How We Became Friends!
The Rewrite!
By: Tilunar.
Chapter Three, The Return of the Absent Father , Summoning from the Terumi Head, and His Reasons of Choosing.
"Terumi Norio, Head of the Terumi Ichizoku, was my Great-Grandfather. His only son was my Grandfather. Since I was young, I had always known the expectations of my two Great-Grandfathers, though Norio-jii-sama had always been the one who was more interested in me. Ryota-jii-sama had Konan-chan and Nagato-kun to also watch over.
Norio-jii-sama had always wanted me to do my best, had always wanted to help me be the best I could. He would hire tutors for me, I spent most of my childhood juggling school, homework, school duties, Judo, Kendo, violin practice which he got me too, time with my family and whatever else caught my fancy to do. It was taxing and I was often tired, making many believe me as lazy with how I used the time I was at school to catch up on my rest.
But luckily I learnt things quickly so I didn't have as many tutor sessions as I did before I started Shōgakkō, plus I was ahead of my normal class-mates. It was the first meeting with him after I started that I had got him to stop with the tutoring sessions, promising to study in my own time and study hard. I was thankful for I knew I wouldn't be able to cope with such a full schedule later on especially if I added another club to my schedule.
It wasn't till my meeting with him after that that he told me the reasons behind what he did for me, what he hoped I would grow up to do. Unlike what my Okaa-san's family thought, Norio-jii-sama didn't want me as heir to be the next Head of Terumi Corporation, Minoru, my Grandfather, had already taken over as the Head of the Corporation and Norio-jii-sama had no intention of removing him as CEO. The real reason he had named me his heir was quite surprising in a way and in another, I should of seen it sooner." Namikaze Sakura.
~ Japan, Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Shibuya, Chiyo's Apartments, Apartment 23, Monday 11th May 1988, 04:20 pm ~
Sakura opened the door to home, having been told by Nawaki as he dropped her off at Shōgakkō that her Tou-chan should be home by now.
She was happy to be home, and she was thrilled her Tou-chan was home. He had been away longer then normal and she had missed him.
"I'm home!" She announced as she slipped off her shoes.
"Welcome home, Hime." Jiraiya greeted with a smile, peeking around from the kitchen, his long hair tied up in a high ponytail with a folded towel wrapped around his forehead and a white apron on. "I'm making dinner."
Sakura smiled as she padded after her Tou-chan as he went back to the cooker, launching into the story of his travel to amuse her.
She was glad that he was home.
The father and daughter duo had just finished eating when there was a knock on the door.
Jiraiya smiled as Sakura took their plates to the kitchen before making his way to the door, he opened the door with a greeting on his tongue which died as soon as he saw who was standing outside his door.
Short spiky auburn hair with almond shaped light green eyes and a slender face with a slim nose, red lips and small gold hops in pierced ears. Lightly tanned skin covered a slender frame covered by a slim-fitting black jacket, just passed knee-length black skirt and black leather knee-length boots. The woman was of average height, seeming short next to his tall frame.
"Konbancha, Jiraiya-san." She greeted, red lips tilting in a smile.
"Chikako-san." Jiraya greeted back almost numbly, something twisting in his stomach as he looked at the sister of the woman he had loved enough to marry before that woman broke his heart and left their child.
"Ojii-sama has summoned for Sakura-chan." Chikako said, slender hands holding a black small hand-bag to her.
"But- I just got back Chika-san." Jiraiya stuttered, a frown crossing his face.
Sympathy appeared in her eyes, especially with the use of the nickname he had given her when they were both younger and things weren't complicated.
"Gomen nasai, but you know she can't refuse a summons." She said softly and with slight regret.
She didn't want to come between them, but what she said was true. Sakura couldn't refuse a summons, no matter what. Even if she was the bastard daughter of Norio-jii-sama's granddaughter and few thought she shouldn't be classed as part of the family.
"Am I able to return after the meeting, Ba-san?" Sakura's voice startled them, they wasn't aware she had been there.
Chikako's face was soft when she looked at her younger sister's daughter and she nodded, though she knew some of her family wouldn't be pleased about Sakura not staying, she wouldn't force the child to stay.
"Of course." Chikako promised.
"Then I'll return soon, Tou-chan." Sakura said with a nod as she hugged Jiraiya quickly before leaving with her Ba-san.
She would be back, though she hated to leave her Tou-san so swiftly after he returned but like her Ba-san said, she couldn't ignore the summons. No one in the Terumi Ichizoku could deny a summons from the Head of the Ichizoku.
