More Than Guests:
Forgetting the Unforgettable
Japanese Dictionary:
Aniki – older brother
'blah' - thoughts
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"Oh my…What is this?" A shocked man looked at the two boys.
"Oh my God!" The tanned man knelt down beside the two cousins and shook the pale one's shoulder strongly.
Chocolate eyes opened lazily as if grasping the world around him. In his blurred vision he made out the silhouette of a tanned, older man kneeling before him with a concerned spark in his eyes.
"A-Aniki?" Haku lifted his arm and placed it tenderly on the man's face. Begging, pleading, and hoping, that he wasn't wrong, and that it was just a nightmare he had with Aki, as usual, coming in to make sure he was okay.
The other presence jumped slightly; startled by the touch, but then, with a trembling hand, placed it on Haku's. His eyes closed slowly, in a sad way. Haku almost cried when he realized what the other man did. He held his hand there and shook his head so that the boy could feel the solemn answer. 'No.'
"I-I'm sorry, sir." Haku apologized and woke himself out of his dream-like haze.
The area around them was laden by thick mist that was comforting to the touch, but made it nearly impossible to see. He was vaguely aware that it was morning and pale orange, red, and purple colors shone off of the little flecks of water in the air. It made the place more tranquil than it actually was. The grass grew more wildly than it did back at the glade, but it was still soft and cool. Moist tree bark soaked his backside and left an uncomfortable kink in his back as he sat up. Morning birds chirped freely, conversing about the new guests lying on the ground.
Everything hit him at once. The glade, the killers, his family, the deaths, the escape, Naruto…
"Naru!" He turned quickly, nearly giving himself whiplash. The kink in his back released with a sickening pop. His cousin was pale, sickly pale in a heart-clenching way.
He feared the worst; his company finally noticed what condition the other was in and was too gripped with fear.
Haku slipped two fingers on to Naruto's neck, feeling for his lifeline. He closed his eyes, expecting that he was lost. A move to the left, to the right, to the…there! It was faint, but it existed.
He turned to the man and gazed at him imploringly.
"Sir, we may have just met and I know it's rude of me to impose on you, but please, can you help him?" He moved his gaze from the man across from him and to Naruto.
The man was slightly taken aback by the sincere and polite way the boy addressed him with. His withdrawn look was quickly replaced by understanding and fondness.
"Don't be silly," He began. Haku looked crestfallen, but the older tilted his head up to look in his eyes, "you both need help." The man was looking at Haku's leg.
"Sir, may I ask you your name?"
"Call me Iruka, dear. What's yours?" Iruka asked.
"My name's Haku. It's very nice to-" A voice further in the woods interrupted him.
"Iruuuuka!"
Haku held a look of puzzlement to the tanned savior. Iruka sighed heavily and shook his head, 'don't ask,' the look seemed to say.
With slight hesitation, he answered the call, "Over here!"
A few moments passed by, until a man slightly taller than Iruka stepped into sight. The mist was very thick and it was almost impossible to see anything that was 10 feet away from you.
"Iruka, who are these two?" The man asked. He bent down to our level next to Iruka.
"These two are hurt and need to come back with us. Please, help me." He stated more than asked. It made Haku sort of wonder who wore the pants in this obvious relationship.
"Well, which should I carry?"
"You carry Haku. Haku this is Kakashi, alright? Kakashi this is Haku. Mind the left leg." Iruka instructed Kakashi as he picked Naruto up bridal style. It is most likely the least painful way to hold him without stressing the wound.
Kakashi did as he was told. He shuffled around awkwardly until his was crouched in front of Haku with his back towards him. Understanding the gesture, Haku wrapped his arms around Kakashi's neck and his one leg around his waist. It wasn't conventional nor comfortable, but affective. He held Haku's good leg in place, his other leg hung limply making it a little uncomfortable for Kakashi. Haku apologized quietly to the gray haired man, his reply was an equally quiet, 'Hn.'
"Let's hurry. This one's barely alive." Iruka's voice held an urgent edge.
The elder cousin's hold on Kakashi's shoulders tightened. Haku was going to beat Naruto over the head with a stick when he woke up. 'If he does wake up.' He couldn't stop the betraying thought.
A gentle scent wafted into his nose. Calming and relaxing. Sea salt and something akin to oranges. He found he liked the smell and relaxed onto his carrier's back.
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"Haku! Look at this!" He turned to the call of his name and smiled happily at his cousin standing next the sunflowers with a slight scowl on his face.
"Darn! I thought I was as tall as this one." Naruto grunted.
"Face it, Naru. You'll never outgrow the sunflowers. I bet I'll even be taller than you soon." Maki giggled and ran away into the sunflower field.
It was warm and bright. The sun was heating the earth below it and little pieces of clouds moved lethargically through the sky. There was a huge sunflower field that they were walking around. The kids were on a small mission to gather sunflower seeds for a shop down the street of their house. They were glad to help the kind old lady.
"Hmph. You're so hurtful, Maki-chan." Naruto sniffed pathetically.
