Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own anything but Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Kei, her parents, and Yatsu and Fuse Inuzuka belong to Lang Noi.
The theme for this chapter is once again taken directly from Civilian Pianist, specifically Rafik el Jar's Synthesia cover of There Is A Reason by Konomi Suzuki. An alternative is the original full version of the song out on YouTube, since the original is just as good if not gorgeous in its delivery of vocals and background music. I went back to this song again since it actually portrays the main emotions well, since once again, a lot of focus is on the adults of the story. Even with Tomoko's point of view taking over half in here. It's true that Kei and Tomoko are still central characters, but as a writer, I feel that the adults that raise and influence them deserve their fair share of respect too. So, that's why this song was chosen, since it covers the past of Disboard, the world that Sora and Shiro later inhabit.
On the other hand, for the songs that Tomoko plays in this specific chapter, we have:
*Lesdernier's piano cover of Let's Just Live from RWBY, this specific cover actually mimicking the soundtrack that played in Chapter 4 of Volume 4, which focused on Yang after her nightmare in the original scene; and
*SirOkihs's piano cover of Kalafina's Hikari Furu, the original song being a vocal cover of Sagitta Luminis from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
**The lyrics mentioned in the chapter come from Anime Lyrics dot Com, so please support them!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 10: There Is Always A Reason
Hoshino Hikari woke up the next morning in her futon, crust dotting her eyes amidst the sunlight shining in. She shook her head, wiping at her face with a hand before blinking.
"Snooooore."
The warmth of another person suddenly registered to her, and she shifted to the left only to be met with the still sleeping Judai, actually drooling while an arm had apparently found itself over her waist. His other arm was supporting his head so that the drool wouldn't hit the pillow, but he was still asleep nonetheless.
"Snooooooooore."
Hikari held back the urge to giggle, instead gently lifting her husband's arm off her waist, pushing the futon covers back to sit up. Judging by the sunlight wafting through the window, it was still early morning.
The woman grinned to herself. It was time to make breakfast.
And with the rush of memory hitting her at that moment, she shrugged off the covers completely to get up and start getting dressed.
The Hoshinos had guests this morning.
Hatake Sakumo wasn't sure where he was. He knew he was at least in bed, but the scent was different.
It wasn't his room. Instead of the musty darkness, he could smell fresh air, and…
His eyes flew open as he glanced downwards.
A silver-haired boy with a mask that was very familiar was sitting on top of him in a hug, quietly snoring away.
Kakashi. He…He's here?
Sakumo's heart began to beat hard.
What…what happened—
The memories then rushed him like a tsunami.
Without meaning to, tears were budding in his eyes again.
The night before. Getting led out of his room by his son, heading into Nagareboshi Cafe for what felt like the first time in weeks, and then hearing an entire concert.
All helmed by one girl who stared at him straight in the eye and told him to live.
Had she known? Was it that obvious?
Sakumo wasn't sure.
Then, a soft knock sounded at the door. Sakumo tried not to jump, and instead found himself blinking at the door quietly creaking open, with a black head of hair peeking inside.
"Sakumo-san…? Kakashi…?" went a soft, high-pitched voice. Hoshino Tomoko, wearing a simple nightgown, was behind the door, glancing around the room before meeting his eyes. She then smiled, waving a hand. "Good morning!"
"G-Good morning…?" he said back, still gaping.
Tomoko just giggled, opening the door a bit wider while motioning to the hallway outside. "Breakfast is almost ready, Sakumo-san. Get up and get dressed, okay?"
And with that said, she bowed her head towards him with another smile before closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Kakashi stirred above him. "…wha…"
Sakumo exhaled shakily as a single tear fell from his eye to land on his son's hair.
Kakashi blinked, only now feeling the new wetness on his head. "…Dad?"
"N-No, no," Sakumo found himself chuckling, leaning back while wiping an arm over his eyes. He could merely hope that his son didn't see the rest of said tears still bubbling in them. "I-I'm fine, Kakashi, I'm fine…"
The boy above him only hummed, clearly believing otherwise.
Sakumo sat up so that Kakashi could be more comfortable, putting on whatever smile he could. "L-Let's go, Kakashi."
Breakfast was a quiet affair.
I wasn't really sure how else to describe it, because that's how it was. I was used to spending Sunday mornings at the table with Mama and Papa, sharing our experiences in the past week at the cafe, or whatever we had done.
Not really have a near-full table of 5 people, with two of said occupants either eating too slowly or scarfing it down so fast to where I wasn't really sure what to comment on it all.
Sakumo-san definitely looked better than he had been last night, but the eye-bags and pinched cheeks said more than enough on how much the village's scorn had affected him.
Kakashi, on the other hand, still seemed to be tense, and the fact that his food was doing a disappearing act while it looked like his mask was still on didn't help my heart.
"…Um…" I started, lowering my chopsticks. "Is the food…at least good?"
The two Hatakes blinked before looking up at me.
Sakumo-san smiled as much as he could. "I-It is, Tomoko-chan, thank you." And with that said, he returned to his rice bowl, eating at a bit more normal of a pace.
Kakashi on the other hand was in the middle of stuffing what appeared to be a…full head of saury fish (like, holy crap, how can you eat that? I can't even stand looking into a dead fish's eyes, nonetheless eat it) into his masked mouth before tilting his head at me. So apparently he wasn't a morning person, judging by his eyes.
No, they weren't cloudy, just…exasperated. He then returned to scarfing his fish down.
Ooookay. What to say here.
I glanced at Mama and Papa. They shared a look with each other, then turned back to me with varying shrugs.
Ummm…
"Uhhhhhhhhh…" I found myself saying.
"…Tomoko, is there something you want to say?" Kakashi said finally, putting his rice bowl down to stare at me. "You've been like this all of breakfast."
"Well, there is!" I threw my hands up in the air out of frustration. "The thing is, it's so awkward right now that I don't know what to say!" To add emphasis, I just bonked my forehead against the table, caught between sulking and raging. "This is the first time we've had someone other than Kei and her family come over, and after everything from last night, I don't want to ruin the peace…"
"…Kei?" Kakashi said slowly, confusion lacing his voice.
