A/N:Omata se shimasu ta! He-ya, minna-sama, hisashiburi da na? Ogenki desu ka? Oops, sorry-sorry, I am excited right now…and subconsciously use romanji, sorry. Long time no see, how are you guys? Hope you're ok and healthy as always! Well, this is the new chapter of this story. Please do ENJOY! XD
Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters aren't mine, some of the situation and the story line are taken from 'Barano Tame ni' by Akemi Yoshimura, and I took some dialogues in the Snow White, and it's not mine either. I wonder when I will send Luna out in this story…, ma, iika
Warning: foul language, some rather hard family problems, some shounen ai, and the oOC-ness may annoy you a lot, but…ah well, just read and find out
For The Blue Sky
Chapter 7:Poisonous Apple
So…where did we end the story before? Ah, yeah, suddenly that Sai confessed his love to me, and he tried to do something inappropriate, but then Sasuke came in the right time and gave him severe punches. I wondered if he was alright after that…, though, the accident was heard by Sakura who became really angry and gave severe lessons to Sai.
Silently I felt really pity to Sai, but…no matter what happened now, we couldn't go back to be best friends. I…lost my best friend again, and it felt really hurt now….
Gaaah! What the hell am I thinking at a time like this!? I can't let Sai be hurt more, can I!? And I don't want to lose my best friend again! Damn it, it's not like me at all, giving up like this! No matter what, I will take my best friend back!!—I made up my mind and decided that I need to speak properly to Sai once more. When I went to Sai's room, accidentally, I heard Sakura's voice.
"We're breaking up!" Sakura stated that sentence firmly without doubt at all to Sai. "That's the punishment for embarrassing me like this!" and she left Sai who didn't even care of her presence. She bumped me in the corridor and looked at me disgustingly before she left me as well in angry look.
I sighed awkwardly at that. "Ita-nii is right. Which parts inside that girl are kindand pretty? I wonder if my eyes had deteriorated that time…." I laughed slightly at that.
Then I came into Sai's room. I didn't greet him first; instead I looked at his feature. The wounds caused by Sasuke were still there on his face, and that hand imprint on his left cheek must have been from Sakura.
Uwaaah, they look hurt…. She is violent as always….—I sweat dropped at that.
Sai…he looked depressed. Might be…it was because of me. I was the cruelest person to him, leaving uncertain feeling within him. I felt like a bastard right now. Damned…. I didn't know what to do to him anymore. No, I had to talk to him firmly this time. He's my best friend and would always be!
"Sai," I called him who was only sitting calmly and silently on his bed. Sai lifted his eyes and met mine, but quickly looked away.
"Sorry," he whispered slowly. I sighed long as I walked closer to him. Then I sat beside him. Silence filled the room uncomfortably.
"Sai," I called him again to break the awful heavy silence between us. Even if Sai didn't give any response, I decided to continue. "I am sorry. I can't accept your feeling, Sai. Still, I don't want to lose you as my best friend, so…would you forgive me and go back to be my best friend once more?" I asked bluntly after that.
Sai looked at me, amazed. "You…, don't you feel even worse nearing me after what I had done to you yesterday?" he asked in disbelief.
"I am a bold person. You should know that more than anyone else. And to be honest, that was not the first time I was attacked, you know," I replied slowly, a bit embarrassed at the fact.
"You…don't hate me? Not at all?" Sai asked again with hope in his eyes.
"Not at all, Sai, because I also have responsibility on what happened yesterday. I should have told you firmly that I only love you as my family, as my best friend, and I can't give you more than that," I said those rejections in a sentence and I believed that my words had become arrows and stabbed his heart solidly. Well, because I saw Sai crying literally in weird look. I had to hold back my laughter seeing him like that.
"But, Sai…if you feel lonely, you can always come to me. I'll lend my shoulder to you anytime you want. We're best friends after all," I said slowly while smiling at Sai in soft expression after that.
"Naruto…," Sai looked at me, touched. Then he hugged me tenderly. "It's your kindness that hurts me most," he said in low, really low voice almost whispering.
"I know…but this is me. I can't do anything about that," I replied slowly while touching his hair and stroking it lightly and gently.
If I thought it back further…Sai had never had a real friend because he was from that family, a son of producer, and I believed people who associated with him never looked at his self. He was always regarded under his mother's shadow up until he met me.