"Look squirt. The way I see it is: the longer you're small, the longer I have the perfect armrest." Aki leaned on Naruto with his forearm on his head.
Naruto growled. "Haku, tell them to stop being mean!" He whined and shook Aki's arm off, nipping the limb sharply.
Haku opened his mouth to answer him, but nothing came out. He panicked and tried to scream. Still nothing. He flicked terror-filled eyes to Naruto.
"Haku?" Naruto questioned and walked toward him.
The flowers began to whither and die, eventually disappearing into a somber grey background. Aki walked forward, toward Haku, but it looked like, with every step forward he took, that he would go backwards further, soon disappearing in the distance. With the flowers gone, Maki was visible and was following the same path Aki left in, leaving only Naruto and him.
"Haku?" Naruto asked again, walking closer.
Naruto wasn't being pulled away. Naruto wasn't leaving him. Naruto wasn't lost in the darkness. Naruto was staying. Naruto was here.
"Haku."
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"Haku, wake up." Someone was shaking him.
He sat up quickly and looked around. He was sitting in a queen-sized bed with a black silk sheet pooling around him. Two white pillows sat behind him with a black one shifted awkwardly to the side of him. The room was white and adorned with random black and white 'guest room' items. It was really rather large for a guest room. There were two open doors. One led to a bathroom and the other led out into a hall.
Haku noticed Iruka sitting on a white leather chair that was pulled up beside the bed. He remembered that Iruka was the one who brought him here with Naruto.
"Be careful with your leg," Iruka motioned to it and that was when Haku noticed the cast the kept his leg from moving much. It wrapped around his pelvis and down his left leg to just above his left leg.
Iruka was a kind looking man. He was just about as tanned as Naruto was. He had brown eyes -lighter than Haku's- and dark brown hair. There was a pale scar on the bridge of his nose. Haku couldn't tell what type of demon he was, because there were no obvious characteristics of any he knew. Probably elfin if anything. He had a kind of uniform on him. It was a formal white blouse and black dress pants. A black bow tie was hanging haphazardly over his shoulder. His bottom lip was lightly swollen, like he'd been biting it for a while.
"Where is Naru? How is he?" He asked immediately.
Iruka laughed softly. "Good morning to you too. If you mean the person that was with you, they're okay. Well-resting and healing, but they'll be fine." He smiled reassuringly.
"I can't thank you enough." He sniffed the air around them, the familiar scent of his forest was missing from the floating fragrances. "Eh, where are we?" The thought finally passed Haku's mind while he looked around the room.
"This, uh, is my master's home." There was a slight flinch in Iruka posture as he said that. Haku quirked an eyebrow.
"I heard we had a new guest," a smooth voice came from the door, "So I thought I'd drop by." He smirked.
Haku looked up and his eyes nearly fell out of his face. A fucking sex god just walked into the room. Porcelain skin teased the eye with mocking taunts of its flawlessness. His black, glossy hair hung limply on his shoulders. It was obvious to him that this man was a son of Satan. You can't tell by appearances, except for their eyes that turn red when calling on their powers, but there's an engrossing and unique fragrance that exists in their presence. While he was sniffing, Haku could smell that scent all over the place, it was even on Kakashi, as he remembered, when they were coming here. 'Oranges and sea-salt.' The way he stood told Haku that he had importance and pride but was able to give off a relaxed air. He munched on an apple that simply added to the calm demeanor.
His ensemble added to the regal yet composed manner. Black slacks flowed down from his hips to just an inch above the floor, a white blouse, half tucked in, draped over his shoulders and a black tie hung around his neck. While the way it was put together looked simply atrocious, the person in it made said style look seemingly...delectable. He could be walking around buck-naked and no one would find it strange. Haku blushed at this thought.
Black eyes looked at him, amused. "So, the dubbed, 'damsel in distress' has opened her eyes." His smirk seemed to falter slightly when he was met with a chuckling Haku on the bed. He quirked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the scene.
"Pardon my rudeness, sir," he chuckled again, "but I'm a boy."
The new man looked surprised but then smirked again, "Ah. Call me Itachi." He turned around and walked out of the room. "Enjoy your stay here," Itachi said loud enough for Haku to hear.
He smiled and whispered to himself, "I know I will."
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Haku was watching Naruto like a hawk. He hardly blinked and just stared at his cousin lying on the bed. He was so worried, it being a day since they got here and eight hours since Haku woke up.
Another thing caught him by surprise in his earlier scrutiny. A fourth tail lay beneath the blonde's body. Every time he saw it, it reminded him of what happened before.
Iruka sweat-dropped. 'Ah. His face is going to get stuck like that.'
There was a small spark behind the boy's eyes before he tore them away from his visual captive to look at Iruka.
"That man before…who was he?" He was slightly confused by the extremely shocked, if not disturbed, look on Iruka's face.
Iruka sputtered. "That man was Uchiha Itachi!"
Haku was just as confused as before, maybe even more. "Who?"
"Y-You don't know who Uchiha Itachi is?!"