And then, as if it was a miracle, a knock sounded on…the window?
"Judai! Hikari-chan! Tomoko-chan! Are you there?"
I glanced at the kitchen window, only to choke. Mama and Papa glanced in the same direction, only to gasp and nearly fall over respectively.
"W-Wataru-jichan?!" I found myself screeching.
Sure enough, the older Gekkō was perched on the windowsill, crutches and all, waving at us sheepishly while throwing said window open. "C-Could you guys open the door downstairs? Miyako-chan and the kids are down there, and we kinda don't want to break it down…"
"…Wataru, dude," Papa sat up in his chair with a frown. "Why didn't you send Miyako up then? You're still injured! Why did you decide to come up?!"
"…Oh. Right," Wataru-jichan said, glancing down at himself before scratching the back of his head. "Oops?"
"Don't 'Oops' me, man! You know how your wife gets!" Papa shivered before shaking his head. "I knew I should've installed a doorbell down there…" he mumbled.
"…Probably a good idea, dear," Mama added quietly.
"Y'know what?" Papa threw his hands up in the air while getting up from his seat to help bring Wataru-jichan down from the windowsill. Mama had apparently gotten up from her seat too, from the looks of it, standing near him to help with holding the crutches. "Don't blame me if Miyako gets angry at you. Because you brought this on yourself, man."
"Don't remind me!" Mr. Gekkō whined.
Sakumo-san and Kakashi shared the same odd looks.
I was very tempted to faceplant myself into my rice bowl. But that wasn't sanitary, so I decided to jump up myself and run over to the door. "So Miyako-bachan, Kei, and Hayate are outside the front doors of the cafe right now, Wataru-jichan?"
"Yep!" he replied, sounding a bit happier now that I had provided a decent change of subject. "Please go let them in, Tomoko-chan."
I held back the urge to sigh loudly before throwing the door open and running down the stairs. It was then somewhat of a rinse-repeat process, where I threw open the main back door to rush through the cafe to reach the large red doors of the cafe entrance. Then it was grabbing the large gold handles of said doors to throw them open.
Apparently the force was enough to startle Kei and Hayate who were standing in front of the doors, since I didn't miss how they jumped. Miyako-bachan, on the other hand, was still as cool as a cucumber, even when wearing a yukata in the middle of a snow-covered road, only inclining her head at me. "Hello, Tomoko-chan," she said cooly. "By chance, is my husband up there in the house with your parents right now?"
Oh dear. Papa was right. I couldn't miss the slight aura of irritation lacing Miyako-bachan's figure, and found myself nodding. "Y-You all can come in now! Besides, it's cold standing out here!" —that is, if the snow covering the Gekkō family's heads and the cold winds blowing into the cafe was enough to say that— "Come in, please!"
Miyako-bachan just nodded in my direction, a hand reaching over to pat my head before walking past me into the cafe. Behind her, Kei blinked at me.
"Thanks, Tomoko-chan," she replied, and even with the breeze coloring her cheeks pink, I didn't miss her bright grin. Kei then nudged Hayate, and he looked up at me with an equally bright smile.
"Thanks, Tomoko-neechan!" he chirped.
Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
I held back a squeal just to pat the boy's head, brushing some snow off in the process, as he passed me to head into the house.
If only I knew how much tension could be caused from my two best friends meeting each other for the first time.
Kei and Kakashi…didn't start off well. At all.
I probably should've warned them. Either Kei or Kakashi.
But it didn't seem to say much, considering how quickly it happened. Once I opened that final door, everyone was staring at us.
Including Sakumo-san and Kakashi.
And when my Chunin friend took one look at Kei, his eyes darkened. "…Tomoko, who is this?" he said.
Oh dear god.
"Gekkō Keisuke," Kei said, in a tone that wasn't at all friendly. "Who are you?"
Oh dear god.
"Hatake Kakashi, Chunin." Kakashi answered flatly, putting down his food.
And then they had to start a stare-off of all things.
Oh dear god.
Why did my best friends have to not like each other?
And why did I have a habit of befriending the dangerous people?!
Mama and Papa, who were currently cleaning up the table, blinked before glancing at me. I was just trying not to panic and instead met their eyes with a shaky smile, shaking my head.
L-Let me try fixing this.
"U-Um, guys?" I tried, only realizing right after I said it how my voice turned high-pitched again.
Thankfully, my attempt at speaking had the desired effect of breaking off the staring contest, with Kei giving me a softer sidelong look than the glare she was giving off earlier. "Yeah, Tomoko?"
"C-Could we not do this now?" I found myself fidgeting, because Kakashi and Hayate were now staring at me too, and I wasn't sure what else to do. "I-It's still the morning and it looks like…um…" I found myself glancing over at Miyako-bachan, and she just sighed.
"The adults were actually hoping we could come together and talk for a bit," she continued for me, shaking her head. "So, if you all could go somewhere else for that time, then that would be appreciated."
Sakumo-san then took the time to speak up quietly. If I didn't know any better, it felt like the first time he had ever spoken up without being prompted. "That includes you too, Kakashi."
I never saw Kakashi shoot up so fast from his seat in my life. But his expression said more than enough. "But Dad…."
"Please, Kakashi," the former White Fang looked almost forlorn while facing the Chunin. "This needs to be a private moment."
The tone was more than enough to convince him, as Kakashi backed down to then push his seat back into the table. "…Alright."
I glanced between Kakashi and Kei before making eye contact with Papa. Papa just smiled at me.
You can do it, his eyes seemed to say.
Hayate then tugged at my hand, making me look at him. "So, does that mean we'll be with Tomoko-neechan?"
"If you're okay with me, Hayate?" I responded, feeling my heart lighten a little at the boy's gesture. I wasn't sure if he purposefully meant to reach out to me, or coincidentally knew I was getting nervous, but his hand certainly did wonders for helping my heart.
"Of course I am!" Hayate chirped back, grinning again. "What about you, Sis?"
Kei blinked, still giving me that sidelong look, before nodding curtly. "Nothing wrong with that at all."
I glanced at Kakashi. He didn't meet my eyes, but since his silver ones weren't clouded over, I allowed myself a sigh of relief.
