Man, I'm terrible. =_= Forgot my password... But I'm back and hoping to update at least once a week! I know for sure that The Later Times is going to become a full-length story, once I can think of a reasonable plot and reasonable characters. :]

The Later Times

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Any OCs belong to me.

- IV -

The streets of Konoha were oddly quiet despite the time of year. Ever since the Fourth War ended, New Year celebrations happened to be one of the most festive times of the year. Shinobi had time off, people wore their best clothes, shops put out their best foods, and decorated candles lit the night.

"I'm bored."

Shikari squinted at her friend, watching the girl's stained lips as she sucked on a piece of candy. "Where's your mom?" She turned her head to inspect the Akimichi home. She had been sitting on the front steps of the house for so long that she had lost all feeling in her bottom and legs. "Inside doing something, I think." Her friend didn't seem bothered in the least bit, humming to herself as she licked her sticky fingertips before letting her concentration fall onto Inome and Shikari's older brother. They were all waiting for some sort of spectacular firework display, but in their boredom had found ways to entertain themselves. Shikari had started attempting to count the lines in her palm while her older brother Satoru sparred with Inome, currently beating him easily with his sharpened stick.

"This is the worst New Year's eve ever," Satoru commented loudly in a lazy tenor, sidestepping Inome. He watched the boy stagger and fall with little reaction, letting him tumble in the dirt. Chouni gasped, jumping off the porch and hurrying to him, allowing Satoru to take her spot. He stretched his legs across the aged wood, looking thoughtfully upward. "Not even a lantern."

"I didn't even get to make any," Shikari glanced at her brother before returning to her hand. "Why is everyone gone?"

"Mom's on her way back from Suna - you know that. Dad, Uncle Chouji and Aunt Ino are on a mission… Everyone's on a mission. Bad timing, I suppose."

"Taiki invited us to a party," Shikari scowled when she mentioned of the troublesome boy. "We should go, everyone will be there."

"Not everyone, Shikari," Satoru ignored his sister's irritated expression, well aware that the girl disliked correction. The two of them sat quietly together for several moments, identically severe gazes resting on Chouni and Inome. When Chouni finally stopped fussing over her friend's now-dirty clothes, Satoru stood, holding his hand out for Shikari. She took his hand only to have her arm wrapped around his neck as he pulled her onto his back. Shikari gripped the collar of his shirt as he moved both his arms underneath her to support her as he turned to face the house.

"Misses Akimichi, would you mind if I took Chouni with us to a party?" There was a brief pause before the petite woman shuffled out of the house, waving her hands. "Yes, yes! Take them both, take Inome with you—Chouni! What have you done? You're all dirty—Inome! Both of you come inside. Satoru, wait a minute please."

Shikari could feel her brother's irritated grunt, but was unsure if it was a result of her wait or the object of him having to wait. She knew her brother was oddly impatient though he never seemed outwardly in a rush to do things. She also knew he wasn't fond of carrying things, either. In order to avoid any more criticism, Shikari wiggled in attempt to slide off his back, only to earn a sharp pinch. "Ow!"

"Stop moving," Satoru started to pace, almost jumping down the stairs when Chouni and Inome finally emerged from the house. Chouni's mother was astounding – Shikari couldn't understand a woman like that, since her main role model was her mother and the kunoichi wasn't known for wearing make up or elaborate clothing. In fact, Temari was more than comfortable dropping Shikari off with Chouni's mother if there was ever an occasion which required her being dressed up. She and Ino made a habit of dressing and grooming the three children, despite the fact that Inome was a boy. Not that he protested against the attention, usually just undressing or removing the decorations from his bound hair the instant he got out of his mother's line of sight. He didn't even wait until he was all the way out of the house before he started tugging at his collar. He looked like a girl without makeup while Chouni just looked like a doll off its shelf, with expensive ribbons that matched her skirt and blush painted on her naturally-rosy cheeks. After proudly observing her work, Chouni's mother gave them a little shove. Blowing kisses, she retreated back into the house.

"Come on." Shikari rested her cheek against the back of Satoru's shoulder as he led her friends off the Akimichi property and towards the main village. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep before she felt someone's hot breath on her cheek.

"She's asleep already?"

She didn't move for a few moments before whipping her hand blindly at the voice, smacking her hand across a familiar face.

"Ah!" The older boy took a step back, sulking next to her brother. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Shikari made out the features of her brother's friend Taiki, his unruly blonde spikes as wild as his smile. "Want a cookie?"

