Nikki: Heyguys! Log time no see! I have state tests in New York next week so wish me luck! Anyway, hre is the long awaited chapter 9!
A golden tuft of hair stuck out from a blue blanket. The small bundle was cradled gently between two tan arms. A large finger stroked the newborn's soft cheek, where a small defect had left three ragged scars on each.
"Open your eyes, Cutie. Look at daddy..." Minato cooed, rocking the infant back and forth.
Kushina was lying in the private room's bed, looking haggard and sweaty. She was deathly pale and her hospital gown was hanging off one shoulder. The doctors told him she was just tired having been in labor for almost 18 hours but, glancing at his usually energetic girlfriend, he didn't believe them.
Naruto was their little bundle of joy. He was brought into this world on October 10 at 3.56 in the afternoon. He looked like his father, but seeing how the second he was woken he screeched he was the spitting image of his mother.
"What are you going to do with him?" Minato's best friend Fugaku inquired, entering the room.
He looked at the boy in his friend's arms and felt the other tense. Naruto started to stir and whine. Minato looked terrified but for what reason he didn't know. Whether from his son's abrupt awakening or his inquisition, you couldn't tell.
"Shush, Naruto. Daddy's here, daddy's right here..." He rocked his son again, but it just resulted in Naruto to burst into tears. Minato started to worry and turned to his best friend, "Fugaku you have kids! What do I do?"
Fugaku sighed and took the baby boy from Minato's arms.
"You either let them cry it out or find out what's wrong. Your life is going to be consumed by this stuff now. Wasn't the wisest decision to get Kushina pregnant at eighteen now was it? I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but if you keep him everything will be different in your life."
The new father expected Fugaku to help him out, not lecture him. What was the point of friends then? He knew that getting Kushina knocked up after dating for two years wasn't the smartest decision, but what was he supposed to do now?
It was too late though. The baby was here, wrapped tightly and snuggling into his chest having calmed down. The newborn was so small and he needed everything to be given to him. Minato couldn't just give him away! How could Fugaku even think about something like that? He loved his son! Loved him so much it hurt to be separated from him for more than a couple minutes. He couldn't bear the thought of never seeing his little boy again, and Kushina wouldn't allow it either.
…
But honestly? They couldn't care for their little boy. Fugaku was turning 28 this year, he had much more experience. Fugaku had a job and a working wife; he could handle raising a family. Fugaku had gone to university and had worked his way up a financial and law firm. He was successful at everything he did and he was loved.
Minato on the other hand was just entering university. He was only eighteen, not even close to being considered an adult in society yet. Kushina and he had meager part-time jobs that barely paid their apartment's bills. The blond was naive and stupid to think they were capable of raising this wonderful creature in his arms.
"Excuse me? Can I see the baby Minato-san?" Six year old Itachi asked, putting his arms up in a "gimme, gimme" gesture.
Minato looked at his best friend's eldest son and nodded gingerly, brushing away his thoughts. The boy rushed to the bathroom connected to the hospital room and washed his hands, before nearly tripping over his own two feet on his way back. He sat down in the chair and waited patiently for the baby to be placed in his slightly chubby arms.
"Be careful, okay? You know how to hold him. Cradle his head and support his back?" Itachi nodded enthusiastically and held his arms out. The baby was put into the six year olds arms and rocked gently.
"Minato-san? Your baby is cuter than Sasuke. Sasuke cries too much. He's annoying."
"Itachi. He's sleeping; of course he'll be quiet."
"I don't think Sasuke sleeps. He's loud all night and I never get any sleep." Itachi glanced up at the two and smirked. "Can we trade? You'll like Sasuke better than Naruto. I promise." Itachi said this all with a blank stare. He seemed set on trading his little brother for another.
Minato chuckled, before patting the little one's head. The seriousness in the raven's eyes was truly adorable. He took his child back from Fugaku's eldest, and settled him in the bassinet provided by the hospital. He stroked his son's cheek before turning to the raven again.
"I don't know Itachi. In a few weeks, Naruto is going to be annoying. He'll be crying all night and, if he's anything like Kushina, he'll be VERY colicky. You sure you want to deal with that?"