For some reason though, a part of me was questioning WHY Kakashi had yet to react to Hayate's comment of 'Sis' to Kei. Did he know that she was a girl already, orrrr….?
"Alright then," I said, breaking that thought off while squeezing Hayate's hand a bit tighter. "We'll all go to my room so the adults can talk." I then looked up at Papa again. "Is that okay?"
"Of course it is." Papa smiled a bit brighter, walking over to pat my head. What was with people and my head? "Don't fight in there, kids."
"Okay, Papa…" But I found myself trailing off. Even when looking up at him, I found myself turning to Kei and Kakashi again. And, lo and behold, they had started another staring contest.
"…Since that boy just called you 'Sis,' you're a girl," Kakashi deadpanned mid-stare.
Ooooh, so here was the reaction I was (kinda) waiting for!
"Is there a problem with that?" Kei said back, her voice sounding even less friendly with each passing second.
Dread filled me almost instantly.
Oh dear. How did I end up with these people again?
With a more exaggerated sigh, I just let go of Hayate's hand to instead put a hand on both Kei and Kakashi's shoulders, making their attention go to me while I started pushing them out of the kitchen. So, in a sense, I started a small train of my own, with Kakashi and Kei as the unwilling passengers of this impromptu run. "Hayate, follow me, okay?" I tried to give him a sidelong look for the sake of hiding my panic, plastering a grin on my face. "And help me push your stubborn Sis, please!"
"Got it, Tomoko-nee!" he cheered, quickly running up to join me in pushing Kei forward.
Overall, we made a pretty interesting image.
It turns out that an 8-year old girl, with the help of a 6-year old boy, had enough force to push two unwilling 8-9 year old ninja out of the room and into the hallway.
What an interesting power divide.
"Tomoko, Haa-chan, you don't have to push!" Kei protested.
Kakashi just glared at me from the side of his eye.
Even if he was attempting to dig his heels into the tile, just…no.
No. Not letting you, dude. You need some social interaction.
Oh, Kei. Oh, Kakashi. If only you knew how much I had to push you both out and supervise your tension.
Ninja stare-offs were not fun. And I was not looking forward to reintroductions.
Why did it always turn to me when it came to egg-shell walking in relationships?!
"…"
"…"
…Yep. When everyone got into my room, no one said anything. Heck. I was tempted to just voice a literal 'dot-dot-dot' because of how quiet it was. The only real noises were the initial shuffling of people into my room and Hayate later taking the chance to climb into my lap, using me as a seat. Why me, I wasn't sure.
But then again, considering the other two people in the room…
"…"
"…"
I didn't blame the younger Gekkō sibling one bit.
And he was warm, so that was nice.
Still.
Kei and Kakashi had yet to make full eye contact with each other after I broke them off back in the living room. And with nothing said on either of their ends, it just created a new tension that was suffocating and heart-wrenching.
Go me. Just when I get everyone out of one tense situation, I find myself trying to solve another.
Heck, if Hayate wasn't using me as a seat, I may have forgotten that I wasn't the only third wheel in the room. And he was snuggly, so it helped.
Hugging would always be my go-to for tense situations.
But still. How am I supposed to start this?
Breaking the silence between my two best friends, I mean?
Out of frustration, I found myself speaking up. "Um…Kei-chan? Kakashi?"
The two turned to me with almost equal amounts of recognition in their eyes. "Yes, Tomoko-chan/Tomoko?"
…Even their answers were in unison.
Kei and Kakashi apparently noticed too, because they just glanced at each other before looking away pointedly. Kei had somehow grabbed a book from my closet in her haste, flipping it open to skim the pages really quickly while Kakashi just pulled out a kunai and a cleaning cloth, starting to polish it.
I sighed. Hayate looked up at me from my lap.
"Tomoko-nee?" he said slowly.
I just rested my chin on his head while hugging him a bit tighter. He let out a small hum of confusion, but let me do it nonetheless. "I'll be fine, Hayate, don't worry," I held back the urge to sigh loudly again. "I just need to do something to make it not so quiet here."
Hayate blinked before resting a hand against one of mine.
Now, what's a good icebreaker…?
Hayate then started to play with my fingers absently, clearly bored.
I don't think we have a chessboard in here, and pillow fights aren't really my thing in helping out…not to mention shinobi tag is a NO since Hayate is still six and Kei isn't a full ninja yet…let's see…
I wracked my head.
Then, it hit me.
"Neh, Kakashi?"
He looked up from his kunai polishing, raising an eyebrow at me. "What?"
I found myself giggling. "Ten million ryo, but."
"…But what?" he completed slowly, blinking in confusion.
"You get a hypothetical reward of ten million ryo or something, to start," I shrugged my shoulders while snuggling Hayate a little more, noting how Kei was glancing at me over her book with easily palpable curiosity. "But there's a catch that you have to choose to take or not for the ten million. Rejecting it means rejecting the ten million."
"Alright," Kakashi deadpanned, lowering his kunai. His eyes clearly showed his disbelief without the deadpan even added in. "Throw that catch at me then."
I couldn't think of anything else. I just ended up blurting it out with a high-pitched voice. Probably out of leftover nervousness, no doubt. "Ten million ryo, but for the rest of your life, you can't wear your mask."
A long pause followed.
"…Bwuh?" Kei summed up succinctly.
Hoshino Judai always had half the urge to laugh when it came to his kids.
You're probably wondering right now why he uses the plural form of kids instead of kid considering his actual family.
Sure, he had one biological daughter in the form of Tomoko that he would never stop cuddling because she was so cute, but when the Gekkō siblings, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Hatake Kakashi came into the picture as said daughter's friends?
They were his kids. Even if they denied it.
Well, the only one who seemed to deny it was Kakashi at least. At the moment.
Judai was sure Kakashi would warm up to the idea of extended family eventually. If only ninja antics weren't always on his mind.
Heck, Judai had to hold back the loudest laughter he ever had in a while at the sight of said ninja leaving the room. Just the simple scene of Kakashi being pushed out of the room by his daughter? With Hayate helping by pushing his older sister?
He needed to get popcorn.
But it wasn't the time for that right now. The kids heading somewhere else meant business was starting up again.