"Don't speak to me like I'm a pet," Shikari sat up and stretched her arms before standing from the couch and surveying the room, attempting to find her friends. There were quite a few children in the house. Not "everyone" as she had earlier claimed, but at least ten children were occupying the room, many with parents on missions from what she could observe, considering the lack of adult supervision. The Hyuuga cousins were competing against another pair of kids, stacking pieces of wood in attempt to make a high tower without the construction collapsing. Another boy Shikari vaguely knew was reading a book. Chouni - not surprisingly - had gotten her hands on some food. Inome sat next to her, ripping apart pieces of his costume with a fork as she ate.

"Something's wrong with him," Satoru observed before turning to leave Taiki and Shikari to themselves.

"The clothes probably itch," Shikari offered in defense of his friend, though Taiki didn't seem to pay much attention to that, instead leaving her abruptly. Shikari scowled after him before wandering through the house. She'd visited on a number of occasions, though there were obvious parts of the house she hadn't seen. She didn't make it farther than the kitchen when she felt herself tugged back by the edge of her shirt before being scooped up and carried like an infant.

"Don't you know it's impolite to wander around someone's house like that?"

"I'm not a baby, let me go!" Shikari knew the voice well. It belonged to Kuremi Sarutobi, a student of her father. She didn't turn to face him, instead struggling until he let her go. He laughed at her before standing from his crouched position, looking down at her. Shikari glared back up at him, well aware he couldn't be the least bit intimidated by a five-year-old, but furious with the fact that he was laughing at her. Absolutely no one laughed at her, no one but Satoru, in which case it was allowed, and natural. There was nothing wrong with an older brother laughing at his sister. Shikari did not consider herself to be an amusing child, and therefore felt a right to be irritated when someone found her amusing.

"Who said you were a baby, huh? I just don't want you to make a mess. Everyone's out… Taiki's mother is here, though, she went to get something from the market. I just don't want her to find you in her things."

"You should have said that," she shuffled past him before attempting to find something to amuse herself with, since this "party" wasn't much better than what she had been doing at the Akimichi's house. Irritated, she finally took a seat next to the smaller of the Hyuuga twins - the quieter one. At times she had difficulties remembering their names or which belonged to what parent, not because they looked remarkably alike, but because she had never interacted with them much nor was she as familiar with them as she was some other people. They were older than her, but her brother wasn't particularly friendly with them, therefore she wasn't either. For that reason, she didn't happen to care who won the game they were playing, causing her to sit still as if she were meditating or falling asleep with her eyes open, the latter more likely.

"Who wants fireworks?"

Taiki's voice rang throughout the room, causing everyone to turn to look at him. After blinking the stinging film from her eyes, Shikari saw the fireworks in Taiki's hands. He held them under his arms, between his fingers, and even in his pants, his eyes wide with excitement. Almost instantly, everyone got up and rushed towards him, Kuremi stepping through the sea of children as if they were nothing more than pillows, gently easing them out of the way before he ushered Taiki outside.

"If you want to show off, do it outside."

"Fine!" Taiki threw the fireworks onto the ground before whipping a match. "Count down, everyone!" He grinned, kicking the fireworks into a pile in front of the house, oblivious to the fact that there was at least an hour before it was midnight. While most of the children watched him in confusion, Kuremi gathered everyone, starting the countdown, figuring it safer to humor Taiki than to let him find another stunt to gain approval of his peers.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Taiki, what are you doing?"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Taiki, you answer me this instant!" Taiki's mother's voice carried, despite the distance she was from the house, though no one had heard her except Kuremi, the children enthused by the countdown and gymnastics an impatient Taiki performed around the fireworks. The pink-haired woman quickened her pace, dropping the basket of groceries she carried. Sensing her panic, Kuremi attempted to shake off the children that had settled on top of him. He struggled to reach Taiki in time, the boy dancing about.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Kuremi, those aren't fireworks!"

"Three!"

"Stop, Taiki!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Shikari was welcomed to the New Year by a flash of white. She opened her eyes to see herself in a familiar room. It took her a few moments to recognize the bed she was in as a hospital bed and not her cot at home. She was in Konoha's hospital, the color of the walls causing her head to ache. She covered her eyes, confused by how painful the motion was. Unable to move, she glanced about the room to find her brother in the bed next to her. He had an uncharacteristically stupid grin on his swollen, bruised face. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Looking at her brother made everything clear, the tone of panic in Taiki's mother's voice, Kuremi's frantic actions, shoving everyone inside the house. Now it made sense why he had so recklessly shoved Taiki to the ground. The fool had almost blown them all up, and being so close to the front, Shikari and her brother had suffered the worst of the blast.

"This was the best New Year celebration ever."

I don't know why I'm so cruel to children. ;_; I thought it was funny, anyway. Happy New Year, everyone!