Man, weeks had passed. It's not uncommon, but it's inexcusable.
I have a feeling (as usual) that this story could be as long as its predecessor, "Night Flowers", or less, but lets wait and see. Either way, almost done after this one!
My birthday was on the 18th, then Easter a few days later, so I hope everyone had a good one with the latter. :)
I even got a few Naruto Shippuden sets for my birthday which have my favorite episodes, including the latest ones! :D I am so happy it ain't funny.
Hope this chapter was worth the wait. I've caught up with the latest of Shippuden, and THE FOURTH SHINOBI WAR ENDS - and with Naruto vs. Sasuke one last time. It was one damned emotional battle...
Chapter Nine
Shattered Bottle
"Well, lookie here: I was hoping I would find you back up at the house, but you being here is better, kiddo!"
She whirled around and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Jiraiya standing there, running his remaining hand on the back of his neck. "Jiraiya-sensei, I never thought I would see you today!" Hanaru exclaimed, keeping Ren in hold and turning her body halfway while staying in her seat on the end of the dock, but eventually slid further back in case she felt like standing again.
He laughed and walked down the wooden plank to join her. "Yeah, well, let's say I am having a bit of a writer's block and thought I'd see you after Naruto."
Writer's block - you'd need supreme inspiration to get back on track. Wonder what you're doing now, Pervy Sage. And it certainly didn't hurt to call him her brother's nickname for him in her mind, just to make herself feel a little better. "Oh, how are things?"
"Just been peachy, as always. I even had a drinking match with Tsunade the night before now, and it's been a good while since I had something like that!" Jiraiya laughed heartily. His attention shifted then down to the baby who was looking up at him and cooing, reaching out to him. "Well, hello, big boy! You just get even more cuter each time!" He let his big hand be taken into the small, impressive grip. The action made the Toad Sage whistle.
But then the topic had to change, switching the pleasant mood to forbidding. "And how about the hubby himself?" Jiraiya looked at her with a small smile which didn't reach his eyes.
She had been dreading that. "Not...good," was all she could say. She sighed and lifted Ren to lay his head against her breast. "He's been a good father, but I wish I could say the same about his drinking he took up..."
Jiraiya sputtered when she said this, and he would have fallen off the dock had she not reached over with her free hand and yanked him back with all her strength, keeping the baby in place. "Y-you - you mean to say that husband of yours is DRINKING despite doctor's orders?!" he demanded, face turning red. You could almost see the steam rising.
"That is correct. He says that I should not worry about him, but our son," Hanaru said bitterly, making him shake his head with dismay, his white mane swishing side to side.
"Come to think of it, he's right about paying attention to the kid more, since that's what being a parent is all about. But you're also right about what he's doing to himself." Jiraiya's face tightened with visible darkness; he must have been dwelling on the fact his former friend turned enemy was responsible, especially after finding out through Tsunade only, and who knew what thoughts of vengeance he was having.
Hanaru looked up at the sky, and she could have sworn she heard thunder rolling. You could never be too certain if it would rain again or not when the last shower ceased an hour ago. "Let's go inside, shall we?"
"Hell, yeah," the old man agreed. "I could use your cooking if you haven't done it yet, kiddo."
And as soon as they were inside, there was Itachi; she found him passed out in their bedroom at this time in the afternoon. By the time they were indoors, the dangerous pour began outside and wasted no time pelting all the windows. You could see the sheen nearly blend in with the lake. Everything was dark and light at the same time. The sight made Jiraiya whistle again.
"Man, and I thought I'd be right to assume that last one would be it before I came here!"
His exclamation made Itachi stir and murmur, but her husband didn't wake. Scoffing, Hanaru turned to walk out, cradling Ren and seeing he was fighting to keep his eyelids open, even yawning. She smiled down at him, going in the direction of his bedroom and hearing Jiraiya's footsteps as he followed her. Maybe I can let Jiraiya-sensei rock you to sleep.
She did just that, and it made the old Toad Sage all too happy. And it took a small adventure to get him to properly cradle the infant with just one arm. Some time passed before the child was fast asleep for his mother to take him and lay him down in his bed. "Has he given you much trouble?"
"Not at all," she answered, hushed as he was. "In fact, I was surprised that he didn't do much of that at night after he was born. But he sure eats like a pig." She laughed with him, though quietly to avoid making Ren cry because his nap had been disturbed.
But I swear to Kami if Itachi wakes up and does that, he's gonna get more than a busted ass from me.