Not the cafe business. Personal business.
Hikari (thank goodness for her) had already started brewing tea and setting it out for Wataru and Miyako at their new seats. And judging by the sweet aroma of said tea, it seemed Miyako's lessons were paying off.
On the other hand, Sakumo had yet to move aside from putting away the dishes he used in the sink, and judging by his slumping figure, the 'business' was weighing on him more than Judai thought.
Once everyone was seated and cared for with tea, Judai cleared his throat. "Well, with the kids elsewhere, I can ask this now," He didn't miss how all the adults straightened in their chairs. Judai held back the urge to sigh and turned to Sakumo, the words coming out naturally. "Sakumo, are you okay?"
The former White Fang, judging by his wide eyes, was not expecting the question at all. His shoulders tensed before anything came out. "I…I…" he hung his head. "Close to being okay," he said finally. "But I'm not fully okay yet. Not after all that."
"What exactly happened, Captain?" Wataru interrupted solemnly. "Did the mission really…" he trailed off as soon as Miyako lightly prodded him with an elbow.
Sakumo simply hung his head. "I'm not sure if I'm deserving of that title anymore, Wataru-kun, so don't call me that. Please."
Hikari sighed for him and probably everyone else at the table. "Well, what matters is that we're all here. Alive and all." Then, she looked up at Sakumo with warm eyes. "You don't have to talk about it if it's still painful, Sakumo-kun."
Sakumo looked up with a small smile. "…Thank you, Hikari," he said slowly.
"But I am guessing it is bad enough to where staying at the Hatake Compound is not an option anymore?" Miyako added gently.
The tense quiet had returned as Sakumo nodded. "The villagers have been getting angrier by the day. There have been moments where I've come home only to find the house vandalized or empty because Kakashi's left home," he paused, hanging his head again. "I think they're targeting Kakashi too, and I'm still surprised he talked to me like nothing was wrong last night. And…" he trailed off, gulping.
Judai sighed. "You're surprised that he still cares about you?"
"…Yeah," Sakumo replied quietly. "Yeah."
"Of course he would," Wataru interrupted, crossing his arms behind his head. "He's your only son—of course he still would. You're his only parent, Cap—Sakumo." Miyako smiled at the nin in approval. "Any kid would feel that way."
The former White Fang, once again, went silent.
Fuck it. Judai blurted out what first came to his lips. "How about you and Kakashi stay with us then, Sakumo?"
Every single head in the room turned in his direction. Heck, the only stare that wasn't surprised or shocked when boring into his head was Hikari's, being that soft, understanding gaze he had grown to love.
Sakumo summed it up with a simple and shaky, "What?"
Judai tried not to fumble when formulating his response. "Think about it. The villagers will keep targeting you and Kakashi if you stay at the compound, Sakumo. So try to start a new leaf, no pun intended," —catching Wataru mid-snicker at his response— "By staying with Hikari, Tomoko-chan, and I. The cafe is pretty well off already, so we can support you until everything boils down."
"But…Judai," Sakumo looked extremely conflicted now. "You don't get it. The villagers won't just stop at me…they'll…they'll…"
"They'll target us with their shitty ways too?" Hikari interrupted.
Wataru and Miyako both turned to look at Hikari with surprise. The civilian woman leveled a calm stare back, shrugging. "What? You ninja can really go through some shitty stuff from the world in general. Nothing wrong in saying it." Hikari then cracked her knuckles absently. "And don't worry, Sakumo-kun, we can handle it."
"…And you say I curse quite a bit," Judai muttered.
Hikari just glanced at him with the same level stare.
Judai sighed. Thank goodness Tomoko-chan was in the other room.
Sakumo was still gaping.
"…As much as arguing on how the village can be horrible can be beneficial and all," Miyako interrupted quietly, inclining her head. "I can sense two others at the front door, Hikari. They're friends, so you can let them in."
It was now the civilian woman's turn to blink with surprise. "Friends?" she said slowly. "Who?"
Miyako smiled gently. "Judging by the chakra signatures? Inuzuka Fuse and Yatsu. Yatsu, I recall, was the Hyuga I took Tomoko-chan to with Judai on her chakra a while back."
That was all it took for Hikari's eyes to widen. Then she stood up from her seat to run over to the back door and the sound of slippers hitting stair steps graced the air.
"…Well, I can see where Tomoko-chan gets her enthusiasm," Wataru commented idly when the door slammed on the woman afterwards.
Judai shook his head with a smile. "It's a blessing when I don't have any."
And then the door reopened, with the blind Hyuga walking in first, followed by an Inuzuka woman Judai was sure he had seen around. With her long, wild black hair, the common Inuzuka triangles on her cheeks, and somewhat mellow eyes, the lady had a face that he recognized enough to peg her as 'familiar,' but not as 'an old friend'.
"…Hello, Yatsu," Judai started slowly, trying not to feel the slightest bit of irritation. Let it never be said that he couldn't hold grudges on occasion. Even if the Gentle Fist blocks were something his daughter tried to deny as the most painful thing in the world.
Sigh.
"Hello, Judai," the Hyuga bowed his head in his direction before being led by the lady to take a seat on the nearby couch. "Thank you for having me again."
"No problem," he answered coolly. Then he focused on the Inuzuka woman. "And you are…"
"Fuse. Inuzuka Fuse," she smiled, resting a hand on Yatsu's knee. "You've met my husband already."
Huh. Okay then.
Judai decided not to question it.
"Anyways…" he continued, glancing at Miyako while doing so. "I'm guessing you two heard about what happened, too?"
"We did," Yatsu answered solemnly.
Fuse tilted her head in Judai and Sakumo's direction with concern shining in her eyes. "Is there anything we can do?"
Judai opened his mouth, then paused.
What could they do? Heck, what else could be done?
The village was…
He turned to Sakumo. The former White Fang met his eyes for a moment before glancing at the Inuzuka couple with forlorn eyes. "…I'm not really sure right now," he admitted quietly. "The last thing I want is for you two to face more ostracism from the villagers after everything you've gone through, so it might be better if you guys leave me alone—"
"Bullshit." Fuse interrupted hotly. Sakumo lurched back with surprise as Hikari blinked, having gone over to the kitchen to prepare more tea. "Captain—no, Sakumo-senpai—it doesn't matter what the villagers think. You're still senpai to me. And my brother owns the apartment complex where Yatsu and I live. You and Kakashi can come with us if it gets to be too much."