Might be…Sai just mistook his possessive feeling towards me as love. Sai's feeling to wards me, I believed…, was a strong possessive feeling as a best friend. He didn't want to lose me, his one and only best friend. That's why he acted like that. Even if his mouth was annoying, he could be so cute sometimes.
"Then, Naruto…tonight I want to sleep with you," Sai said in cheery smile after that.
"Ah, you can't do that only," I replied in second as Sai fell down to the floor.
"Eeeh, WHY!? But you said you would lend me a shoulder whenever I want!" Sai protested like an elementary kid.
"Well…because that spot has been taken by someone else," I said proudly.
"Whaaaaat!? You've got new girlfriend?" Sai asked in disbelief.
"Not exactly right, but kind of…and I have loved someone else as well. I can't let that person see me sleeping with someone else, can I?" I said logically.
"Not fair! Not fair! I want to sleep with Naru-chaaaan!" Sai shouted and protested like a spoiled brat.
"Would you stop that? You gross me out!" I said, shuddering while sweat dropping. Sai pouted cutely after that.
"Ah, well, enjoy your days here, ne, Sai," I ruffled Sai's hair in big grin after that before I left him to rest in his room alone. Then, when I walked out to the corridor, Haku had been there, holding bunches of alcohol bottles. "Haku?" I looked at him weirdly. "What's with those…?"
"It's Sasuke's! I won't let him drink as long as that pink haired bitch is still here!" Haku said in spirit, really determined.
"Ah, so…," I said rolling my eyes. "Even with alcohol, I doubt that Sasuke will ever glance at her," I said calmly.
"Anyway, hide these in your room, your drawer or so!" Haku didn't even listen to me, that brat!
"Why should it be in my room?" I protested a bit.
"Coz' Sasuke will definitely find them in my room, idiot! Just come with me!" Haku shouted and dragged me to my room.
"You…, don't mess my drawer!" I yelled at Haku when he pulled out of my clothes to give spaces to the bottles. "Damn it, Haku!"
"Shut up! You should know what kind of person Sasuke will be when he's drunk! He will even kiss a pig, you know!" Haku said while shuddering and paling severely.
"Is his drunken habit that bad?" I asked a bit shuddering myself.
"ABSOLUTELY yes!" Haku answered firmly.
Then, I just realized something. "Hey, Haku…does Sasuke drink anything?" I asked.
"Ng? Yeah, he drinks any alcohol except beer and some which is used to cook," he replied.
"GAAAH, my UMESHU!" and I ran to find my umeshu before Sasuke could smell or even worse, drink it.
"Jeez, don't make umeshu, baka!!" and Haku yelled along the way as I ran to the kitchen.
"Oh, darn it! Chiyo-baa, do you see my umeshu here?" I asked Chiyo-baa who was in the kitchen while pointing at the place I put my umeshu before because it was not there.
"I don't see it since yesterday," she answered slowly.
"Shit where can it be?" I tried to look for in the refrigerator and in the cupboard, but it was not there. "Damn it, did Sasuke really take it? If he's drunk when Sakura is nearby…NOOO! I don't even want to think about it!! Where's my umeshu!?"
And a sandal hit my head. "OUCH!! WTF!! Who is it!?" I looked at behind and found a very pissed looking Sasuke.
Geee! Sasuke!?
"Shut up, Naruto! You're too loud!" Sasuke yelled at me loudly. "I can't concentrate on my college work if you're so loud! And…get rid of that pink haired bitch! She's bothering me and pissing me off!" he added in full force.
"Pink…, did Sakura d something to you!?" I asked in horror.
"She's hitting on me! Damn, it's that Sai or whatever his name's fault! She broke him up and now she's bothering me!" Sasuke said really angry. "Do something to her!"
That bitch!!—I felt like killing the pink haired bitch now. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I will kill her and drown her in Pacific Ocean tonight…kukukuku—!" I cracked my knuckles in killer mode, making Sasuke pale and shudder.
"Oh yeah," suddenly Sasuke spoke out, earning my attention. "Have you spoken to Dad, about your mom?" he asked.
"Ah…because many things happened, I forgot to ask," I said sheepishly.