Now she stood again in the doorway of the bedroom and saw her husband still sleeping in the same position he had been in before, chest gently rising up and down: on his back, both hands over his stomach. He just looked so...just like she always saw him, and it was handsome and ethereal as an angel, with his chiseled features and his long hair undone halfway, spilling behind his head like a halo - but then her attention fell to the sake bottle on the bedside table, which resulted in his current state. Hissing, she turned and stomped off, taking care to not actually cause a racket on the floor. But over her shoulder, she spat, wishing she could call him a baka for real like she told their son on the dock.
But she had her chance when she met up with Jiraiya back in the kitchen for the lunch she promised. And even if Itachi wouldn't wake anytime soon, he would get his food and then take it on his own. He was a grown-ass man; he could get things on his own.
Jiraiya sensed her behavior, as always. His face was somber. "You poor kid. Wish I could get the power to take all of this away, for real."
Hanaru grunted, filling the pot up with water. She felt like miso soup and rice, nothing fancy. "Me, too. But I wish someone could finish that snake off if I can't do it myself - and I'm sorry that he used to be your friend, but what he did to my husband..." She couldn't bring herself to finish.
He sighed heavily. "Believe me, part of me wanted to, but how the hell can I when I only got one arm now?" He was attempting to lighten it up, and it did a small amount. "To think what he did to Itachi makes me think about what happened to him a long time ago, and it makes me sick more than then -"
Jiraiya quickly stopped his sentence, and the silence hung in the air only to be broken by the sound of the heavy rain which threatened to shatter the glass windows.
Hanaru would have burnt her fingers on the burner as she set the pots on their respective places if not for her self-control. Her body felt like it had undergone electroshock and continued to buzz. "Ji-Jiraiya, what are you talking about?!" Did you mean to say that -?!
She had to turn to look back at him only to see the grim line of his mouth and darkness of his eyes.
"That's exactly right, Hanaru. What happened to Orochimaru a long time ago was very similar to what he did to your husband. Just before the Second Shinobi War..."
~o~
...what time is it?
His body and mind together were in a muddied haze, and half of him wanted to just continue sleeping, but he knew he couldn't. The reason he drank himself to pass out was because she didn't even want to talk to him, and he didn't want to deal with her nagging on him about drinking to relax himself.
She didn't bother him about taking sake with his meds; what was he, a fool to put himself in danger like that when they had a child?! But damn it, he could ease his senses whenever he felt stress for no reason if he wanted to! But he refrained himself from lashing out against his own wife and mother of his child when all she was doing was looking out for him.
"It's best to not try too hard. Just let some things be broken for a while. This is something I have to do on my own at the end of the day..."
The sound of rainfall on the window directed his attention to the storm outside. Another one. He exhaled and settled on laying back down again, this time folding his arms beneath his head to use as another pillow. From the corner of his eye, the sake bottle he remembered being nearly empty was there, but seeing it made him grit his teeth.
Hanaru had stormed out of the house with their son; where was she now? It was this thing he looked upon now which made her so spiteful towards him when he talked back to her. Whenever they fought as of late, she took to sleeping in the baby's room rather than kicking HIM out of here. That was what a wife would normally do to her husband if things got out of hand. Itachi wouldn't be surprised if she intended to do the same tonight with his outburst...
And then he heard voices outside the door.
"- so, what Orochimaru did...how could he do this to Itachi when he knew what it felt like?!" Hanaru was distressed and choking on her words. Peeking around the corner, he saw her cheeks puff before softening, telling him she was fighting not to get sick.
The visitor was Master Jiraiya. His face was taut with anger in the features and sadness in the eyes. "You took the words out of my mouth. But it happened a long time ago, just before the Second War. The three of us - him, Tsunade and myself - were out there to handle some of those guys from the Hidden Mist; we got the main guy, so it was an assumption that his followers wouldn't be of any trouble...except we were wrong. Not sure I even want to explain the details of what he told us happened to him."
Something in Itachi halted as he listened to the retired sage's words: Orochimaru was...he suffered what he did to me.
Everything the man told his wife reflected in Itachi's mind, causing his heart and stomach to roll over and threaten to come into contact with each other: he was affronted and overpowered somehow, and he was affected with what he gave me, thus starting to twist him into the perverted monster he is now. All of his offenders saw him as a means to make an example of messing with them.