"…And you helped me when I lost my Byakugan, Sakumo-san," Yatsu added quietly, the same note of determination in his voice. "It is about time that I returned the favor."
Tears started to flood Sakumo's eyes.
"…I'm not sure about us, but we'll be here to help too, Sakumo," Wataru continued, bright smile on his face. "If you need a day or two to stay at another place, I think Miyako-chan and I can help."
It was then that Sakumo's shoulders started to shake.
Hikari quietly walked over to the kitchen table again, setting a refilled cup of tea down in front of the former White Fang before gently wrapping her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder in a hug from behind. "It'll be okay, Sakumo-kun. It's not okay now, but you'll get there one day. You still have us, even when the village tries to make you believe otherwise."
Then the former White Fang hid his face in his hands as the first sobs started leaving his throat.
Judai smiled sadly. There was nothing else that could be said.
Sakumo needed this.
Heck.
Everyone deserves the chance to let go of the facade and just feel.
"Okay…" Kei grinned while raising a finger in the air. "Ten million ryo, but…"
I found myself leaning in closer out of anticipation as Hayate cheered from my lap.
I could've sworn Kakashi was looking at us from the side in interest. Even if he was trying to deny it via polishing his kunai again.
Which might've been the exact same kunai he pulled out when this whole debacle started.
Who would've thought a roleplay game a la Cards Against Humanity would be a good icebreaker in bringing Kakashi and Kei together to socialize out of all things?
"Ten million ryo, but…" Then Kei trailed off, lowering her hand. Huh? "Um. Well." She put said hand on her chin in thought before shaking her head with a sheepish smile. "Huh. I…I can't think of anything."
Hayate bonked his head backwards into my chest while I found myself wincing with a nervous giggle.
"Then what was all that tension for?!" Hayate whined.
Kei shrugged.
I was trying to think of another scenario to break the ice when I heard it.
"Tomoko-channnnn? Tomoko-channnnn! Can you come out here?"
Papa.
Hayate immediately crawled out of my lap as I stood up, blinking in the direction of his voice. "Okay, Papa! I'm coming!" It was then really throwing the door open and running out in said direction, and once I had reached the living room, I found my heart stopping in its tracks.
Sakumo-san…no, Sakumo-jichan, was crying again.
Mama, Yatsu-san, an Inuzuka woman that I didn't recognize, and Wataru-jichan were all close by hugging him so that the tears wouldn't be as obvious, but the sobs were there.
Papa and Miyako-bachan were the only ones who weren't in the hug, simply staying close by with their hands in close reach of Sakumo-jichan's shaky ones.
Then Papa looked up at me with warm eyes. "Tomoko-chan, think you could play the last song from yesterday? I think it'll help everybody right now."
I didn't miss the emotion swirling in his eyes when looking at me, and my answer came out naturally. Heck, it left my lips as soon as Kakashi, Kei, and Hayate ran into the room behind me.
There was no space for questions.
"Of course I will."
Getting everyone into the cafe didn't take that long. Heck, once I found myself at the piano bench, even if it was a weekend, I had an audience.
Papa and Mama were passing out drinks while I could distinctly hear Kei, Kakashi, and Hayate walking nearby. Probably taking the seats closest to the piano, no doubt.
The other adults, I wasn't so sure. Chakra was still a fickle thing, and even with mine fully activated and running through me, I wasn't a sensor like Kei. I couldn't really track others like she could… at least, I think she could do that. Even with my ninshu, I was still a civilian. Instead, it was just my ears and eyes. And from the looks of it, they were all there.
Wataru-jichan, Miyako-bachan, Yatsu-san, Inuzuka-san (I didn't know her first name, so I just went with what I assumed was her surname), and…
Sakumo-jichan.
Even after calming down significantly, he was still shaking from the corner of my eye. And judging by the soft sniffles, it was obvious that he was still upset.
I tried to focus on the piano keys and not let my rage show.
What in all hell did the village put him through?
I breathed in deeply. It wasn't the time to get angry. But just one song?
Sure, Let's Just Live was wonderful, but it didn't seem like enough for the situation.
One minute of music wasn't enough at all.
I had to go all out. Especially for these people.
I know Sakumo-jichan went through a lot. Heck, canon put him through literal hell.
And then there were the other adults. Mama, Papa, Wataru-jichan, Miyako-bachan, Yatsu-san.
I wasn't sure what they had gone through before I came around. But they had all been in this world of ninja longer than Vy had known of said world. They probably saw a lot of darkness in the world, even when being in just Konoha.
What could I play so that it could honor those days? So that I could honor those memories, those times, without disrespecting or invalidating the people right here?
So that even Kakashi could feel safe here?
I closed my eyes, and thought.
Then, it hit me.
"Papa?" I found myself saying.
He looked up from his position of shaking a bottle of cider. "What is it, Tomoko-chan?"
"Do I just have to play that one song from last night?" I asked, scratching my cheek sheepishly in the hope that the heat traveling up to my cheeks wasn't noticeable. "Since I was actually thinking of playing more than that…"
Papa blinked, put the bottle down, then chuckled. "Go ahead, Tomoko-chan. Play as much as you want. I think everybody would like to hear it."
A hand gently touched my forearm, and I blinked to see Hayate sitting next to me on the piano bench, almost like a callback to when my chakra was first discovered, grinning happily.
"You can do it, Tomoko-nee!" he called out cheerfully.
A shaky breath left my lips as the words sunk in. Then, a smile found its way on my face, and I turned back to the piano keys after squeezing Hayate's hand in return.
I can do this.
My fingers started playing the first chords. This time, I didn't feel the need to sing. A majority of the audience had already heard the original performance last night. So I hummed the lyrics instead, taking note of how Hayate was leaning his head against my upper arm.
It used to feel like a fairy tale,
Now it seems we were just pretending
We'd fix our world, then on our way to a happy ending.