"Then ask him, or he will fall in bad mood before you can ask," Sasuke said while leaving the kitchen.
I scratched my head slowly. "Asking about mom to dad, eh…? I wonder what he will say…."
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"Mirror, oh mirror..., tell me who is the most beautiful woman in this world."
"The most beautiful woman in this world is your daughter, and is not you..." (taken from fairy tale, Snow White)
A day later, Sai and Sakura were kicked out from the house. "Why?" did you ask…? It was because…Sakura tried to make move on Haku as she didn't get Sasuke's attention, and you know what kind of person Haku was. He made really hell to Sakura's life. And because it was too vulgar to mention it here, let's leave that to your own imagination.
Honestly I was really glad that Haku could give her lesson, and Sai also helped Haku in harassing Sakura; it turned out to be disaster in the house because of the loud noise and awful mess. In the end they pissed Dad who was in bad mood and was tired because of his work.
"GET OUT!!" with that mere sharp-deathly sentence, Dad sent Sai and Sakura to their own home.
I will send my regard to Sai later….—I smiled really pleased after fixing the damages in the house caused by Haku's 'little bit too far' pranks, but I didn't mind it too much. He was success on making Sakura suffer critical damage on her pride anyway. I grinned pleasantly at the thought.
Still… Dad was pretty scary when he was angry, no, when he was in bad mood or when he was tired. He's pissed off easily and was hard to cheer. We had to absolutely keep some distance from him or we would be his table cloth in second. I wondered if I could ask about mom in this situation. I was aware of his bad mood, so I thought it would be wise to leave him alone, but…if I let this chance pass…I didn't know when it would come again.
"Oi, Naruto!" suddenly Sasuke called me as I finished the cleaning.
"Ou!" I replied and came near him. "What?" I asked. Suddenly Sasuke shoved a big, heavy-looking book on my hand. "Whoaah! It's big—, and it's heavy! What is this?" I asked a bit surprised because he suddenly handed that super heavy book.
"You said you wanted to read some books the other day. It's western fairy tales. You'd better read that because I have gone much trouble to borrow it from the library," Sasuke said arrogantly as always.
"Eh? You've…taken trouble for me…," I was a little bit touched when I heard that before I suddenly realized. "Hey! I never told you that I want to read any book!" I protested right away, but the said man had gone from my sight. "Jeez, he didn't even listen…. What is this book actually? Does he want me to read it or something?" I looked at the book while frowning weirdly.
This…this is Grimm Fairy tale…more, Snow White? Does he want to mock me or something? Damn that Sasuke…I am not a kid, and further, isn't it a fairy tale for a girl? But…he has gone so much trouble to borrow it, so I can read it. I guess I will read it to appreciate his feeling….
I smiled in softly at that thought. I guessed it was not so bad to read something like this once in awhile. Even if it was just fairy tale, sometimes it could give us hope and dream. Well, even if reality was not as naïve as fairy tale though….
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So then later…I read that book thoroughly in the kitchen, and found a frightening and shocking fact inside the book. I closed the book after I read it sometimes more. "I…'d never known that mother who gave poisonous apple to Snow White was her real mother and was not her step mother (it was in the first edition. In second edition, it was told as her step mother). I always thought it was her step mother. Women are really scary creatures. Trying to poison her own child only because she lost in her beauty…is she even human?" I couldn't help but curse that mother of Snow White.
"Naru-chan, peel this for me," suddenly there's an apple in front of my nose.
"GYAAAAH!!" I shouted pretty loudly because of the sudden vision in shock.
"What was that? Why did you scream as if you were seeing a monster? I said I want you to peel this apple for me," suddenly Itachi's face followed the red apple entering my sight.
"W-what…it's you, Ita-nii…. Jeez, you shocked me. I thought it was a poisonous apple…," I sighed relieved while stroking my chest lightly.
"Poisonous apple?" Itachi frowned deeply at that. I took the book in front of me and gave it to Itachi. "Grimm Fairy tale…you read a surprisingly difficult book, do you?" Itachi asked, a bit interested as he also opened the book and began to read some.
"Yeah, I don't know why but Sasuke suddenly gave me that book and told me to read it," I answered. "And I was in severe shock because of the fact inside the story," I added in pale look.