He recalled sexual violence as revenge being common if not overt; jailers used it on prisoners to show who was in charge. Even when he was in the Black Ops, he had to eliminate sex offenders. But to dwell on the fact Orochimaru had been through that long ago before the chaotic Second Ninja War...he couldn't fathom any of this. He was torn between hate and understanding, keeping with what the snake made him feel and took away from him.
One of the legendary Sannin...the one who...
"Tsunade was devastated," Jiraiya said, sounding like he was going to choke himself. "And I tried to be there for him, but he shoved us both away by getting angry and saying we'd never know what it was like. But he was also withdrawn since his parents died, and even then, he said the same thing to me."
Itachi clenched his hands into fists. If that bastard was like him, then it didn't excuse the fact he decided to inflict it on someone else - especially Itachi Uchiha, a married man with a new child. One of the most powerful Shinobi like he was...no, next to him and the Uchiha, he was just run-of-the-mill and low compared to most rogue-nins Itachi encountered.
There was only a twinge of sympathy, but not to go far, and he could see it in Hanaru's eyes, combined with cold hatred towards the snake man.
Itachi distracted himself by looking back around and glaring at the sake bottle - the very thing he drowned his sorrows in - imagining it as Orochimaru when he picked it up and flung it towards the nearest wall away from the bed...and felt a small ounce of satisfaction as it shattered and splashed what little was left on the floorboards.
The commotion got the attention of Hanaru and their guest, and it was far from amused.
~o~
She was never going to forget what Jiraiya told her: her husband's rapist and torturer had once been the raped and tortured himself, before the Second Ninja War.
The trauma was too great that it began to warp his mind, forcing his own perspective on things to go askew; I recall that those with post-traumatic stress disorder involved the victims forcing the images back and trying to hide the guilt, even turning it into something else...and Orochimaru had become so unbalanced that he hid it all too well like a snake in the grass.
It didn't mean, however, that she would forgive him for everything. She still planned to confront him in the future.
And at some point, she and Jiraiya both heard the sound of a crash that miraculously didn't wake the baby up; sometimes, Ren was a heavy sleeper during the day. When she and the old man stood up to investigate, they discovered Itachi had awoken - and there was the broken bottle of sake with what little was left on the floor.
He'd thrown the bottle to the wall, but why? When she demanded this, keeping her voice down so to not wake their son, he answered calmly, "Because of my choice to do this in the first place."
Hanaru recalled blinking that day, as she couldn't believe what she just heard. He was admitting what a bastard he was, and in a single day. But it was going to take so much more than just THIS, no matter if she was happy he came to his senses. Because I am happy he realized what he was doing after just waking up...
...unless he heard everything Jiraiya told her. And it turned out he had, because the Toad Sannin figured it out already with a knowing smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"That means you got a load to do if you want to start turning those rain clouds outside into sunshine again."
That also meant there would be a heart to heart between them, so she left them alone, because what was said between the two men would be between them, and Itachi would tell her if he wanted to. She headed right into Ren's room to check on him, amused and relieved he was still out like a rock. Smiling, she gently ran the back of her knuckles over his smooth head of black hair.
She could only hope now that what Itachi and Jiraiya were talking about would start to finally make things a little better.
"Let some things be broken for a while"...well, looks like we might not have THAT long to wait, after all.
In the weeks that passed, he started improving relations amongst their friends and family, so it was beyond nice to see his parents, both their brothers and their friends accept his baby steps towards rebuilding internally. Which brought them all to this day just as summer was finally coming to an end: Naruto and Hinata's engagement party.
What better perfect timing to have the setting than when the leaves were turning color and the sun was shining? In this season, the atmosphere starts to dry, but until winter comes, we get more rain on occasion.
Thank the gods Hinata and Naruto would wed before the snow even touched the ground and the air became unbearably cold.
The event was packed not only with people, the after party taking place at the Hyuuga grounds, but the umbrellas custom-made were in different looks if all rimmed with gold: some had botanical blossoms, others blushing and the rest black and white.
At the center of it was the bride-to-be herself in the lovely lavender kimono covered all over with maple leaves of maroon red and brightly colored fans; her hair was in a lovely updo ornamented with chopsticks and some autumn-toned flowers. And Naruto was in burnt orange without even an ornament. Both smiling and happy no matter some of the stern faces of the bride's family.
She brought not only her husband with her, but also her son. Here as a family; some of the Uchiha were invited, but mostly the three of them, as well as Sasuke, Fugaku, Mikoto and Shisui. And all the members of the Konoha Twelve were there for their friends. Including all their senseis...