It was a slower version of the original song, but it seemed to fit the mood nonetheless. From the looks of it, everyone else was relaxing too.
Then it turned out life was far less like a bedtime story
Than a tragedy with no big reveal of the hero's glory.
And it seems we weren't prepared
For a game that wasn't fair.
Do we just go home? Can we follow through? When all hope is gone, there is one thing we can do…
But I then found myself hitting a wrong note as soon as the cafe doors slammed open. Hayate jumped up alongside me as a few chairs skidded across the tile floor.
"What in all hell—" Papa cursed.
"Um, did we come in at a wrong time?" A new voice started.
I blinked and turned towards the cafe entrance, catching a glimpse of two suited ninja, one with distinctive spiky blue hair and a short build (probably up to Mama's height at least) and the other fairly muscular with black braids trailing down his back.
Wataru-jichan stood up with his arm on the chair behind him so that he wouldn't fall over. "Sho? Kenzan? What is it?"
"Oh, Wataru!" The blue-haired man smiled sheepishly, glancing around before bowing his head. "Sorry for intruding…" Then he met eyes with Papa.
Huh? I glanced at Hayate, and he shrugged. When I made eye contact with Kei nearby, she did the same thing.
What was going on here?
"…Sho?" Papa said incredulously.
"…Judai-aniki?" The blue-haired man responded back.
The more muscular, black-haired man grinned. "Judai-aniki!" He waved a hand eagerly while walking in. "Long time no see!"
"K-Kenzan, too?!" Papa seemed frozen for only a moment before grinning back. "Yo! It's been a while!"
"A while? Talk about years!" Despite the loud voices, the two ninja seemed happy, running over to tackle Papa in their own hugs. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to send Papa sprawling on the floor, but it was a lot nonetheless. "Where have you been, Aniki? We've missed you!" Kenzan-san seemed to crow.
Mama seemed to not be mind the whole 'reunion' judging by her quiet smile before heading back into the kitchen with her teapot. Tea refills, I guess.
"Sheesh, Aniki, you worried us by going off by yourself!" Sho-san added, hugging Papa a bit tighter. "When we heard that you retired, we wanted to help you! Why didn't you reach out to us?!"
"…Sorry, guys," Papa said quietly, reaching over to lightly pat Sho-san's light blue hair. "But I needed to do things on my own. And I'm okay now."
"Really?" Kenzan-san seemed to take on a frown as his voice dropped its cheerfulness for a deadpan that rivaled Kakashi for a second. Then, he moved off Papa to cross his arms, shaking his head in exasperation. "Aniki, you kinda disappeared. So hearing that is a bit hard to believe—" And then Kenzan-san met my eyes.
"…Um… hello?" I said slowly, raising a hand from the piano keys. Hayate waved happily at my side, probably having enough cheerfulness for the both of us.
Sho-san got up only to look in my direction too, and his jaw dropped.
"…Now I see why you say 'you're okay' now, Aniki." Kenzan said slowly.
Papa just looked at me before smiling. "Yep," was all he said in response.
My heart beat hard in my chest.
"Aaaaaaaaaanyways," Wataru-jichan interrupted, raising a hand while still teetering between sitting and standing via leaning on the chair behind him (and Miyako-bachan, who seemed to have the most resigned expression EVER while supporting him). "What did you two come here for? We were…" he motioned to everyone around him, pointing at me at the end. "We were kinda in the middle of a concert-thing, with all the emotion stuff."
"…Oops," Sho-san finished.
"Oh, that reminds me!" Kenzan-san bopped his fist on his hand. "We actually came to talk to you, Wataru-senpai!"
Mr. Gekkō seemed more perplexed than anything, lurching backwards and into Miyako-bachan's arms. "Me?" he said incredulously. "Why me?"
"Uhhhhh…." Kenzan-san paused, immediately looping an arm around Sho-san's shorter shoulders. With a fast, "Just a second!", he turned the shorter man around so that their backs were facing us instead. What commenced was a series of rapid-fire whispering, making the two men appear to be in their own world.
All I could make out from my position at the stage (which, mind you, was kinda far away from their positions in the sitting area) was the following:
"What are we supposed to do?!"
"I don't know, I didn't even know Aniki got married or had a daughter!"
"We can't just blurt this out when they're all here!"
Oh dear.
Kakashi let out a deep sigh. The sound made it obvious that he was rolling his eyes.
Kei facepalmed.
Yatsu-san and Inuzuka-san just shrugged simultaneously.
And then the two newcomers turned around with sheepish smiles. "…Um…Wataru-san, Miyako-san, Aniki, and uh…all the other adults here," Kenzan-san threw his hands in the air while sweating, his face crossed between panicked frustration and polite exasperation. "Could you all come outside the cafe for a moment? We kinda have a huge announcement?"
"…Wonderful," Yatsu-san deadpanned.
"Lovely idea, indeed," Miyako-bachan added dryly, when her tone clearly said otherwise.
"…Should I come too?" Sakumo-jichan interrupted with a shaky hand raised.
Sho-san and Kenzan-san turned to look at the White Fang, and I didn't miss how their eyes softened with clear sympathy. "…If you want to, Sakumo-senpai," Kenzan-san said finally after a pause. Even with the tension, I couldn't help the small internal sigh of relief at how he wasn't adding to the situation with any open discrimination. Whew. "It is pretty dark news though, and…well, after everything you've seen, I don't know if it's the best…"
Kakashi glanced at Sakumo-jichan with clearly worried eyes. "Dad…?"
The White Fang finally looked up at his son, and I didn't miss the semblance of strength in those weary silver eyes when meeting my friend's gaze. "It's okay, Kakashi."
For some reason, my heart didn't believe those words one bit. And yet I found myself frozen as Sakumo-jichan stood up from his chair, his shoulders straighter than I had ever seen him in a while. "Let's go then, Sho-kun, Kenzan-kun. Explain away."
Sho-san and Kenzan-san shared a glance before sighing. "Alright then," Sho started, tilting the bridge of his glasses up so that they wouldn't droop down his nose. "Sakumo-san, Aniki, and everybody except the kids," —And I was sure he glanced in my direction, glasses glinting in the sunlight— "Head outside. We have a lot to talk about."