Iruka was baffled. Who didn't know Itachi-sama? Was he raised by animals? He looked at the boy's ears as they twitched in confusion. 'Ah…never mind.' Everyone knew who he was and no one dared forget it.
"He's the king of the western lands." He stated matter-of-factly.
Haku looked at him with disbelieving, wide eyes. He was about to scoff, but the serious finality of Iruka's tone broke that thought.
"You're serious?" He asked after a moment of silence.
An affirmative nod answered him.
Haku thought back to a memory of when he was about fourteen and walking around his village.
He walked passed a group of giggling, gossiping girls and listened, merely out of curiosity. They said something about Itachi. Something about him having a gorgeous body, mesmerizing eyes, and a voice as soft as velvet. They also swooned over someone named 'Sauce-Gay' or something. As he walked away, he heard one of the girls give Itachi an interesting nickname…
"So that's Mr. Sex-On-Legs. What about that guy, Sake'…Sauce kay…" He chatted mostly to himself but not quiet enough to where Iruka couldn't hear him.
Iruka couldn't help it. He burst out into thundering peals of laughter. Haku didn't understand what was so funny until he realized that he said the not-so-secret, secret nickname louder than he intended. He flushed in embarrassment. After the laughing died down again, Iruka managed to school his face into one of seriousness.
"Don't tell that to his face or you might end up like your friend there." Iruka gestured lightly in the direction of his bed-ridden companion.
'You mean on a bed?' His mind supplied. 'Gah! Stupid, stupid! Look at what you did Jiraiya-ojiisan! Corrupting this innocent mind!'
Jiraiya was a man who came to their house often and talked with his aunt and mother for an hour or so, before leaving an envelope and treating Naruto and him to ramen. He visited so frequently that he just naturally became a part of the family.
"I think you were talking about prince Sasuke. He's been on a trip with his friends, but he's coming home today in about an hour." Iruka explained, realizing that today was the day that his master would be returning home.
A loud groan came from the bed and Haku made a mad dash to its side. He watched the blonde's eyes flutter open to stare into concern-filled, wide brown orbs.
"H-Haku?" He questioned hoarsely.
"Yeah, it's me." Haku stroked the blonde locks tenderly. He was so happy that Naruto woke up.
Naruto sat up and looked around. The dominant colors of the room were maroon and a deep navy blue, with the same furniture layout as Haku's.
The youngest in the room made a crude smacking sound with his mouth. There was a lingering taste of blood there. A sneer made its way onto his face as he swallowed the grotesque taste against his better judgment.
"Wh-Where are we?" The unfamiliar smells overwhelming him along with the odd directionality of the winds.
Haku looked at Iruka for an explanation.
"This is the castle of the western lands. King Uchiha Itachi and the Prince Uchiha Sasuke currently reside here. I am Iruka, a servant to the masters and you- Oi, lay down!" Naruto was fighting his covers that looked like they were tangling worse as he tried.
"Don't worry! Everything's peachy! Ne, Haku? How'd we get here?" He stood up and took a step towards Haku, but stopped abruptly and grabbed his stomach in pain. "And wh-why am I," he gasped when he caught the sight of blood on his fingers, "bleeding?"
Iruka put him back on the bed with a disapproving frown marred on his face. "Miss, don't move. You've opened your stitches." He pushed a call button for nurses to tend to Naruto's injuries. Haku was about to correct Iruka's mix-up of Naruto's gender, but nurses ushered him into the hall while they tended to his cousin's stomach.
He caught these words before he was pushed out, "Haku…what happened?"
Haku stood there, staring at Naruto until the door was closed in his face. He just stood; entranced by those two simple words.
Naruto didn't remember. Naruto…forgot…
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The sun was setting and the summer day had died down into a comforting cool night. A raven-haired boy shuffled into his living room and slumped onto the couch to read. He clicked on his reading lamp and flipped to the page he was last on.
"Welcome home, little brother." A cool voice spoke next to him.
"Aniki," Sasuke greeted, "you look happy. Anything happen while I was away?" He looked at Itachi's faint smirk and his eyes that were dancing with amusement. It was an odd occurrence in itself and it made Sasuke all the more curious.
"Nothing gets by you. Yes, we have some very…interesting guests here." Itachi's smirk widened as he remembered the young boy he had met in the morning.
"Interesting you say?" A fine brow rose. That did it, his curiosity was peaked.
"Why, yes. You should make it a point to see them…Sasuke."
"I just might do that."
TBC…
Nomi: Yay! Introducing sex-on-legs and Sauce-gay!
SOL: -smirks at Haku-
Haku: -Blushes-
SOL: -victory grin-
SG: Hey! You don't get any until I get some. –leers at Naru-
Naru: Meep! Stay away from my virginity! I don't even know you yet! –runs-
Mol/Nomi: -sweat drop-
All: Anyway, Ja! R&R Please!
Enna: Oh, Hey. I'm Enna and I'm a new editor 3 my account is ennagirl, nya.
I want to thank both of my lovely and amazing editors! MayIFall and Ennagirl, I love you! Bow to them! Do eet!
I didn't change much to this chapter; I just tried to make it less confusing.
