Disclaimer.. I do not own Naruto...Never did...Never will...sigh.
Written by... Treina (Angel Crack)
Names
Mujaki . Shino's Dad
Kaiwa . Shino's Mother
Nidashi . Old Man (who brought Naurto the chair...)
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Aishiteru Naruto
Chapter 4- Bugs and Confusion
Naruto - Age: three
When Naruto awoke and forced his eyes open. It was dark, but after a few seconds, his eyes adjusted and he realized that he wasn't back in his old room with the Third, he was...somwhere else. Then the blond noticed heavy breathing beside him and turned his head to find a passed out Shino, sunglasses still attached to his face. This confused him. Where was the Hokage?
Then Naruto looked over to the door and noticed it was shut, he could feel his heart pump fast against his chest and flood his ears. Instantly, he was out of that bed and banging on the door, screaming at the top of his lungs. This instantly woke Shino up and in his opinion, in a very rude way. There was Naruto standing at the door like a baby, screaming his head off. Shino chuckled to himself, he's just being a baby...
"What's going on?"
He stopped screaming when he heard the worried voice and the feel of the door pressing lightly agianst him as somone opened it. Although he screaming subsided, fear was still in his eyes and tears were still running down his cheeks.
Kaiwa looked at her awake son sitting in his bed. She couldn't tell if he was mad, scared, or amused but he said nothing.
She looked back at Naruto, "are you okay? What's going on"
Naruto stared up at Kaiwa, feeling as if he did something wrong, afraid that he would get hit.
Shino began to laugh, he just couldn't hold it in any longer, "you are a baby!" he said pointing, as if he were confirming himself.
"Shino go back to sleep!" His mother yelled, not happy with his behavior.
Kaiwa led Naruto out of the room and began to close the door. Before the door shut, Naruto looked one last time into the dark room and he found a very mad Shino glaring at him. That made Naruto think of something, if Shino had no eyebrows, he would have never been able to tell that he was glaring. Now Naruto was extra curious about the mystery behind Shino's weird sunglasses.
Kaiwa turned on the kitchen light and sat Naruto at the table while she got some warm milk ready, "the Third will be back tomorrow morning to drop off your things," she said with a smile and looked at the boy. He gave her a weird look, what did she mean by 'his things?'
"Ara! I should have talked to you about this first," she said to herself, thinking about what she would do if her son were in the same position, suddenly, an overwhelming sorrow fell over her and she felt bad for the child. She poured his milk and sat down, setting his cup in front on him, "would you like to stay here?"
What kind of question is that? Of course he didn't want to stay here, the Third just got back, was he leaving again? But why was she asking him? He wanted the Third, he didn't want to be here, he wanted to be back with the Third, but the Third isn't here, so why is she asking him? This frustrated Naruto, "no..." then he walked over to the window where Shino always sat and stared out the window. Then he got an idea, Nidashi was just down at the bottom of the road, if he could get out of the house, he could make it to Nidashi and not have to stay with these weird people.
But as he stared down the road, straining to see Nidashi's house, he realized how dark it really was down there. The image of the huge kitsune flashed in his mind, when he turned his head back to the kitchen, he saw Kaiwa still sitting at the table watching him.
xoxoxoxox
Down at the bottom of the road, Nidashi sat on his porch watching the stars, waiting for the right time. He picked at the wooden box that sat on his lap, as his nervousness grew, tonight would be the night.
Why he stayed away for all these years, he didn't know, maybe it was too painful. But he knew now, he would have to go back, back to her. The old withered man watched the clouds clear so the moon could make itself apparent. Everything in under a second turned a few shades lighter and he smiled softly, it was about time he left. But this time it would be alone and not with his little blond companion.
The walk was quiet and peaceful, not dreary or distressing, he just enjoyed the night air and moonlight. He walked slow, thinking halfway there that maybe he should turn around and go back, that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe he should just leave all together and never return to this place, if he left then he wouldn't have to think about it. Think about her.
Then he laughed, "what's wrong with you? What could you possibly be afraid of?" Coming back to his senses he mentally slapped himself, 'your an old fool for staying away, you look pathetic enough as it is, dot make it worse,' and with that in mind, he walked out of the city and into the woods, knowing that he wasn't going to run away this time. 'That, or this is all just another dream and I will wake up. Then I will tell myself once again that its impossible and that my heart could never bear to go back...but why did I take Naruto?'
Nidashi had been
thinking that a lot lately, why did he take Naruto to that spring, the
holder and vessel for the very thing that took away his beloved family.
"That damn kitsune!" He cursed. But then he looked at the box in his hands, 'poor child.'
