."
"What'd she look like?"
"Orange and blond hair gold eyes, kinda short, dark skin…"
"Wait, dark like African?"
"No, dark like really tan. She had this look in her eyes, like she could almost remember who she was."
"Wait…what? She doesn't know who she is?"
"She said she lost her memory and was found three years ago. She has a three-year-old kid too."
"She doesn't sound like anyone you know."
"But it feels like I've known her for a long time."
"I got that feeling when I met Tobi. And when I met the rest of your friends. Maybe you're just supposed to be friends?" he didn't answer. There was nothing left for him to say. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Suki growing more and more agitated.
"Listen, if you're so worried about it, introduce us. I'll see if worthy of being friends with." She smiled confidently. "Is she staying in the dorms? Or does she have an apartment?" She was up again, running towards the door to get her shoes on.
"She lives with her mother about a mile from here," Itachi said, following her.
"Do you know her address?" Suki asked, snatching her coat from the hook.
"Yeah, but you don't have to…"
"But I want to! Tobi's still at work, so I have nothing better to do for the next few hours. We can bring Sasu-chan and Naru-kun with us." She smiled as she shrugged on her jacket then tossed Itachi his.
"Sure, why not?" he asked sarcastically. "Let's freak out her family with our oddities."
"That's the spirit!" Suki said, opening the door and running down the hallway to the stairs. She was already dragging Naruto and Sasuke out of the room by the time Itachi caught up with them.
"What are you doing?" he asked, watching the two of them struggle into their jackets.
"You said I could bring them," Suki said innocently.
"I was being sarcastic," he said, frowning slightly.
"Really? Too late. I already invited them. And they would be so broken up if you said they couldn't come." She looked at them with an evil glint in her eyes. "Right guys?" They both nodded fearfully, finally wrenching free and walking along silently.
"Where are we going anyways?" Naruto asked, putting his hands behind his head.
"You lead the way," Suki said, pushing Itachi in front of her. "I have no clue where I'm going." Itachi readily took the lead, recalling the strangely vivid directions. He wondered, as he walked, whether she had expected him to visit her some time soon. As they rounded a corner he say the house she had described. All of the lights in the two-story house were on. It was painted a warm brown, standing out among the reds and blues of the other houses. The windows were large, one protruding with a window seat on it. In front of the house was a large patch of dirt, covered with vegetables that needed to be harvested, the flowers long dead.
"There it is," Itachi said, stopping at the corner to look it over.
"It looks nice enough," Suki said, giving it a swift once-over. "Let's go in!" Before Itachi could say anything the blonde girl was on the porch, knocking on the door. Naruto and Sasuke followed her, Itachi bringing up the rear reluctantly. The door opened just as Itachi reached the base of the stairs. A middle-aged woman with auburn hair stood in the doorway, looking out at them.
"Sharin told me you would be coming sometime soon. Come on in," she said, stepping aside and letting the four of them in.
"Oh, you brought friends with you?" Sharin asked, turning to face them. Itachi was surprised to see the small boy she was holding. He had hair like his mothers, red infused with blonde that came down to his jaws on the sides and back, cut above his eyebrows in the front. But his eyes were a deep contrast, black as space. He smiled at them, waving a hand. Suki immediately stepped forward, circling the two of them as she looked them over. When she stopped she was facing Sharin, a smile on her face.
"I approve," Suki said with a curt nod.
"Umm…Is that a good thing?" Sharin asked, looking at the strange blonde girl.
"I'm sorry about her," Itachi said, stepping between the two of them. "She's sort of like my little sister. This is Suki, Naruto, and Sasuke."
"You're little brother looks like you," Sharin said, setting the boy down. "This is my son, Kuro. I'm having some trouble getting him to bed. Think you could help?" she smiled at him as the young boy ran off.
"Naruto's actually pretty good with kids," Itachi said, turning to look at the blonde boy.
"Only because he's still one," Suki said, smiling devilishly. "So you're a freshman?"
"Yeah, you're a senior like Itachi?" she asked, leading them to the loft where Kuro was hiding. Naruto stepped forward carefully, kneeling down to look at the boy who was hiding beneath the futon. He started tickling Kuro, bringing him out when he was laughing too hard to resist.
"Does he need to brush his teeth first?" Naruto asked, holding the boy in a way that wouldn't allow him to kick.
"No, he already did that. He just needs to get into bed," she motioned to the only bedroom in the loft and Naruto went in, putting the boy in the bed. Sharin followed to tuck the little boy in.
When she emerged again she was more somber.
"I'm sorry, but I need to get to bed. I'm up at four in the morning to jog an get ready for the day. But you can come over tomorrow, it's the weekend." She walked them to the door, smiling and waving at them. "It was very nice to meet you all."
While they were walking back Suki was the first to speak.
"She seems like a good mother. I wish she was married to my dad. Whoever the father is, he sure is lucky to have someone like her." Itachi hadn't even thought of the father issue. Did she know who the father was? Did the father know he was a father? Were they dating? He banished the questions.
"Let's just get home, I'm tired."
Riayu: Hope you enjoyed that, guys. Please review, all reviews will be greatly appriciated! And you will recieve cookies!
Sharin: What's with you and cookies?
Riayu: Everyone likes cookies! Thanks for reading, everyone! Stay tuned for the next chapter. That one's by Sye!