"Hmm, ah, the first edition, so…you're shocked because of the mother in this story is actually not her step mother, but her mother by blood?" Itachi could figure that out really fast. "Unpredictable fact, ne…?" Itachi closed the book in small calm smile and put it back on the table. I looked at him as if he were alien from Neptune. "What's with that face? It's ugly, Naru-chan," Itachi said in his 'Ah, disgusting! Don't come near me! '-kind of look.
"Well…don't you feel strange? It's her mom, her own parent. Should a parent more like…," I had not even finished my line as suddenly Itachi cut it.
"Well then, what do you think of our parent?" he asked in testing gaze. "He's our solid father, but he prefers playing with women to caring and keeping us. Every time he's bored he throws away his woman and seeks another. He lives as if the world were his own. And he even left your mother and you before you met him again after nineteen years, right?" Itachi opened all Orochimaru's bad habit as well as my unforgotten wound of him leaving me and my mother even if I didn't even remember about him or my mother.
"You…you're sharp as always…," I said that in pale face as I began to peel the apple. I gave up debating with Itachi. I would never win anyway.
"But…there's also parent protecting his children with his all, loving and caring about them, and sacrificing his own happiness for his children. Still, it's not right to make a solid frame for something called parent. Everyone is different from each other, and life is not easy to face," Itachi sat down and lectured me as if he were a professor.
However then, I found something odd with his argumentation. "Wait a second; your argumentations are strange somehow," I said suddenly.
"Hmm? Which part?" Itachi asked in wonder.
"You're contradicting your own reason. It's not clear if you scold or support our father," I said as I served a plate of sliced apples in front of him. Itachi smiled when he ate the apple and forgot me for sometimes. "Ita-nii?" I asked again sometime later for his answer.
Itachi suddenly stood up. "You know, the most difficult and messy relationship in this world is blood relationship. In whichever family, there must have been something strange if we get inside it. Still, it's a common sense," he said slowly while gazing at me seriously.
"Eh, why?" I asked unable to digest the reason.
Itachi smiled small at that. "Because we're different form each other in characteristic, in status, and in feelings," he said in somehow…sad expression, but I couldn't really comprehend it. He quickly changed his expression as he looked at my confused look. "It's ok if you don't understand," he continued as he ruffled my hair softly. "But I warn you a thing, Naru-chan. If you still have a frame of other's parent, someday you will lose your own." Itachi turned his back and then left me.
"Wait, Ita-nii!" suddenly I felt really uncomfortable. I guessed I was a bit worried with his slight sad expression earlier. Itachi turned his face at me again as I tried to ask something so private. "Umm…maybe it is just my guessing but…do you by chance…actually hate Dad?" I asked slowly in doubt.
Itachi looked a bit surprised at that, but then he chuckled. "No way Naru-chan, even if I don't like Dad, it doesn't mean I hate him either," he said and then he left the room without even glancing again at me.
I wondered if he lied just now. I didn't really get him either. A family…what was it actually? I thought my definition about family might blur in this family…because anyone seemed like stranger to each other even if we're living under the same roof. Could that be called family?
It was true that there were various conditions, and because it was parent by blood the emotion would be complicated as well. "If you still have a solid frame of other's parent, someday you will lose your own, eh…?" I guessed it was right. I was still amateur in this kind relationship. Because everyone was different from each other, parent and children also…different…; I didn't really get it. It was too confusing.
"Anyway…I'll just try to speak to Dad. I may gain something valuable to this uncertain feeling inside my heart. And I believe that talking heart to heart is a primary way to build relationship between father and son," I stood up and went to my room to prepare both my body and heart to face the king of demon in his room.
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I stood in front of Dad's room. The door looked bigger than usual. I gulped. Shit, it was not the time to feel scared of nothing.
Do your best, Naruto!!
I encouraged myself as I raised my hand to knock. "Excuse me, Dad," I called as I opened the door. In second I was greet by a dagger glares from Orochimaru…, err…I meant Dad's yellow eyes. I wondered if he used contact lens even in home…. I was shuddering a bit when the glares tensed 100 times more frightening than his usual glares.
"What do you want? If you want to clean my room, do it later," Orochimaru said as he clutched his head in pained look.
"Ah, it's not—,"
"My head hurts. Close that window," he continued.
"Yeah, but—," but I closed the window as he told me.