When he finally arrived at the spring, it was more beautiful then the night before, the moon was still un-clouded and for fifteen minutes the old man stood still, listening, "have you left me for good?" He asked quietly with deep sadness in his voice.
But just at that moment the wind picked up and blew through the tree's that surrounded the spring making a beautiful sweet sound that could be mistaken for singing. The wind rushed through his hair like a pair of hands weaving in and out of it, it was warm. Wind was never usually known to be warm, not this warm. He felt as if he were healing. Like he was becoming younger and he smiled the widest smile he was ever known to smile, "so you're still with me..."
For a few minutes while he was waiting, he really did think that his wife had left him forever. And as the sound of the singing wind blew around him and the spring, he couldn't remember the last time he was surrounded by bliss, pure bliss. You suddenly come to a conclusion that there could never exist anything terrible in the world that would make you un-happy. Not when this magical place existed.
The air all around him filled with the sweet sound and Nidashi took advantage of the moment and sat under a tree, leaving his mind somewhere in the past. He was lost in the singing for hours, not realizing half of the reason why he came in the first place, until something hit him, there was a wooden box on his lap. As he looked down, he remembered, he needed to bury it here for the young one.
The old man walked slowly around the spring where the soil was soft. He was examining the ground very carefully as he fully walked all the way around the spring until he was back where he started, the singing wind still accompanying him.
'Where should I hide this box?' He thought in dismay.
The wind gushed and filled the spring with the sound of harsh rustling tree's when a bunch of leaves blew off of one near by and they all landed gracefully on the soft dirt near the closest tree to the entry, then everything was silent and Nidashi knew that this place where the leaves fell would be the place where the box would be buried.
xoxoxoxox
After a few hours, Kaiwa was finally able to get Naruto back to sleep, but this time she didn't dare move him from the couch. Instead, she left him there and covered him with a soft blanket before returning to her own bed, "poor thing."
Sooner then expected, Kaiwa awoke to to her husband, "you have to come see this," he announced and left the room.
She grumbled and put on her robe, when she walked down the hallway and into the main room. All the morning grumpy-ness left her when the sight of Shino befell her.
Little Shino was standing right in front of the couch staring at the sleeping Naruto, why was he sleeping in here on the couch? He lived in this house his whole life and he never got to sleep in the main room. And it seemed the blond was sleeping very well, he didn't move an inch, even with all the activity going on in the room. After about fifteen minutes of staring at the weird boy Shino began to think that maybe Naruto was dead.
Kaiwa watched her son run into his room and bring out his bat, as she watched him walk back over to the blond she began to get nervous, "what are you doing hun?" but was startled to see that Shino only used it to poke to boy, "let him slee-"
Naruto opened his eyes only to see the weird little boy with the sunglasses standing over him, holding a bat. Naruto frowned at Shino and Shino just stared, half relived that the stranger wasn't dead.
"You cant sleep in here!" He said suddenly.
"Come on Shino...Naruo?" Kaiwa asked with her hand extended.
Naruto rolled off the couch, followed Shino and his mother and found himself in the bathroom where Kaiwa began to fill the bath. Naruto's eyes glittered with excitement and Shino glared knowing what was coming. Kaiwa striped the two down and placed them in the tub, "I have to go start breakfast...play nice," he looked at Shino knowing how he was in the bath.
Naruto automatically began splashing around while Shino just sat arms crossed and when Naruto's splashing hit Shino's sunglasses it was an all out war. But five minutes into the water war Naruto looked up at Shino with a grin, what he saw made his grin instantly change into a horrified look. Every inch of Shino's body that wasn't in the water was covered in bugs. Little black ones.
In the Kitchen, Kaiwa was just beginning to put breakfast on the stove when she heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from the bathroom and down the hall. Soon enough Naruto was running to her across the kitchen floor, dripping wet and stark necked. Once again he had that terrified look on his face, but this time it was a bit different, it was more full of surprise.
"What happened now"
"Bugs!" Naruto screamed, pointing to the hall.
A second after that and Shino's little head was poking into the kitchen, curious as to what was going on, one minute the blond kid is splashing around and then the next, he screams at the top of his lungs and fly's out the bathroom door leaving Shino startled, confused and wet. All wet including the sunglasses. Shino decided he wouldn't even try to talk to the blond, he would get dressed, eat breakfast and then wait for his father to get home...if he even leaves today, if not then he would be forced to play with that stranger.
Wait! Then Shino remembered his mother saying that the Hokage will be back today, maybe that means he will take the weird intruder away...before he gets any bright ideas...he already didn't like the idea of sharing a room and that hasn't even presented itself yet. He knew one thing, waking up at three in the morning every night to watch a baby scream was not his idea of a happy family.
