A/N: sorry for the late update! *looks sheepish* Here's the part Two of Tenten/Jirou's Past! I hope you like it!

Thanks for all your favorites, follows and reviews! I can't believe we're about to reach 1k+ follows! I have a proposition for you all, if we get 1k+ follows, I will update an OMAKE containing a Chieko/Shikaku Fluffy moment featuring an oblivious Chieko, totally-in-love Shikaku, (with evilly cackling Jirou in the background with Takashi glaring murderously at Shikaku.)

A humble thanks to every guest reader who reviewed on my story. Thanks everyone!

Hope you like this chapter too!

WARNING: Dark themes, mentions of rape and suicide, PTSD, read at your own cost!

When Riko and her son went on their weekly errands to the Village some months later, they found he villagers rejoicing. Why? Because apparently, the First Shinobi War was finally over.

Well, now he knows in which time he has ended up.

Honestly, he had been worrying about it for some time, because seriously, when you grow up in a secluded forest -with no means of communication with the outside world- you tend to get anxious.

(Especially, if you are a reincarnated soul who used a shitty seal to travel back in past and have no idea which time frame you've ended up in. Seriously this whole situation sucks.)

Now the only thing he has to do is to somehow convince his mother to take him back to Konoha -which apparently is even harder than making Naruto quit ramen.

For all her love of Konoha the woman just won't leave her secluded little hut.

"Jirou." His mother's soft voice snapped him out of his trance. He looked up curiously at his mother as she knelt down next to him and stared at him as he made doodles in mud –what looked doodles to her were actually some Fuinjutsu formulas he had been revising over some time now. He didn't want to lose the knowledge he had gained in his previous life through sweat, blood and tears. The woman looked exasperated as she once again found her son playing in mud. "Why don't you play with toys like a normal child?"

Jirou blinked. "don' hav any." He mumbled in his childish tone as he snapped his attention back to the fuinjutsu formulas, and missed the pained look on his mother's face that had passed for a second.

"Oh…" She said. "I-" She hesitated as she stared at her child, her eyes shone with guilt. "I didn't know…"

Jirou sent a blinding smile towards his mother. "'s alri't! I hav' Kaa-chan! Don' wan' any toys!" Jirou exclaimed with an enthusiasm that only a child could muster.

He didn't know then, but his words seem to have pierced through his mother's heart.

"Here…" Riko mumbled as she placed a plushie in Jirou's hands. Jirou blinked and stared at the bird plushie in his hands and squeezed it. He almost squealed at how soft it was. It was clearly handmade –he could definitely pinpoint the various places where the sewing has been messed up- but he officially did not give a fuck. His mother gave him a gift. A gift!

The woman who once upon a time wouldn't even glance at him has given him a gift out of the goodness of her heart!

(She was so happy! So, soooooooooooooo happy!)

How much money has she wasted on the materials to knit this plush toy for him? the fabric looks like an expensive brand of cotton, and the softness that remained even after being squeezed is definitely some high quality fiber. The woman must've overworked for weeks to get the money to buy all the items to create this masterpiece. All this effort…. For him?

Jirou stared at his mother, his eyes filled with unshed tears. "Kaa-chan?" he asked hesitantly, as if she will snatch the plushie away from him in the next moment. She didn't.

Instead, she smiled at him. Her first true smile. It was small, yet filled with so much warmth that Jirou felt like he will burst open with happiness. His heart thundered in his chest, as if it will burst out of his chest any second.

"Happy Birthday, Jirou." She muttered softly.

Oh. Oh. He forgot. He turned One today.

He clutched the bird plushie tighter in his arms, and let his head squish in the fluffy toy. "Thank you…." His voice sounded muffled, because of the toy he had been hiding his face in.

She held her hand towards him, but hesitated at the last moment. Her eyes shone the turmoil she was feeling in her soul, but then she took a shaky breath as she placed a trembling hand over his raven rocks. His head snapped up at her, and he watched, flabbergasted, as she shot him a wobbly smile –though he could see clearly that she was a moment away from fleeing away from him, and was restraining herself to the best of her ability. "What-" She took a deep breath, and asked, "What are you going to name it?"

A simple question, really. Any child his age would answer something utterly cute and ridiculous.

But of course, Jirou was not just any child.

His eyes, once again, fell on the bird plushie in his hands –a dove to be specific. The black, beady eyes bore into hers and contrasted perfectly with it's pure white body. For some reason, the bird reminded him of the Hyuuga genius who often referred to himself as a 'Caged Bird' during his moods.

"Neji…" he whispered softly, and his hold on the bird plushie tightened.