...and of course, Hanabi for her sister, and so were Misaki and Daichu. All here to just celebrate rather than focus on getting strong.
Old man Jiraiya was in tears while being patted on the back by Tsunade who was also wiping her tears away. Shizune and Tonton the pig were with.
Sadly, the Hokage was too busy to attend, and it was for one certain reason after being confronted by her and Sasuke together. Which would be dealt with tomorrow after the festivities were over.
It was a great day, which was a nice change from everything that had been happening; even Itachi seemed to be enjoying himself.
Speaking of her and her husband, things were definitely improving at home, though that meant no intimacy anytime in the future, not that she minded. Sharing the same bed and holding onto each other was what she was comfortable with. Intimacy should have nothing to do with this, and it's not like I'd feel up to doing it again for a while after having a baby.
And when they were getting ready for today, she'd found something that meant the world which started their courtship long ago...which she was wearing today.
The blue rose pendant which rested over her heart - that rosy golden beauty of delicate vines and four-cornered roses cradling the aqua blue gem. And what she told him was from the heart and made a tear roll down his cheek.
"You left it for me after our first dinner, but I returned it because I was afraid, and I thought you wouldn't understand. When you saved me from HIM, you gave it back to me after I told you I loved you...under park trees and lanterns, when the moonflowers were blooming."
How could she forget one of the most important aspects of their lives, and how could he? Itachi had bowed his head and rested it between her neck and shoulder. His body shook with the beautiful memento that he wished would erase the negative influences which would soon be left in the past once and for all...and that was what also led Hanaru to this day.
Because both of them had been screwed over with by that snake - no matter what justified his crimes - she wanted to be the one to spill his blood. For what he did to my husband, and everyone else can thank me for avenging their loved ones and comrades taken away.
She had her chance when she found Sasuke at the refreshment table, with Sakura beside him and finding it in himself to laugh with her at whatever it was. At the moment, Itachi was off and had Ren in his arms. He more than earned it, but why should a father earn having alone time with his child when he realized the error of drinking at home and distancing himself from his wife?
"Enjoying yourself, brother-in-law?"
He chuckled after downing a plastic cup of the best wine there was. "Never thought I'd say this, but yeah. Because this is my best friend; it's something worth enjoying." You're really finally being such a man, Sasuke. Now I'll admit I'm proud of you instead of annoyed. Sakura agreed with him, then asked how Itachi and the baby were, and Hanaru directed both their attentions to where he and Ren were: sitting at one of the tables while talking to Neji Hyuuga about whatever it was. "My brother is doing just fine," Sasuke noted, grunting noncommittally. "And I was thinking about talking him off for his drinking."
Sakura hissed through her teeth. The pinkette had been super pissed off when Itachi's actions got back to her. In fact, she, too, threatened to do more than just talk Itachi off, and you would know what that was.
"What the hell, you two?" Hanaru asked, laughing with them. "We're just here to do what everyone else is here for." They concurred, and that was all there was to it.
Hopefully, tomorrow would be what she'd waited an eternity for, which made her think about the conversation she had with her brother-in-law before her and her brother who was off with his woman.
These were Naruto's words: "I could tear everything in his normal body from limb to limb, even all the small snakes that make up his real body, but he would just put himself back together!"
"You're right there, Naruto; it's difficult to find a weakness in that disgusting demon," Sasuke had spat, "unless someone has an idea I should have thought of."
That was enough for Hanaru to declare what he said, and it shocked both him and Naruto...but it also might have sold them both.
"How does the Uchiha's...secret weapon your brother used against Hidan last year sound? Might be all there is if we finally put that perverted snake out of our miseries once and for all."
Besides catching up on Shippuden and recent holidays, I have been on a roll with "Moonlight, Rain and Sakura" - which has one more chapter to go. :3
I had been debating on whether or not to have Orochimaru suffer sexual abuse in his past, because he is already a shit person, and to do this would make it worse. That was what my best friend said, though I thought it could still work - if NOT excusing what he did to Itachi.
The blue rose pendant is from the first story, "Night Flowers". After the mentioned first dinner, Itachi decided to attempt to court Hanaru for the first time with this - but she returned it to test and see if he was really serious.
Also: Itachi using the "secret weapon" against Hidan was something that transpired in "Bamboo Woods". You may know what I am talking about if you've read the predecessors.
Review please! Still nothing from no one. :(