Kaiwa giggled when she heard what the problem was and she knew that this issue would arise, but she also knew that explaining it to the blond would do no good and might even freak him out more. So she would have to wait till he got older, until then he would never understand. She dressed Naruto in some of Shino's old clothes and went to find Shino, but she found that Shino was already dressed and in her bedroom helping his father get ready, so she went back to the kitchen.
Naruto followed the nice woman down the hall and into the kitchen which smelled really nice, the smell was coming from the pot in the stove and he wondered what it could be. As he walked to the stove and reached for the pot, Kaiwa screamed, "no!" She grabbed him and began to carry him back down the hall, "you could have hurt yourself," she said, relived that she grabbed him in time.
She
placed Naruto down in her son's room and showed him the toy box, "you
stay here and play until its time to eat," she said with a smile.
"Shino! Come play with Naurto!" She yelled down the hall, knowing that he could hear her.
Shino
sat on his parents bed and helped his father put on his coat, "Im only
going to be gone for a few hours, then im going to take your mother
out, the Third is going to find someone to watch you until we get
back," his father said with a smile and pat his son on the head, "now
go play with Naruto like your mother said"
Shino frowned, "I don't want to," he said stubbornly and crossed his arms.
"Well then take it up with your mother," he suggested and winked.
Shino put on his best pouting face and left the room.
Walking
into his room he was amazed at what he saw. His toy box was open but
all his toys were still in it and Naruto was sitting quietly on his bed
staring at him.
"What are you doing?" Shino asked, finding it suspicious.
Naruto said nothing and continued to stare at him.
Shino
walked over to his toy box, pulled out a few toys and sat down, "come
over here, you can play with this one," he said reaching the toy out to
the blond.
Naruto walked up and looked at the rubber toy in Shino's hand.
"Its a bug," Naruto pointed out, hesitant to take the rubber toy.
"Its
a toy," Shino corrected, "this is a bug," and he raised his hand to
show the blond the little black bug that sat on his hand.
Naruto
backed away and then took one step closer, he was amazed at how little
the bug was, it didn't look anything like what he saw in the bath, it
was much cuter.
He then looked at the rubber toy, "its a bug," he repeated.
Shino didn't know whether he was talking about the toy, or the little friend that was sitting on his hand.
After a while of sitting there staring at each other, Shino decided that this was getting a little boring so he figured maybe outside would be more exiting, maybe he could even find a few bugs to collect and teach Naruto to catch them without doing them harm. So he stood up and walked out of the room, but when he turned his head around, Naruto wasn't there.
"Come on!" He said, poking his head back into the room.
Naruto
looked down at the rubber bug that sat on the floor and then at Shino,
"Mm!" Naruto responded with a smile and hopped up to follow the weird
bug boy.
They walked though the kitchen where Shino's mom was still
cooking breakfast and his father was sitting at the table talking with
her, "are you going out?" Shino's dad asked the two boys that were
passing though. Shino nodded and opened the sliding wood door.
"You
watch him now," he said looking at Naruto, "make sure he stays out of
trouble," he instructed Naruto, who smiled at him and nodded.
When Naruto entered the yard he was almost as amazed as when Nidashi showed him the secret place. It was the biggest yard he had ever seen, (he had not been in many placed in Konoha.) The grass was a dark wet looking green with little purple flowers shooting themselves up everywhere. The yard was surrounded by trees which gave nice privacy and a lot of nice shade, most of the trees were that same green, but there were others that were a bright yellow, making themselves stand out. He decided that these were his favorite trees and spent fifteen minutes just staring at them while Shino went and looked for bugs.
"Time to come in!"
They heard Kaiwa yell from the house and they both went back, ready to
fill their empty stomachs with breakfast.
Both Naruto and Shino
inhaled the food that was placed in front of them instantly and then
demanded more. After their second helpings, Shino's father said
good-bye to his wife and son, "I will be back in a few hours," he said,
kissing his wife on the cheek.
The second that Mujaki was out the door, Shino was at the window awaiting his return and Naruto decided he would join in on whatever it was that he was doing. Shino's eyes were kept glued to the window and Naruto's eyes were glued on Shino, it was very cute to watch and Kaiwa decided she had to have some pictures. So she ran into her room, grabbed the camera and was back in the main room before Naruto and Shino even knew she was gone.
SNAP FLASH
The two boys whirled their heads around and Shino glared in the direction of the camera, "stop it," he said before turning his concentration back to the window. Naruto however was fascinated with whatever just occurred and walked to Kaiwa staring at the strange black box she held in her hands. It was a weird looking box and he somehow found the strange sensation to touch it.
Naruto reached for the camera and Kaiwa put it up to her face, pushed a button on the top of it and then looked at it weird. Naruto made the same face she did until she brought her attention back to him, "Im out of film!" she exclaimed and ran in her bedroom. Naruto went back with Shino and continued watching for whatever it was they were watching for.