And the adults all filed out of the cafe pretty quickly. At least, before Mama stopped by all the mentioned 'kids' with warm mugs of hot chocolate. She gave me mine last, winking before heading out and closing the large red doors behind her.
Another pause graced us in the wake of everyone else leaving.
"So," Kei started quietly, glancing at her own mug. "What should we do now?"
I took an experimental sip of mine, only to wince at the heat of the drink burning my tongue. Yeowch. "Well," I said, attempting to cover my mess-up. "I could play another song just for our group while waiting?"
"Or we could continue the Ten Million Ryo, But game!" Hayate cheered, fist pumping with one hand while holding his cup with the other.
Kakashi shrugged.
I blinked before blowing at my hot chocolate this time. "Okay then, Hayate," I started, smiling. "How about you start us off? Ten Million Ryo, But."
If I ever get back to Vy's world with Kei, I'm going to RoosterTeeth to tell them 'thank you' for creating the original Million Dollars, But game. It was hilarious how we had started a Japanese, kid-friendly version. And it was all thanks to their English, adult version.
"Ten Million Ryo!" Hayate cheered, raising his cup like it was a toast or something. "Buuuuut, no candy for the rest of your life!" Even if it was a simple statement, the boy looked proud of himself for saying it, giving a challenging glance towards the others in the room, myself included.
"Okay," Kakashi said immediately.
Hayate and Kei's jaws dropped simultaneously as they glanced in the masked ninja's direction. Kakashi wasn't even fazed, his cup magically half-empty afterwards.
"…And yet you're chugging that hot chocolate like it's nothing, friend," I said dryly, looking in Kakashi's direction.
"…" He stayed silent. Whatever he was thinking, I had no idea. I probably didn't want to know either.
Maybe something like, Does it hurt to use words that big?
…Naaaah.
Kei in the meantime frowned, gripping her mug of hot chocolate a bit tighter. "I have a distinguished palate."
Huh. So that's another no.
"…Oooooookay," I started, taking a small sip of my hot chocolate again. "So I know I'm not taking that. Kei and Hayate aren't either. Is Kakashi the only taker? It's ten million ryo in exchange for no candy for the rest of your life."
Kakashi simply nodded while the rest of his hot chocolate disappeared from his mug.
This guy must really hate sweets.
Hayate was still gaping before jumping up from his seat next to me to run over to Kei, leaving his hot chocolate behind on the piano bench to hug her. "…How can someone not like candy?" was his mutter.
"There, there, Haa-chan," Kei said, using her free hand to pat his head. "There, there."
Kakashi scoffed. I tried not to sweatdrop.
"Anyways," I interrupted quietly, raising a hand. "I guess I'll go next then?"
Hayate immediately perked up. I found myself giggling from the sight alone, because it was obvious that the spark of excitement was rekindled in the boy. "Okay then," I tried not to hum and keep a serious face. "Ten million ryo, buuuut for the rest of your life, whenever you sneeze, you teleport to some random place around the world."
Another long pause followed.
…Hey, I couldn't think of anything else! And it was a good joke in the original show!
"No," Kakashi said flatly. "That would be way too inconvenient."
"So, wait," Kei interrupted. "Would we have any control over where we go? Or is it completely random?"
"It's completely random," I finished.
She blanched as soon as Hayate started cheering. If I didn't know any better, it was as if the boy was experiencing an early birthday.
"I think I'll take it!" Hayate beamed shortly afterwards.
"What?" Kei's jaw could've hit the floor from those words alone. And with her white face, she was doing a very good impression of a frozen mime. Not that I could blame her, since I knew I wouldn't take that offer either. "Haa-chan, you'll be going everywhere! How would you come home?"
"You'll find me, Sis! You always do!" He said innocently, still grinning.
Oh dear. That's…I don't know.
"Welp, I'm not taking that," I interrupted dryly via raising my mug of cocoa. "Moving on to the next person?"
"Please do, Tomoko-chan," Kei deadpanned. "Because I know I'm not taking that either."
"Oooookay," I settled for finally, scratching my cheek sheepishly. So that's ten million ryo in Hayate's case this time…kinda bad idea. Considering his canon self, random destinations seem to be the least of Kei's worries. "So who's next?"
"Me," Kakashi said tonelessly. "So anything can apply?"
"Anything can apply…" I found myself trailing off while glancing in his direction. "Just nothing 18+ and over, Kakashi."
"…Who do you think I am and why would I suggest something like that?" he replied, raising an eyebrow in my direction.
I raised a hand to count off fingers. "Well, you're a Chunin, you seem to act superior to everyone else in the room, you don't really like being in the presence of other people your age aside from me at this point, and…hm," I tried not to roll my eyes in exchange for a small smile. "You do seem to have your nose in a book or on a kunai more than on others in social interactions."
"…Haha, very funny," he said. "I'm thrilled to hear your opinion of me."
"To be fair, Kakashi, it's more of a statement than an opinion." I replied, quietly sipping my hot cocoa while doing so.
"You get my point," he sniped back while putting his empty mug to the side. "So, are we doing this game or not?"
I hid another giggle into my mug of cocoa. "Go ahead, friend, go ahead." I didn't miss how Kei and Hayate were giggling too.
Kakashi sighed. "Hm. Ten million ryo, but." And apparently he found the need to pause for dramatic effect. And he said I was a kid. "For the rest of your life, you have to wear a mask."
Another pause followed.
"Doesn't that mean you're off the hook?" Kei deadpanned.
Kakashi shrugged. "I'll take it."
Of course you would. Troll.
Hayate raised a hand while running back to me to grab his hot chocolate. "So wait, Kakashi-nii, can we take off the mask for eating food or brushing our teeth or something? Or do we have to wear it forever?"
Kakashi shrugged again. I found myself blanching with a sigh as Hayate squeaked. "Kakashi, be more specific," was what left me as I pulled Hayate close for a side-hug. "Please?"
He sighed for what might've been the millionth time.
This kind of game continued for a while. We each took turns at posing different scenarios, and to be honest, I kinda lost track of time. The adults were out there for so long, it was easy to lose track of it. The hot chocolate slowly disappeared with each scenario, and by the time it was Kei's turn for the third round, we were all a bit out of it.
