Umm, my name is Kat and this is a new story. That is all? I'm not good at these things. .
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
Chapter 1
"Ino…you ready?"
Pulling my eyes from my Calculus homework, I glanced at my older sister through tired eyes. She looked just as tired, hands shoved into the pockets of her worn jacket. I could tell by the condescending way she watched me that she wasn't happy with what I was doing. But I was past the point of caring.
This wasn't my first time and it wouldn't be my last.
Closing my books, I pushed them to the foot of my bed and stood catching the jacket she threw at me. "Thanks," I mumbled, grabbing my keys from the dresser beside the bed. She let me go first, closing our door behind me. The soft creak of another door caught our attention.
Turning around, we saw our younger brother peeking his head outside the door. I nodded for Temari to go downstairs already making my way into the other room. "Where are you going sis?" Ichiro asked, fist rubbing his eyes tiredly. With a frown, I scratched the top of his head before nodding to his bunk, "You need to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning alright?"
He scowled, green eyes staring back into my own. With a glare at the floor, he turned away and mumbled, "I know where you go at night Ino. Don't think I'm stupid."
Broken smile pulling at my lips, I gripped his chin, forcing him to look at me. Voice soft as to not wake the others, I whispered, "You know why I'm doing this right? It's not because I want to but because I have to."
"There's gotta be something better than this," he hissed, earning a frown from me.
Of all of my siblings here, Ichiro was probably the hardest for me to live with. Not because I didn't love him but because he was always on my case. I knew he wasn't doing it to be rude but sometimes having an overprotective little brother riding your ass about every little thing had its taxing moments.
Time was running out and Temari would come get me if I took too long. Dragging my fingers through my hair, I sighed and rose to my feet. "Look, now isn't a good time please. We can talk about it later, alright?" I assured him, fingers brushing back his hair.
"Sure Ino," he brushed me off, turning to go back in the room before closing it softly in my face.
I wouldn't hold it against him. I knew he was just looking out for me and I appreciated it but I didn't need him worrying about me, not when I was too busy worrying about everyone else, him included. I had things I needed to take care of for the sake of everyone here and I'd do it until I didn't have to anymore.
Closing the front door behind me, I winced at how cold it was. Sure I had the jacket that Temari had given me but it wouldn't be enough. With my tattered jeans, worn down sneakers and thin ass shirt, I could only take so much. Temari was waiting for me at the end of the street. She didn't look at me as I walked past her but I could tell she was following me from the soft echoing footsteps. We walked in silence for about a solid twenty minutes before Temari stopped me.
Tugging on my shoulder, she pulled me into a tight hug which I eagerly returned. Biting my lip to stifle any sobs, I squeezed her until I was ready to let go. "I'm okay," I quickly rushed out, fingers brushing away any tears that had managed to slip out. Squeezing my shoulders, she looked me in the eyes and whispered, "You know you don't have to keep doing this Ino. Of all of us here, you shouldn't be the one having to do this. Hell…I'll even do it myself if—"
"No," I quickly cut her off, "I need to do this. Just…we just need to hold out a little while longer, okay?"
I could tell she wanted to fight me more on this but we were short enough on time as it is. I just wanted to get this over with so I could go back home and sleep to forget any of tonight ever happened. With a forced smile, I placed a soft kiss on her cheek and pulled away, "I know the routine. No more than twenty minutes each and if I'm not back you'll come and get me."
"That's my girl," she nodded before tugging me into one last hug, "Stay safe kid."
I nodded and with a toss of my hand, I strode up the front steps to the apartment, checking the scrap of paper in my pocket to make sure I was in the right place. I knocked on the door releasing a nervous breath when I saw the knob twist.
And older man, probably old enough to be my father opened the door. Cigarette pressed between his lips, he tugged it away, blowing an unnecessary amount of smoke into my face. Scrunching up my nose, I mumbled darkly, "Are we going to do this or what?"
Yellow teeth revealing themselves, he chuckled. "I like you already girl." Brushing past him, I slipped into the dark apartment, hating myself a little more already.
"Kaya…Ryu…that's enough. No more running. Sit down so we can eat. Sora…Ichiro you guys come downstairs!"
This was my life just about every morning. Screaming after my younger siblings to make sure they were all doing what they were supposed to. Somedays it was easy and others it was downright hell. A tug on my pants leg distracted me from the food I was currently stirring. Glancing down briefly, I smiled at the soft brown eyes and silly smile greeting me from the floor.