Not soon after Naruto decided that this was getting boring that Kaiwa came back out into the main room dressed like she was going out. She held two coats in her hands, "lets go you two."
They both didn't pay much attention to her, they were off in their own little world somewhere, blocked off from the rest of the world. Sometimes Kaiwa would find this fascinating and just sit and watch her son do it. But they had no time, if they wanted to get back by the time her husband would return they would have to leave now.
"Shino! Lets go see dad!" she said in an enthusiastic voice, raising one of the coats that was held in her hand.
Shino's jumped off the couch in excitement which startled Naruto out of his little dream as well. When he noticed that Shino was putting on his coat, he realized that they were going somewhere. He jumped off the couch with the same amount of excitement that Shino had. He ran over to Kaiwa and smiled.
After getting them both in coats and shoes, they left the house, and Naruto couldn't wait to find out where they were headed. He looked behind him and down the road, remembering that Nidashi lived down there he stopped walking and stared at the road. Kaiwa turned to see why Naruto was lagging behind and noticed that he was facing the opposite way.
"Come on hun," she said and took hold of his hand.
"Go!" Shino yelled with his finger pointed in their direction, "go, go, GO"
Shino
skipped and jumped in the front, leading the way. He knew these roads
well, this was the way they came all the time to get to the store. Then
on the way home they would spot Mujaki. Shino would run and jump into
his arms while Kaiwa smiled at the sight of her two boys. This time was
no different.
After stopping in the store to buy more film and drop off the used to get developed, they began to walk home. On their way they met Mujaki during one of his rounds. As soon as Shino caught a glimpse of his father, he laughed and screamed out while running as fast as he could. Naruto decided this would be fun and joined in.
Naruto ran and ran, he laughed and smiled, he screamed just as Shino. All the way until they reached Shino's father they both laughed. Shino dove into his fathers arms and Naruto stood unsure, but smiling at the least. Mujaki ruffled Shino's hair and asked how his morning was going. He then turned his attention to the smiling blond. "And how about you?" He said with a smile, Naruto grinned at the man but soon noticed that he was not being paid attention.
Shino and his father laughed as he cracked small jokes or talked some about his last round and how much he couldn't stop thinking of his little Shino. Naruto found this strange behavior, the Third or Nidashi, no one ever talked to him or treated him like that. There was something there that he had never seen before, something that sparked a fire, a longing, a desire to be treated in the same fashion. The blond turned his head to the left when he heard the sound of faint laughter that did not belong to Shino or his father. But it was a child's laughter and when he waited with his fixated on the alleyway to the left, he realized what the laughing was.
There was a small boy around his age with thick black hair, Naruto found it funny how it stuck up in the back and wondered if it was possible, then he looked at Shino and his father. Yes it has to be possible. The little boy with the thick black hair was sitting on the shoulders of what seemed like an older version of him. Only his hair didn't stick out in the back like the little boy.
As the two boys in raven
hair walked by Naruto met eye to eye contact with the little boy.
Immediately, the boy stuck his tongue out at the blond. And Naruto
didn't know why but he had the strong urge to do the same so he did.
There three year old Naruto stood with his tongue sticking out of his
mouth.
"Stop that Naruto!" Kaiwa ordered, not at all approving of
the rude gesture. Even Shino knew that you never stuck your tongue out
in his mother's presence.
Naruto looked at Kaiwa with a confused look on his face, what did he do?
"Keep
your tongue in your mouth!" She said stalking up the the boy, "I don't
ever want to see that. Hanging your tongue out of your mouth is not how
you say hello," she added picking him up.
"Shino! We have to go, we still need to stop at the Hokage tower," she said, looking at her husband.
Mujaki
set his son down and instructed him to do as his mother says. Shino
nodded considering it was coming from his father and walked over to
Kaiwa and took hold of her hand. "I will see you in a few hours," she
said with a tired smile to her love.
"Aa," he said simply and returned to make his rounds.
Naruto was in utter shock and could feel the tears beginning to build. He couldn't understand why she would get so mad, didn't she see the other boy stick his tongue out as well? Actually there were a lot of things he didn't understand and it only frustrated him more to know that there is yet another thing added to the list of things that baffle him. What scares him is that most of the things that he doesn't understand scare the hell out of him and there is nothing more terrifying then something that your scared of and have no clue what it is.
To be continued...
xoxoxoxox
A/N: Awww poor Naruto, even now before things become tragic I pity him... cry and DON'T WORRY, there will be a lot more Naruto characters coming in and out of the story, this is not a fic about Shino and Naruto becoming friends, that is just a part of it. )