Heck, Hayate was leaning against me on the piano bench, clearly half-asleep, when his sister sighed. "Okay, ten million ryo is a lotta money." Kei raised a finger in the air while rolling her eyes. "But there's a—"
And then the cafe doors opened.
Specifically, creaked open.
"…Finally," Kakashi muttered. "A break."
On the other hand, I was wondering what happened. Strangely, no one really tried to walk through the doors, and instead, I heard Sakumo-jichan's voice float through the main crack in the entrance. "…Kakashi? Kakashi, could you come out here?"
The Chunin blinked, glanced at me, and I shrugged in response.
What else was I supposed to do or say? I couldn't see the adults from the stage's vantage point, and it seemed to be a private thing.
Kakashi exhaled slowly before jumping off his chair. He then lightly dropped off his empty mug in the sink at the bar area before heading outside and past those same creaking doors.
Those doors ended up closing with a quiet and foreboding Click behind him.
I gulped before glancing at Kei. She returned my gaze with somewhat freaked eyes as well, caught between shrugging and shaking her head.
"Wish I knew what was going on," she said shortly, keeping her voice to a minimum for the sake of not waking Hayate, who had finally given into taking a nap against my shoulder. "Everyone's chakra outside is really chaotic right now. Like…like…" Kei trailed off.
And I was sure the same light bulbs went off in our heads with a flash.
"…The Third Shinobi World War…" I breathed.
Hayate innocently kept snoring away against my shoulder.
"…Fuck," Kei said simply. "We knew this was coming, but that doesn't make it—"
"That doesn't make it any less scary when we're living in it." I finished slowly.
And then the doors opened again, with the adults all slowly filing back into the cafe. Judging by their dark faces, it said more than enough. Papa was even frowning, which was telling enough as is.
I tried not to stand up like my first instinct told me to for the sake of letting Hayate nap and instead turned to glance in his direction. "…Papa?"
He looked up at me, brown eyes wide with surprise, before they morphed into something… solemn. Quiet. Papa was usually this cheerful person, so when he was looking like this… this… haunted shell of a person, I knew I didn't like it.
"Hi, Tomoko-chan," he said quietly. I didn't miss how Mama was silently standing beside him, laying a hand on his arm. "Sorry about the concert interruption. You can start again…if you want."
I glanced over at the other adults.
Sakumo-jichan was tense again, but judging by the tight grip on his right hand from Kakashi, he seemed to be alright. Yatsu-san and Inuzuka-san were actively supporting one another, hugging each other quietly before taking seats together. Wataru-jichan, on the other hand, was almost wobbly from my angle, leaning on Miyako-bachan who had intertwined her fingers with his.
Everyone had someone, but that didn't mean the quiet tension had gone away.
Sho-san and Kenzan-san were already gone, probably because their message was already delivered.
Hayate was still snoring away.
I glanced at Kei again. She just motioned with her fingers, miming…piano playing?
…Oh. Right. I didn't finish.
And in this time, we needed a bit of sprinkled light. Especially since Mama, literally light's namesake with her name Hikari, was down too.
I turned back to the keys, took a breath, and pressed the first chords, humming the lyrics.
Light
A song like a dream
Wets your cheek.
The soft sky,
Going into the distance,
With just one little heart,
With still trembling wings.
The quiet tension was starting to ebb away. Nearby, I could feel Hayate shift with a soft groan.
With a stronger smile, I kept playing.
To tomorrow,
To a nostalgic yesterday,
A small promise bound by our fingers
Will be fulfilled
To the end of time.
The day I get to see you, my heart
Is full of nothing but that wish
Until a distant future.
Because even if I end up nowhere,
Within the light that illuminates all,
I'll always be by your side.
The atmosphere seemed to be getting warmer with each piano key. Even if my eyes were closed to focus on the music alone, I couldn't miss my heart growing warmer along with each note.
It was as if I just had a full gallon of Mama's hot chocolate.
It quickly made sense as to why I felt that way since we were getting close to the climax.
All too fleeting,
A world that seems like it'll disappear.
But just knowing you're here
Makes me want to protect it.
I close my eyes in silent prayer
And soon it reaches the final
Peace, so
The morning brightens.
It was time for the finale. I kept playing.
Light,
A song like a dream,
Illuminates you...
The last note faded into the winter air, and I opened my eyes to look around and nearly jumped at the sound of applause.
Quiet yet telling applause.
Huh?
No matter where I looked, no one was standing still. Either they were standing tall with smiles on their faces, examples being Kei and Hayate (who had chosen the time to wake up and hug me from the side after his initial bout of clapping); or were sitting down, their eyes saying more than their actions.
Examples of the latter were Mama, Yatsu-san, Inuzuka-san, and…
Sakumo-jichan.
He wasn't smiling initially. If anything, it looked like he was on the verge of tears again. But Kakashi was still sitting next to him, actually leaning in so that his head would rest on his father's shoulder, and it seemed to say enough.
'But time will mend our hearts,' huh?
I just put on my best smile and nodded in everyone's directions before making eye contact with Papa.
His brown eyes were swirling with some emotion I couldn't recognize, but the most I could make out was a simple phrase.
Thank you.
Before putting the piano cover back down, I glanced at Kei again. She didn't need to say anything, her determination showing enough in her black eyes.
We had a lot of work to do.
Especially if we wanted a better future.
Author's Note: Yep. Lots of Sakumo focus. One of the things that really pissed me off when it comes to canon Naruto was how little was explored on Sakumo's end. How much did the village really hate him? Shouldn't he have had friends to help out? So it was that rage in mind that I was able to do all this.
Once again, a warm thanks to Lang since she read through a lot of the early drafts of this when I was just wondering what in all heck I was doing. Especially since I need to get out Chapter 43 of Civilian Pianist ASAP.
Oh, and pairings? That's spoiler-filled territory. Can't divulge anything yet. Just wait 'till it happens. Right now, our main heroines are still eight years old. A little too early to think about romance. :)
Nonetheless, this is "T," aka Writer-and-Artist27 signing out to work on Chapter 43 of CP - aka Kannabi! Hope to see you there!