"Up…up!" The youngest of our crew begged from the floor.
Shaking my head, I reached up to the cabinet to grab some plates. "Not now Yuki, I've gotta finish breakfast." The soft whines coming from the floor made me stop briefly but I fought to ignore the whimpers for as long as I could. But before I could break under pressure Temari stepped in and scooped her up, fingers wiggling at her tummy earning a fit of giggles, "Leave her alone you little brat."
I mouthed a thanks to Temari who only gave me a knowing smile.
"Downstairs brats! Breakfast is just about ready!" She screamed up the stairs, placing Yuki in the highchair and fastening her bib. Walking back over she took the plates from me, helping me prepare everything. One by one, the kids came downstairs. Kaya and Ryu skipped happily downstairs smiling at me and giving me hugs before hopping into their chairs. Sora was next, yawn falling from his lips as he nodded good morning.
Lastly was Ichiro. We made quick eye contact and as if nothing had happened last night, I smiled and tossed out, "Morning. How did you—"
"Save it," he mumbled, tearing his eyes from mine as he plopped down in his chair.
I sighed, knowing that we'd have to sit and talk about it later. For now, I just needed to get everyone fed and the let them know of the news that our 'grandmother' had instructed me to pass along. Setting everyone's plates in front of them, I cleared my throat and waited for everyone to watch me.
"So I've got some news for everyone," I started, taking up a small spoon as I fed Yuki.
Wide eyes from the younger ones was expected while Sora and Ichiro didn't seem to care much either way. Teenage boys and their careless attitudes.
"Are we getting a puppy?" Kaya asked, hazel eyes glistening widely.
"Ooh! I want a puppy too sis!" Ryu added just as excitedly, cramming his mouth with eggs.
I shook my head, pausing in Yuki's feeding to wipe her mouth. "No…for like the hundredth time. No dogs. Sora's allergic remember?" Sora only rolled his eyes, silently eating his food before smartly adding, "Even if I wasn't…we don't need another mouth to feed. We can barely afford the ones we—"
"Watch it kid," Temari warned, eyes narrowing at him before urging me to continue.
Rolling my eyes, I brushed off his comment. I understood the circumstances we were in and I knew that none of us were to blame. Things happened and unfortunately we just weren't as fortunate as we all would've liked. We were just trying to make the most of a bad situation but being young just made it harder to see that.
Starting again, I continued, "That actually brings me to the news I had for you guys. Grandmother tells me that we are having a new addition to the family."
Their eyes focused on me instantly, expressions between shock, excitement and absolute loathing.
Temari was the first to voice her shock as she blankly watched me to see if I was bluffing. "Are you serious? The old woman says we have another one coming here?" She finished with an annoyed scowl. The look on her face gave away instantly that she wasn't happy about the news.
Sora and Ichiro looked at each other before turning to me, eyes pleading that this wasn't the case. I glanced over and the next two youngest as they just smiled and cheered and continued to stuff their faces happily. "Are we getting a new brudder?!" Ryu screeched excitedly.
With a laugh, I reached over and wiped his face. "No…we're getting another big sister." He pouted, folding his arms over his chest. Kaya on the other hand was ecstatic as she squealed and clapped her hands together quickly. "Yay! More girls!"
I smiled at her enthusiasm, turning to feed Yuki some more who was currently dribbling little bits of food down her chin.
"She should be here soon, so make sure you all are behaved. Yes?"
Unanimous agreements reverberated through the kitchen. That was, from everyone except Ichiro. Pushing away from the table, he scoffed and made his way upstairs. The slam of a door was all I needed to hear to know that he was more upset than before.
I sighed, looking at Temari who just shook her head and took over feeding Yuki who was basically hysterical at this point.
Wiping my hands, I followed him upstairs, knocking on the door gently. He'd left it unlocked for me and with a steady hand, I pushed open the door. He lay on his top bunk, back facing me as he stared out the window. With a huff, I managed to tug myself up to sit beside him.
Squeezing his arm softly, I asked, "Going to talk to me?"
He didn't move. Rolling my eyes, I hovered over him, fingers teasing at his side. I smirked inwardly, hearing him stifle a laugh as he swatted my hand away, "Leave me alone Ino." I'm sure he expected it to sound more intimidating but with me weakening him by the second, he was losing his ability to fight me.
