Hidden Candles
A/N: Now when I look back to my other stories, my writing genres and styles changed a lot. Many times, I'm amazed how poorly I wrote in my first fanfiction. Then, I started writing pure humour fiction, which I still think is my strong point. I would have never imagined writing something like this. I usually hated depressing stories. :P
Chapter 2
As the years went on, Ino tried not to lose faith in Ike. Ike responded well. He didn't seem to be bothered by his disability until he was about seven years old. He went on being his aloof self, whose personality probably came from his father, so Ino tried not to read too much into it.
Once in a while, Naruto's little daughter, Hoshiko, would ask if she could push Ike's wheelchair. Often, she would tell him that she envied him. Her dad would train her day and night until her limbs felt like noodles. He himself would end up sleeping just from watching her train. And he would always wake up on cue every time she stopped. When the two of them returned home, he wouldn't even carry her home since he wanted her to become strong girl. Times like those were when she desperately wanted a wheelchair like Ike's.
Hearing all of this, Ike thought that being a ninja was all work. He thought that his mom would be thanking him for allowing her to retire from ninja missions. Ike personally didn't like work especially since Ino would force him to study non-stop. She would tell him, "You can't beat others with your physical condition but you can beat them with your brain." Whoever told her that Ike ever wanted to beat anyone?
Then, one day, Hoshiko's older brother asked if Ike wanted to watch him train, teasing that he could be his cheerleader. Of course Ike ignored his comment and went with him anyway. (It was the alternative to studying all day with his mom).
After watching Naruto's older son train, he couldn't have been more amazed. He threw with kunais with precision, all going in the right direction. Ike was used to seeing little boys and girls throwing tennis balls in random directions without any accuracy at all. He was even more baffled when he watched the ninja walk up a tree. Ike couldn't even walk and this guy was defying gravity with ease. And his sempai also created a clone of himself and scared Ike from behind.
Ike had never been exposed to a ninja's capabilities. He thought that it was all magic, and for a moment, wondered if there was some kind of trick behind all of this, as if the teen was just teasing him as usual. Ike only thought of physical exercise whenever Hoshiko mentioned training. Taijutsu, Ike tried to remember what it was called. And he read about ninjutsu and genjutsu but he never believed it. Ike just thought jutsus were myths, something out of a storybook. Then, he wondered why no one had shown him this part of the world that he lived in.
That day, Ike went home, telling his mother everything he saw.
"I want to do stuff like that too Mom!"
Ino was bewildered. She knew this day would come. And yet she still tried to hold it off as long as possible. But this was the day. She knew this day would make or break her beloved son. Ino wasn't sure what she should say. But looking at his anticipating face, she knew she had to say something.
Ino was the kind of person who thought things through. This situation especially troubled her. She replayed in her mind what this day would be like. She thought about what she might say, how she would explain it to him. She thought about when the right time to explain it. No. There was no right time. And if there was a right time, it especially wasn't today.
It's the job of a parent to fill their children with hope, to teach them that the future is theirs. On the other hand, a parent would suffer at all costs to protect her children, protect them from othe pains of the world. There were the pains of disappointment, of failure. And there were the pains of worthlessness and self-pity. Which of these were worse? Ino needed to know the answer.
If she gave him hope, he had a lot more to risk. The higher the expectation, the greater the potential disappointment. Shikamaru always lived by this. He wouldn't have high expectations for anything just so he could subdue the pain of disappointment even just a little.
Memories of Ike flooded through her mind. Memories of pain, sadness, and pity received from other people. She couldn't let Ike share these memories. It was too much for a seven-year-old.
But, she noticed that Ike's smile disappeared. "Never mind, Mom. I feel tired now. Can you put me to my bed?"
Ino, confused at his sudden request, quietly nodded. Those words released the tension in her chest and allowed her to breathe. She hoped that Ike didn't notice her distress. She wanted to keep those feelings of hopelessness buried deep inside her heart.
But Ike felt every emotion.
A/N: Funny how my chapters are now shorter. My OHSHC stories had about over 2000 words per chapter. Himawari has around 1500 per chapter. These chapters don't even reach 1000. Lol. Please review/ correct /criticise.