"I don't want to eat anything right now, so you don't have to make my portion, but bring me some drugs for my headache," he continued more.
"Ah, Da—,"
"Change the water in that vase, and after that polish that shoes under your feet," he continued more and didn't even give a chance for me to speak.
I took the vase and stood there. "Dad, I—,"
"Do it, quick!!" Orochimaru shouted suddenly shocking me.
"Yeees!!" I replied and hurriedly fled from the room as suddenly I realized that I had not even talked yet. I barged into Dad's room again and shouted. "That's not it, Dad! I need to talk to you right now!!" I protested hard.
"Naru-chan…," Dad smiled at me, but somehow, his smile was more frightening than any demon in this world. "You heard me when I said that my head hurts, right?" he asked overly sweet.
"Err…, yeah…," and I felt more scared than before.
"Then… WHY THE HELL ARE YOU YELLING AT ME!? DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME WITH YOUR UGLY SCREAM!? IT IS RARE OF ME HAVING VACATION FROM MY WORK AND I WANT TO BE ALONE!! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!? YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME, DO YOU!? YOU DISTRUB ME! GET OUUUUUT!!" suddenly he screamed with all his mighty while glaring really hard as if his eyes were almost falling out from their sockets.
Aaah, he would blow up my eardrums!! I quickly shut my eyes and my ears before the wave of sound (because he's Oto-Nin in his life before, bwahahaha) could kill me. I felt really pity to the poor squirrels outside this house, which had no idea of anything. They would definitely die after hearing that blow or scream from Orochimaru.
Orochimaru panted heavily after screaming so hard like that. I thought it was safe to let my hands go from my ears. "Err…Dad," I called him again.
"What!?" he replied still a bit yelling.
"I just want to ask you about my mom," I said quickly before he yelled or screamed again and then hurriedly covered my ears again when Orochimaru's glare hardened after I said something about my mom.
However then, he didn't say anything as he walked to the table beside his bed and pour a glass of wine before he suddenly said, "Uzumaki Tsunade was a traitor," in really cold voice. I felt like shuddering when I heard his voice. It was low and…I couldn't explain it well. It's just the kind of voice which came from darkness, hollow and frightening.
"Eh…what?" I asked, really unable to understand the meaning.
"I said she's a traitor," Orochimaru repeated his words after shipping the liquid in his glass. "She…, that Uzumaki Tsunade, your mother, even if she had had me as her husband, she's cheating on me with another man," he continued as he glanced at me sourly.
Ugh…his face is really convincing, but…I can't believe that my mom cheated! Wait, dad also always plays with other women! So why did he protest when my mom's also cheating on him!?—I looked at Orochimaru, asking him of explanation or I would shove his shoes on his mouth if his reason didn't satisfy me enough.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Orochimaru asked in deep frown. "Ah, I know…you don't believe me, do you? But it's the truth. I love her very much, but she loved another man, that's why I left her when she went back to her own house, not even trying to hold her," he continued as he shipped some liquid again.
Dad…doesn't seem lying….—I looked at him sadly. But despite knowing that my mom had had me in her womb, why did he still leave her!? Sending her home to her parent!?—I just couldn't accept that!
"Even if I regretted that I had to leave you who were still so little with her, I didn't want to raise a child from a traitor like her," he continued.
EH!? Wait…why the…?? It's different from Sarutobi-jiichan's story!He should have left me before I was born, so why—?? He even said he didn't want to raise me!? How annoying!! Who does he think he is!? Damn it!!
I looked at him in disbelief. I never thought that he could speak like that so coldly. Even if I prefer him saying the truth to self-defending, it still hurt to hear him telling me so bluntly like that. I looked for lies between his lines, and expression, but I found nothing! His eyes…he didn't lie to me! Then…did Jii-chan make mistake in his letter because he was old?? That's also impossible!
"Though…I felt regretting it after that, and I thought I would ask her to go back to me, but…I had had another woman, Haku's mom, and she's pregnant, so I couldn't leave her," he said again.
Whaaaat!? But he left my pregnant mother!!—I had almost yelled at him for being so unfair to my mom, but I stopped dead when I looked at his really-really depressed eyes.
"Haku's mom…she's an actress, my partner in the drama I played at that time. I was rumored to be with her, and mass media were so noisy roaring up the rumor. That's why I couldn't leave her," he continued sourly again.