I let up the second he let a laugh escape from his lips. Tugging back some of my hair, I smiled weakly as he sat up rubbing his eyes. "Still mad at me?" I asked nervously.
Staring into his blue eyes made my heart tighten in my chest. It was odd how much we resembled each other. I called him my brother but at the end of the day, we weren't blood. None of us were. Different circumstances brought us all here to Tsunade's orphanage where we all learned to look after one another and to make our own family.
But at the end of the day, I didn't need to be blood-related to any of them. They were all my family short and simple and I'd do anything to make sure they were taken care of.
Ichiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before facing me. "I…I don't think it's fair that you have to do this for us Ino. You're smart and pretty and have way more going for you." Hearing his words tore me apart because he was such a smart boy. He had figured out for a while what was going on and I felt bad that he had to find out the way he did.
I knew he was looking out for me but honestly it wasn't his job. I wasn't a little kid anymore. I was old enough to make my own decisions and those primarily revolved around doing what was best to provide for my family. So to make sure they had decent clothes and good food in their mouths, I'd go without and continue to provide for them by any means necessary.
Tugging his head into my lap, I whispered, "I love you, you know that." Drawing in a shaky breath, I continued, "And sometimes…I've gotta do things that I'm not happy about or proud of. But I need to make sure you all are taken care of okay?"
His hand squeezed my own when my voice began to shake. Leaning down, I rested my head against his. Teeth grinding together, I fought back a sob, "I don't need you…I don't want you worrying about me alright? I'll be just fine, don't worry. You guys are my entire world and I'll do whatever I have to do. I'm trying to move onto something better but for now…this is the best I'm going to get."
He trembled in my arms, sniffling as he squeezed me tighter.
With a broken laugh, I brushed back his hair. "Come on dork. Don't start crying on me. You're my brave little big brother, right?"
He sat up slowly, hand dragging across his eyes. He nodded carefully, still unable to look me in the eye. "Come on…let's go finish breakfast, huh?" He nodded again, hopping down from his bunk. Taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze, we made our way back down and joined the others.
I stood at the door, eyes watching over the others as they played around in the yard. It wasn't too cold out and I figured with our new sibling approaching quickly, it'd be nice to greet her with everyone out front.
A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump slightly only to relax seconds later as Temari handed me a mug of warm tea.
"Sorry," she mumbled, holding Yuki in her lap as she made a grab for Temari's hair. I shook my head with a smile leaning my head to rest against the post on the steps. "Don't worry about it. Just caught me off guard is all. Thanks for the tea," I mentioned, taking a long swig and peacefully sighing as it warmed my throat.
She hummed her approval as we watched the others play in the yard happily. It always warmed my heart to see them all so happy with each other. Even though Sora and Ichiro were a little older, they always managed to tolerate playing these silly little games with Ryu and Kaya. It made me wonder if we'd all been together from the very beginning, if we would've still been just as close.
"Ino," Temari called carefully, forcing my eyes from the others for a split second. "Hm?"
She sighed, frown on her lips as she watched Yuki toy with the necklace hanging from her neck. Her silence worried me and with a gentle place of my hand on her thigh, I pressed, "What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?"
She nodded, drawing in a slow breath as she finally faced me. "I…I just want you to know Ino…we appreciate what you do for us." My heart pounded in my chest as I immediately ripped my eyes away from her. Hands tightening around my mug, I whispered softly, "Not now Tem. Please…"
"Ino I don't want you to keep doing this," she hissed softly, eyes hard as she tried to meet my own. But I couldn't force the contact longer than a second without feeling miserable all over again. It was the same thing every weekend and it never got easier.
Disgusting men touching me…using me however they pleased. All to make ends meet and provide for everyone.
I felt filthy and the amount of loathing I had for those men didn't even come close to the amount of disgust I had for myself. I took the offer though there were so many other options, I took the one that would bring in the most money. Because the way I saw it, this wasn't about dignity or pride or even self-respect for that matter.
I just needed the money at the end of the day and to make sure I had it, I stooped as low as I was willing to go.
Temari squeezed my thigh, reeling me back in as I began to fade. "Ino, I'm going to do whatever I have to do to end this for you. I've been asking around and looking for other openings. They won't pay as much but with you, me and the new girl working, we'll have more than enough to take care of everyone. All of this shouldn't have to fall on you."