Itachi nose scrunched up in distaste, before his features set into a scowl directed at the infant. "No."
Itachi looked at the baby bundle once more and left to make room for more guests. His mother did tell him not to bother the new parents too much; he didn't want to cause any trouble.
Minato leaned against the wall blue orbs fixed on Naruto. He addressed Fugaku without looking at him.
"What do I do? I love him too much to give him up. I don't think I'll be able to let him go when the time comes." He ran his nimble fingers through his blond locks.
"You have to think about if the child would be better in your hands, or in the hands of another. Ask yourself, Minato: can you provide the best life for this child? If you think you can, by all means keep the child. But if you can't… give him to a family who can." Minato's head dropped down to his shoulders. There was only one thing to do.
"Kushina and I will have to give him up. As much as I don't want to, we don't have many options." His eyes locked onto the eyes of his son who had finally shown his baby blues.
Just like daddy.
[*.*.*.*]
Naruto poked at the green slop they called pea soup in this house with his spoon. He couldn't believe people actually ate this stuff.
"Don't you like pea soup, Naruto?" Mikoto smiled shakily; this was her cooking so she couldn't blame this on her chef.
"I just haven't tasted it…" He noticed the look on Mikoto's face and instantly stuttered out, waving his hands frantically, "B-but I bet it tastes delicious." Mikoto nodded and looked to him expectantly, taking a spoonful of her own soup. Naruto gulped and glanced at Sasuke who he sat next to. The young Uchiha smirked and brought his own spoon to his mouth.
"I guess I'll be taking a sip too." Naruto lifted his utensil to his mouth only to release an alarmed squeak. And suddenly everyone's attention was on him, while he just smiled and shoved the spoon in his mouth with a pleased hum.
He tried to ignore the heel digging into his toes; undoubtedly coming from the raven seated next to him. He kept his mouth shut even when the foot on his twisted his little piggy's painfully. He kept quiet since the adults were warily sneaking glances at the two teens.
The foot squashing his suddenly vanished and he stole a look at Sasuke. The boy was acting like nothing was happening under the table. He was talking animatedly with Minato and Iruka. Naruto knew no matter how much Iruka wanted to loathe and detest the littlest Uchiha, he couldn't. The boy had too much charm evident in his body and was so cunning… It had to be something in the water. Naruto groped for his glass, checking it for any unusual things. He swished it around in his cup inconspicuously before taking a gulp and sloshing it along his teeth, gums and tongue. Finally, he swallowed his mouthful. He didn't feel any different though. Maybe you had to drink continuously for your whole life?
The blond was now calm and relaxed, shoveling spoonful after spoonful of that surprisingly tasty pea soup… thing.
He let his guard down. So he deserved what he got from it. He did the wrong thing and was caught; therefore, he had to receive the consequences. He had earned the bruise across his face, the scratch that would most likely scar. But at that moment he deserved the kick the most.
The searing, hot flash of white pain was his punishment. He smiled and looked happy, in the presence of Sasuke. And Sasuke didn't like that. His ankle being kicked was his reminder that he shouldn't be happy.
Mikoto wanted a quiet dinner, didn't she? Well, Naruto sure wouldn't ruin that for her. He couldn't enter someone's house and make their life miserable; it was enough that he was already doing that to Iruka, Gaara, Sakura and Sasuke. Mikoto couldn't be a victim of his shameful life.
So he forced all his painful wails down and settled for smiling softly at Minato and Kushina. Kushina was pretty, wasn't she? She had flowing red hair that was like endless silk. Her eyes were warm and kind; he felt secure when looking at them. She even had that air around her, the type of aura that your mother would give off. And Minato looked an awful like him. Too bad he pulled it off much better (being an accomplished person did that to you). His hair was brighter and his eyes shinier. Too bad they were blond in Japan; in any other place they would have been considered a beauty. Or was it just Naruto? Was he the only blond in Japan that was considered hideous?