"Didn't…, didn't mom contact you at all?" I asked slowly.
"No, she didn't! Impossible would she do that! She's an ignorant bitch and didn't like complicated thing like that!" Orochimaru yelled again emotionally, looking really pissed off. "I knew that we would never get together again, so I sent her a divorce proposal. I thought she would re-think her decision and came back to me, but I was wrong! She…so easily, she signed the proposal so easily and post it back to me! Could you believe that!? She POST it BACK!! We never got to see each other again!!" Orochimaru yelled again. This time he was super pissed off as he told me about his story with my mom.
I myself was so very-very shocked at that. With post…I couldn't believe that my mom's so…, so… cold-hearted like that. "Dad…did you actually want to see her?" I asked slowly, not wanting to wake the half-sleeping lion.
"Are you kidding me!? Are you an idiot or what!? Of course I wanted to see her!! I had still amount of problems that I want to burst out in front of her face!! It was impossible to solve everything with only a paper like that!! Aaaargh…if I remember about it again I want to explode!!" Orochimaru went insane at that part. He was so pissed off as if nothing would get better anymore. He was about exploding like lava in the volcano.
I looked at him in severe pity. I couldn't look at him more as I decided to ask again. "Mom…what did she do for living aside to be your wife?" I said with really low voice.
"She's a great doctor," Orochimaru said suddenly. I was surprised when I heard that.
"A-a doctor!?" personally I thought that job was really great!
"Yeah, and she's the genius one. She's so great that everyone wanted her to be in their hospital, but…," suddenly he stopped as he inhaled deeply before suddenly, "she's addicted to GAMBLING!! And her living expenses were all gone on the gambling table! She's wasting my money for something useless like that! On top of that…she never won even in a row!! Gaaah, remembering that pisses me most!!" Orochimaru was in the edge of bursting out off his organs. He was so angry until the point the devil would beg his pardon.
"M-m, a g-gamb—!?" I was so dizzy and my head was spinning after he mentioned that.
"That's right! She's the worst gamble-addict in the world! It was because of me that she could live like that!! It was all because of me, and yet she…with a man such as that!!" Orochimaru had showed his killing intent now.
"Su-such as what?" I asked slowly.
"That ugly white haired bastard!! Just because he's a bit more generous than I was, she went for that man!!" Orochimaru stepped on the floor repeatedly, really pissed off.
"That doesn't mean that he's ugly…," I said that lowly in sweat drop.
"If I think that a beautiful hot man such as me…losing to that ugly white frog—!!"
"Then…he's more gorgeous than you…," and I regretted right away because I said something unnecessarily as Orochimaru turned his face with his deadly glare plastered on his expression.
I gulped in sweaty pale face as he looked at me closer before suddenly, "IF THAT WAS THE CASE, I WOULD BE ANGRIER THAN RIGHT NOW!!" he screamed again so loudly in front of me. "GAAAAH!! I don't want to talk anymore!! Get out!! Because of you my head is in complete mess like this!! AAARGH!!" he went berserk already, and it scared the hell out of me.
"Waaah, I will get out! I will be out!" I shouted as I quickly ran, as fast as I could to run away from the angry monster. Still, when I reached the door, I turned my face because there's still one thing I wanted to know. "Ng…, Dad…,"
"If you don't get out in ten counts, I will throw this lamp decoration to your face!" Orochimaru lifted the lamp threateningly while glaring at me severely.
"Waaah, I know! I just want to know if mom got together with that man or not!" I shouted while covering my head as Orochimaru began to count.
Orochimaru went silent for awhile after hearing my question, and then he sighed and looked at another way. "No, that man also left her for another woman. Huh, she deserved that!" he said full of hatred, but somehow…I could see the sadness in his voice. Then he suddenly glared at me and counted again, "Eiiiight—!"
"Waaah!!" I quickly got out from the room and slammed the door shut.
Dad is so scaryyyy!!—I thought while crying literally. Then I sighed slowly while walking back to my room. In dad's version…mom was really… (a gambling-addict, a cheating woman, a woman who post a divorce proposal) not a good wife, I guessed. I couldn't say my own mother as a bitch could I? No wonder if Dad was cold to me…I was a son from that kind of woman….