I quickly wiped away the tears falling down my cheeks as I squeezed her hand. It calmed me, feeling her there. Knowing that she would always be there for me when I needed her.
Knowing she cared so much about this made me feel a little less like shit than I already did. So with a tearful smile, I nodded, "Thank you." Her eyes danced away from my own before flickering back, "Chin up sweetheart, I think that's our girl."
My eyes quickly darted to the long driveway as a familiar car approached us. I had to quickly rush out to keep the little ones from darting in front of Tsunade's car as they were so prone to do. A door shut and with a smile, I walked over to hug our adoptive grandmother. With a soft smile, she pulled me into a tight hug, whispering about how much she missed me.
She'd been gone for a little while now, perhaps a week or so. She had to finalize the adoption process and then proceeded to take the drive to pick up our new sister. Kaya rushed over, scrambling into her arms as she giggled, "Where is she Nana?! I wanna see her!" Ryu rushed over as he eagerly tugged on her pants leg. "Me too! Me too!"
With a warm chuckle, she brought her fingers to her lips. "Easy you two, she's here." I couldn't help my own excitement as I peeked my head over her shoulder. Tsunade motioned the girl in the car with her hand, voice calling, "Alright Sakura. Come over and meet your new family."
The door opened slowly and time seemed to slow as a girl made her way around. And when she did, I couldn't help but notice how exotically pretty she was.
Though I'm sure it wasn't her natural color, the shade of pink accentuated her stunning green eyes that much more. I literally felt the breath knocked out of me as I watched her walk over, hands deep in the pockets of her hoodie. Tsunade rested her hand on her shoulder, giving her a friendly smile before turning to face us.
"Everyone, this is Sakura. She's one of us now and make sure you all make her feel welcome. Also, she doesn't talk much and she'll need some time getting used to you but she's a sweet girl and I'm sure she'll fit in. I'm going to take your stuff up Sakura, let everyone introduce themselves and I'll be right back." Sakura nodded, eyes watching her nervously as Tsunade disappeared inside.
Everyone's eyes were on her which was probably making her extremely uncomfortable. The awkwardness didn't last for long as Ryu carefully made his way over first. With a smile, he squeezed her leg, wide eyes peeking up at her. "Sakwa is a pretty name! I'm Ryu, do you like my name too!" Sakura blinked slowly and with a nervous smile, she nodded.
He only squealed more and proceeded to rub his face against her leg. This invited Kaya over who was a bit more reserved with people she didn't know. Curiously, she tapped Sakura's leg. "My names Kaya…is it okay if I touch your hair?"
I couldn't help but giggle at the odd question. Surprisingly enough, Sakura carefully stooped down to the ground and dipped her head. Carefully, Kaya reached out, fingers gently rubbing Sakura's hair. A huge smile worked its way onto her face as she turned to Ryu, "It's so soft! You gotta touch it!"
Temari walked over and chuckled, hoisting Yuki onto her hip. "Alright guys, don't be weird. You'll scare her away." Sora and Ichiro walked over, formally introducing themselves and shaking her hand. I rolled my eyes, knowing that the two of them were fully capable of being more friendly than that.
Temari smiled, and introduced herself and Yuki to which Sakura returned with a smile. That just left me then.
Smile dancing on my lips, I took a friendlier approach and gently pulled her into a hug. "Nice to meet you Sakura. I'm Ino, don't hesitate to come talk to me about anything alright?" My smile widened as Sakura's cheeks flushed nervously when I pulled away. She nodded, still not comfortable enough to speak yet but that was fine. I wouldn't rush.
Tsunade appeared in the doorway moments later as she whistled for everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, come inside! I've got a surprise for you!" She added, peaking everyone's interest. She disappeared back inside and the others began to follow suit.
"Come on Sakwa! Let's go!" Kaya and Ryu happily tugged her along with Sakura stumbling after them inside. A laugh fell from my lips as I closed the door behind us, eager to see what the surprise was.
New story. Don't we just hate those. I know I do. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. Read, review, eat beef stew. #SorryNotSorry But I'll see your awesome faces in the next chapter. Beeteedubs, I added this story to the poll which is now located in my profile. Vote for your next chapters kids! Love you oodles!