When he voiced this to Minato, the older male just stared at him in shock.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, am I the only ugly blond in Japan? Sasuke says that I'm only pretty when I'm in pain and covered in blood. Are you prettier when drenched in blood, Minato-san? You look really pretty right now too, so why don't I? We look alike right, so why don't I look as good as you?"
The older male once again, was speechless. All of this was coming from a kid. A kid who could have been his for all he knew. Not to mention, the boy was only 12 years old. What kind of world did they live in that defenseless babies had to suffer from stuff like this?
"Naruto, you are a very handsome young man. And I've known Sasuke since he was born. He's just a weird fellow, don't you think?" Minato winked at Naruto, while the younger just glanced at Sasuke in fear. He turned to the other and grinned.
"Sasuke is actually very nice! He lets me be his friend even though I'm a burden! And he says that if I looked Japanese I would be even prettier! And he doesn't hit me nearly as much as he did in the beginning of last year! He's very generous! And everyone likes Sasuke! No one understands Sasuke though, which is why they are so quick to judge him and look at me with pity!"
Minato looked about ready to spontaneously combust. This kid had a mouth! And he was only passionate about the subject of Sasuke; nothing else got him so energetic. Sasuke, who was secretly listening on the conversation, was fuming.
"I understand Sasuke! He's just lonely and wants people to see him as he really. He wants to get in trouble, so he picks on me. But that's okay with me; I'll do anything to make sure he is and stays happy." The prepubescent snapped his jaw closed with a snap when Sasuke slammed his fork down and pushed away from the table. Everyone cut off their sentences and stared at him.
"May Naruto and I be excused? I want to show him the gift Itachi gave me." Mikoto and Fugaku nodded absentmindedly. Their son had never been so polite, but they saw what was hidden underneath. He was furious, he was homicidal and he was dangerous. But saying no to him would only make matters worse.
Sasuke wrenched Naruto from his seat and up the stairwell before anyone could react.
Well, wasn't dinner a nice development?
[*.*.*.*]
"Sit down and shut up while I tell you something." Sasuke demanded when they reached his room. Naruto obediently sat down on the corner of the bed and stared up through his eyebrows at Sasuke.
"Did you know my brother is in the army?" Naruto's jaw dropped and hit the floor. "He's risking his damn life for this country, while I'm in school. There is no bigger accomplishment you could do in your lifetime, than be on the frontline during a war. If I went into the army myself in 6 years, no one would care because he did it first. Don't consider yourself special that I'm telling you all this. You aren't a unique snowflake; you are something that I have carved into the perfect being for me." Sasuke chuckled without any humor in it.
"You don't even know the real reason that I want to tear you apart verbally and physically. You wouldn't understand it, because you're an orphan. You don't feel that worthlessness when someone else gets the recognition and praise you deserve. Don't act like you know me. You don't. Get the fuck over yourself, we were never friends either. Get it through your thick skull that I just want to make you miserable. I want you to die; I want to see your pain. Nothing more, nothing less. You're worthless, I would have killed you sooner but I need you." Sasuke stepped closer to the boy on his bed; he was only a hair's-breadth away.
"You are nothing to me, but an unhealthy obsession. I like how you smell, how you look when bruised and crying. I love how you plead for me to stop harassing you, when you know I won't." The ebony eyed boy caressed Naruto's chubby cheeks and smiled. "That cut I gave you suits you. You know, I love you when you're like this. You're all wide-eyed and on the verge of tears because you don't know what I'm going to do. You don't know if I'll lean in," His voice dropped to a wisp of the wind. "And kiss those lips until they're bruised. Or if I'll slap you so hard your skin will break and blood will leak."
"And that is just why I love you more than anyone. You're so emotional and don't hide anything." Sasuke bent down to Naruto's ear and whispered into it. "The real question, Naruto, is: do you love me?"
All Naruto could do was nod his response.
Nikki: And that marks the end of chapter 9! Beware the abusive relationships that shall ensue now! (I said romance, which doesn't necessarily mean a good relationship.) Anyway, be proud! I let them say I love you! And now starts the beginning of a SasuNaru coupling! Hopefully I'll see you sooner than previously! BYE!