"To think that I lost to that kind of man—!!"
I didn't know what he wanted to say after that, but…somehow his back…told me that he was so…so hurt…. He was hurt so badly…. I couldn't help but wonder…if Dad was not loved at all by mom….
"Mirror, oh mirror…, tell me whom does she love most."
"The one she loves most is that man, and is not you…."
That night…I couldn't sleep thinking about mom and dad. I still couldn't understand, well…I did understand Dad's feeling since I know the feeling to be betrayed by the one you love, but…I didn't know that Dad often cried alone in his room. It was beyond my imagination and his character. Still, I forgot…Dad, even if he was like a demon when he was angry, or what a bastard he was, he was still human.
Human could be weak creature, but Dad didn't want to show his weakness to anyone. That's why…he acted like that…. It must have been so painful to be alone when you're hurt. I wondered…if someday I could heal that wound….
After that…I fell asleep, and didn't wake up until morning came….
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"I wonder…why Dad and Mom got together in the first place…," I mumbled slowly as I washed the dishes while spacing out.
"Eh?" Chiyo-baa turned her face at me, looking at me as if I had lost my mind.
"Don't look at me like that. I was just asking. You see, Chiyo-baa, they're too different from each other. Dad was generous, an artist, and worshipped by women, but mom was just a doctor. Well, even if she was a genius, entertainment and medic didn't match, right? So I wonder why…," I stated in confusion. "Well, Jii-chan said that Dad forced mom to be his wife, but…," I stopped right there because I didn't know how to put the fact in sentence.
"Your grandfather was right, Naruto-sama," Chiyo said suddenly in small smile. "Orochimaru-sama indeed forced your mother to be his wife. He had been crazed over her since he was in high school," she continued calmly.
"Hi—!? Mom and Dad were high-school friends!???" I was shocked at that fact.
"Yeah, they had always been together, that trio Sannin," Chiyo said that again slowly without looking at me as she was making the soup.
Trio…Sannin…? There were three people?—I was a bit curious about that, but then I found something stranger than that.
"Eh, but…mom was American, and I believe she went to high school in Tokyo, so…how?" I asked.
"Master Orochimaru also got into school in Tokyo. His father was really generous, so he had lots of companies in that city. He also often stayed there. That's why Orochimaru-sama stayed in Tokyo to accompany him. Therefore, he got a best friend and your mother as companions in the same house because he lived in mansion with lots of rooms," Chiyo-baa explained. "You could say that Orochimaru-sama was in love with her because they often got together, and as soon as he realized his feeling, he tried his best to win her heart. He was impulsive after all," she continued.
Hmm…in short, he's attacking frontally? Jeez, that Dad….—I couldn't help sweat dropping as I began to make the sauce for salad.
"However then, Head Master who knew about that got angry and immediately engaged Orochimaru-sama to a lady from his company's rival to build his business," Chiyo continued.
"Hoeee, politic-marriage!? Dad agreed with that?? Even if he's so self-centered like that…?" I just couldn't believe that.
"Well, it's because Tsunade-sama rejected him," Chiyo replied.
"EH!?" I widened my eyes in complete shock at that.
"Yes, she told Master Orochimaru clearly that she didn't want to marry him, and then she left the mansion," she continued again still expressionless as she began to remember. "After graduating from high school, Master Orochimaru married his fiancée, and he had Itachi-sama as his first son. Still, Orochimaru-sama was a beautiful, hot, gorgeous man. He was scout to be an actor as soon as Itachi-sama was born and in a year he was the on the top of the most popular antagonist character in Japan. Girls kept coming up to be with him, but he was quite selective in picking woman with whom he would play. And when he went to America to deepen his acting-lesson, he met Sasuke-sama's mother there, and you knew what kind of person he was, impulsive, and he had her as his second wife," Chiyo said in a huff.
"Eh…, then what happened to Ita-nii's mom?" I asked in confusion. She didn't mention any divorce matter.
"She was sick," Chiyo said slowly.
"Eh…?"
"Itachi-sama's mother fell sick after she gave birth to Itachi-sama, and then she died not until a year after that. Itachi-sama was sent to his relative after his mother died because Orchimaru-sama was still busy with his work and had no time to raise a child, until he came back here five years later," she said slowly, carefully, as if she didn't want to open the wound of the said boy in her story.