~ Japan, Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Shibuya, Terumi Corp, Monday 11th May 1988, 04:40 pm ~
The Terumi Ichizoku made their money from the magazine business and fashion, their Corp had shares in many different magazine businesses, being managers of different models and having their own fashion line.
Terumi Chikako (Her husband married into the family and took her name since she was of a higher class then him, and their twin sons, Momoiji and Kaoru, also held their mother's name) headed her own fashion line that worked closely with the Terumi fashion line, she headed her smaller and new Corp herself, the Corp of course focused on fashion. Terumi Minoru headed the main Corp, watching over trades, their shares, and over mostly boring paperwork, he went to meetings with share-holders, the heads of different departments of the Corp. Terumi Minoru was proud of what he had done, he had worked hard to get where he was since he was young and he had become a ruthless business man. Terumi Mei was a successful model, her own brother was her manager. Terumi Haruki was known as a brilliant manager, no model he has taken has ever flopped out.
He was stern with the make-up artists\ hair stylists, making sure they made no mistakes with the make-up or the hair. He did not bow to the photographers whims if he thought it wasn't in the best interest for his client. The prize of his career was of course his younger sister, Mei. He was flawless in how he handled everything that came with being her manager, making sure to keep certain facts from the tabloids (Like the fact that she had an illegitimate six year old daughter with a rather famous smut author or the fact that she had abounded her lover and newly born child six years ago because she had suddenly realised she didn't want a child or to settle down, and wanted to continue her career as a model which she knew would be hard to do if it was found out that she had a child).
His wife, Junko, was a rather meek woman and was as some would say the prefect Japanese wife. She was beautiful though in a more doll-like beauty and not the striking beauty that born Terumi women held. Their daughter, Fumiko, followed firmly in her father's footsteps, showing no sign of inheriting anything from her mother though her mother was her main care-giver.
Terumi Norio had started the Corp by himself with only a little help from his father, working himself to the bone to get the Corp to where it was today. Though his son was now CEO, he was on the board of directors (Which showed to everyone in the family he wasn't yet fully happy to let his only child run his Corp on his own which also frustrated Minoru).
Terumi Mio, Minoru's youngest daughter, was still in High School and would one day follow her brother's footsteps. She didn't want to be on display like her older sister, Mei, she didn't want to be lusted after by strangers so she had decided not to be a model. She wasn't that into fashion and couldn't draw so she had decided to not become a fashion designer like her other older sister, Chikako. Haruki's job was the only one she felt she could do and she had enjoyed watching what he had to do though she didn't have the same ruthlessness that Haruki and Fumiko inherited from Terumi Minoru.
Then there was Sakura.
The youngest of Norio's great-grandchildren and the only one without his surname. Though she was illegitimate, she was still Mei's only child as seen by her inheriting her mother's eyes though Sakura's were a lot brighter then her mother's.
Sakura had mostly little to do with her family, mostly just seeing them when she was summoned by Norio, and had basically nothing to do with her own mother.
Sakura sat patiently in seiza position, not even glancing around her Great-Grandfather's office, she had seen it enough not to be curious by it.
His office was very traditional, Minoru-jii-sama had made it to his father's taste. The floor was tatami mats, meaning that no one entering his office could wear shoes of any sort. He had a low long table for his desk with a number of piles of paperwork stacked neatly on it, a wooden glossy pot held a number of pens ready to use.
There was a small zen garden in the left corner of the office by the back wall that was made totally of glass. The right wall had a giant fish-tank that covered the whole length of the wall basically. The left wall was covered in a number of images, images of his wife; Emiko-baa-sama, images of his son and daughter-in-law, Minoru-jii-sama and Shizuka-baa-sama, images of his grand-children; Haruki-ji-san, Chikako-ba-san, Mei-kaa-san, and Mio-ba-san. He had images of his great-grandchildren; Fumiko-chan, Momoiji-kun, Kaoru-kun, and of course, herself.
Sakura had been surprised the first time she entered the room with the number of images her great-grandfather had of her. More then his other great-grandchildren, more then her own mother and her siblings. Norio-jii-sama had images of all the stages of her life so far, and she had once wondered how he had gotten hold of some many images though she quickly stopped that thought. Perhaps it was best she didn't know.
"Sakura-chan?" A deep voice spoke up as Norio capped one of his pens and looked at his youngest great-grandchildren with kind light grey eyes.
Norio was an old man, though he liked to say he's wasn't that old yet. His strong face had wrinkles, especially around his eyes and mouth that showed his life had been full of laughter and frowns. His skin was pale and covered his slowly softening and tall frame. He wore a dark kimono with a dark obi.