"Oh…," I said in solemn look. So…that's why Ita-nii was a bit off when he was with Dad. He got really bad memory with him…, no wonder if he hated him. "Well, then…when did dad and mom meet again?" I asked, continuing the first story between mom and dad.
"Orochimaru-sama got accident when he was acting in action drama, and he was sent to hospital. There did he meet with your mother who was responsible to treat his wounds. When he met her again, even if it was almost ten years, his feeling didn't change at all. He proposed her immediately and even went to her home to take her away from her father, your grandfather, even if he didn't give any permission at all. He even ran away from home and built a new house for your mom to live with. They married without any permission from their parents," she explained.
"Uwaaah, dad…is really impulsive…," I couldn't help but blush as I heard the story. Still, I didn't understand why mom wanted to go with him if she rejected him at first. Was dad really that persistent, so mom gave up and married him? But, I thought mom was strong-willed woman…, so why…?
"Umm, Chiyo-baa, had you ever met my mom?" I asked again, a bit curious.
"I had," she said slowly.
"Eh, then…what kind of person she was!? How can you know about her!?" I asked in excitement to know about her more. Even if dad had told me, I wasn't satisfied.
"It was because Head Master told me to take master back even if I had to break his arm or leg to do it," Chiyo laughed creepily at that, and I couldn't help shuddering at her nasty laughter. "I came to their new house and met her. She's a beautiful, loving, caring, and strong lady in my eyes. Even if her manner wasn't so good, she's cheery and what will you call it? Let see…ah, she was full of spirit," Chiyo described my mother's personality. "And the most shocking thing that I found there was…they looked like a heavenly painted couple when they're together. They loved each other in my eyes, and I saw the most shining smile in Master's face when they're together. They looked so happy and…comfortable," she said while sighing long, replying back the captured memory years ago.
They're…happy together…?—I couldn't help but feel a bit strange.
"When I saw that, honestly, I felt really angry," Chiyo said, "and when master went out to buy dinner, I scolded your mom to give my master back. When I yelled at her, she just smiled in solemn look, and then she bowed at me with calm face as if it were the gracious thing in the world, and she said to me,
"Please, take him back home."
I was utterly surprised when she said that. When I asked "Why?" to her, she replied,
"Because I love him so much."
Honestly I couldn't understand her reasoning at all. When I asked further why she wanted to separate with him, she replied,
"Because I…don't have time anymore…."
With closed eyes, she showed me her determined self. She was indeed really strong," Chiyo finished her story in small smile.
"She didn't have time…, did she…?" I could guess what it meant.
"Yes, she died not until four years after that, but I thought that time she didn't have time because she was busy with her work as a doctor. I didn't know that she had guessed her own dying state. Well, because I saw that they loved each other so much, I gave up and went home alone, even if I had known that Head Master would probably kill me after that. I thought…it's not good to bother the happy couple," she said slowly.
"Then why…?" I couldn't understand it at all. "If mom and dad loved each other, if mom really loved dad that much, why…why did she cheat on him…?" I asked slowly in sad gaze. I actually didn't ask Chiyo-baa about this, but she suddenly fell silent as I spoke up the question. Her silence was different from the 'pretending-dead' silence she used to play with, her silence this time felt so…heavy and…depressing.
Many confusing things kept coming and coming up. I wondered…, had we been in the Grimm Fairy tale, who would have eaten the poisonous apple…and suffered so much? Was it mom? Or was it Dad? Or was it…?
When I thought that I might have become the poisonous apple itself for mom and dad, my body suddenly trembled violently because of the unbearable fear….
End of Chapter 7
Tbc…
A/N: Fuuuh, at least I can finish this chapter. What do you think of this chapter? I opened a bit about Orochimaru and Tsunade's past in this story. Not very good one, but I thought that pairing would be sweet. Tsunade's personality in this story is a bit off, but she could be so motherly and loving if it was about something she loved. Still, something is definitely odd in this chapter, but I couldn't tell which part it is. If you found something that doesn't make sense, please contact me, I will re-do the chapter in strange part. Well, the reviews? Hope I can update faster. I think it will be everything for this chapter right now. See you next time, guuuys! Thanks and love you!
With Love,
Lunaryu