"Hai, Norio-jii-sama?" She questioned, glancing up with bright green eyes.
Norio took in his youngest so far great-grandchild. She didn't look as fragile as her mother did at her age though Norio supposed that had to do with her Namikaze genes. He knew the Namikaze Ichizoku were made of tall and strong people. Her eyes were brighter then her mother's ever had been, Shizuka-chan had almost the same eyes though Sakura-chan's were still brighter. Her eyes were full of intelligence that seemed to grow as the days passed her by. Her face was composed, she showed a surprisingly strong hold over her emotions, and her posture was almost perfect, he thought that Kendo was helping with her posture.
"Do you know why I take such an interest in you?" Norio asked, taking in her slightly surprised face. "Why you hold my interest while your cousin's do not? When even your uncle, your aunts, and your mother does not?"
Sakura shook her head with a light frown on her face.
"I am disappointed with how my family treated you before you could even crawl." Norio declared to her silent shock. "You are my youngest great-grandchild, but not my last, Mio-chan will one day grow up and have her own family. But it doesn't matter to me. Some of my family believes you to be a disgrace, a stain on our family honour. I could see that my son was going to disown you from the family when you were still just an infant, who was too young to be parted from your mother. I could not stand by and watch as that happened, you deserved to know the other half of your family, you deserved to know it's protection like your cousins. So I named you my heir to protect you from my son's blind ruthlessness at getting rid of our family's disgrace. I have gifted you with tutors, I wanted you to be the best you could possible be. To show my stubborn son what he could of lost, what Mei-chan had foolish given up.
I was surprised, though pleased, when you kept up with the work. That you never once whined about wanting to be something else instead of your studies like your aunts did when they were younger. You focused on your tasks and you completed them well. You didn't let the fact that some of the things I wished for you to learn was difficult, you worked hard to master what I requested of you. You practised and practised when I requested you to learn the violin, more then I have heard a member of my family doing.
You have always kept a level-head, non of our family's short-temper showing in you though it may change as you age though I doubt it. When you decided to quit your tutor lessons, you gave your reasons calmly with logic and promised if needed, you would return to them. I am pleased that I decided to make you my heir.
Unlike what Minoru-kun believes, I do not wish you to replace him. I am content with how he runs the Corp and I do not fault his leadership of it. I chose you as my heir to give you protection, from our family as much as the outside world, to make sure you never had to want for something as long as you worked for it."
He paused as he looked at the shocked young girl.
"Do you understand, Sakura-chan?" He asked.
"I understand." She said through her shock making Norio nod.
It may of been cruel to tell her how some of her own family about her and her birth especially when she was so young but she had to understand. To understand that at times she wouldn't be to trust her own family and she had to understand that he only wanted the best for her. Plus Norio had promised silently the first time he had official meet her and meet her intelligence bright gaze that he would be honest with her.
His son should of been the one offering her protection but he did not. Sometimes he believed his son was truly blind if he could mark his youngest grandchild as a disgrace of the family. He didn't understand how he and his wife went wrong when they raised him, they didn't raise him to be as ruthless as he was now.
It was a horrifying thought that Norio had no idea what his son would do to Sakura, and that is why Norio would do anything in his power to protect her. Even from his own son.
"When you join Middle School, you'll have guards." Norio said, gazing sternly at Sakura. "At the moment you are as safe as you can be, in Minoru-kun's mind you are not important but I have a feeling that will change when you start Middle School. Do you understand?"
"Hai, Norio-jii-sama." Sakura replied, though she disliked the idea of guards, she knew her life would become very troublesome if she didn't.
"Jii-sama?" She asked, because no matter how laid-back and calm she was about things, she was a Namikaze so she was bold when she wanted to be. "May I return home? Tou-chan has just returned home and I wish to spend time with him."
Norio studied her for a moment before he nodded, letting his eyes go back to his paperwork, knowing she would take it for the dismissal it was and was proven correct when he heard her moving to get up.
He glanced up through his lashes, noticing how she refused to show any stiffness from sitting in the seiza for so long and she did a deep bow, not as deep as her mother would do when she met and left him but Sakura was his heir and that meant she was of higher status then her mother when it came to him.
She carefully left and he knew one of his drivers and guards would be returning her home.
Norio was pleased that Sakura had inherited the Namikaze boldness, he already knew that she had their bluntness though she could be as subtle. Her overwhelming calmness was a mixture of Namikaze Hashirama's and his wife's, though it was mixed with her own almost boredom of everything and everyone.