The woman stared at him for a while, and then retracted her hands. She mumbled softly, "Then take good care of Neji-kun, okay?"

The unshed tears finally spilled from his cheeks as he choked out a-

"Hai!"

Jirou wasn't a stranger to nightmares. In his previous life as Tenten, he had to deal with them every single time she fell asleep during the War. So in all honesty, he must admit it is quite embarrassing to react so much because of some stupid nightmare –which he had dealt with for years in his previous life and didn't even flinch in his sleep –and now the same nightmares make him piss his pants and cry out like some sissy. Che, how the mighty have fallen.

Of course, to retain his dignity, he blamed it on his toddler's instincts.

Ever since he was reborn in this time as Jirou, he hadn't had experienced much nightmares, but when he did, it would shake him through his very core. Seeing Madara's deranged laughter, bloodstained battlefield, his friend's dull and lifeless eyes as their bodies are lit on fire…. They always managed to make him cry out in desperation.

So, of course, it wasn't so surprising when he once again woke up in the middle of night, screaming bloody murder as if he had just had his whole world ripped apart –which, it did.

.

.

.

The blood…. The gore….. it was too much….

Lee-! Oh god! Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

NonononononononONONONONOOOOOOOOOO!

"Lee!" She choked out somehow as she cradled Lee's lifeless head in her arms and bit her lips to stop herself from sobbing out loud. She is a shinobi. She should have better restrain than that.

"I'm sorry," Shizune mumbled in an emotionless tone, though her black eyes churned with emotions- pain, agony and guilt (How many times has she had to steel her heart to prioritize on the patients who could live –and letting the others die even if she knew she could save them if she tried a bit harder? How many times people died while she was still operating on them? How many times she had arrived somewhere, only to find that she was late and the person she was supposed to heal has already kicked bucket? A medic carries a lot of guilt during the war –even more than a soldier- more so because they know people count on them to keep them alive, and they still have to let some of them die to save many) "I didn't reach him in time." Shizune said, "By the time I reached the Border Patrol camp, he was already dead."

Tenten swept the few bangs of his weird bowl hair-cut aside, only to find herself staring at him larger than normal bushy eyebrows. "I'm sure he had died raising hell." Tenten muttered softly as she grasped Lee's cold hand into her warm ones, letting her warmth seep into the corpse.

Shizune replied, "Yes, he did."

Tenten tightened her hold on the cold, lifeless hand and then placed it over her cheek. "I'm sorry…" She whispered gently, "I never gave you my answer, did I?" She chuckled mirthlessly, the sound only seemed even more melancholic, coming from her throat, "I love you too," She mumbled, "But not the way you wanted me to."

She closed her eyes and let a lone tear escape her eyes. "I'm so so sorry…"

.

.

.

He woke up, gasping for air, his body bathed in cold sweat and tears streaming down his eyes. His cheeks were flushed red, and his breathing was erratic, and on top of that he had a killer headache, threatening to split his head open.

But what was surprising was the warm embrace that he was engulfed in as soon as he regained consciousness. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, and then stared up at his mother in bemusement as she mumbled soothing words under her breath, and patted his head soothingly.

She patted his raven locks back and pursued her lips. Her voice was soft as she spoke. "You have a fever, Jirou-kun." Her eyes took in his sorrowful expression, and they softened, "the fever must've induced some nightmares."

"Kaa-chan…." Jirou mumbled, tears spilling on his cheeks. His mother gently wiped his tears away, and gave him a tentative smile –yes people, twitching of the corner of lips is counted as a smile!- and then kissed his forehead.

"It's okay, Jirou-kun… I'm right here…." She cooed at him gently and laid him back on the bed. She shifted up the blankets and sat next to him on the bed as she sung him a lullaby. Her voice was not so great, but it still made Jirou feel as if he were safe and protected in his mother's arms. "I will always be by your side."

"Promise?" Jirou mumbled sleepily as he felt sleep taking hold of him.

The older woman hesitated, but when the younger child of a year and half grabbed her hand –which was bigger than his child sized one- she clutched his hand in a gentle –but tight hold.

Now to think of it, she never actually promised him that, did she…..?

Slowly, but surely, his mother was getting better. She would often ruffle his raven locks, smile timidly when he did something that pleases her, sing him lullabies before sleep, played with him sometimes when she thought he was lonely. She would often make new dishes and make him try them out –she was an average cook, her cooking was nothing too special, but for Jirou it might be even better than food of Gods. She would tell him stories of the First and Second Hokage's grandeur, teach him how to read and write Kanji –of course he didn't tell her he already knew how to do that. He isn't an idiot, you know, unlike some orange jumpsuit wearing menaces. She would soothe him when he's hurt –or having a nightmare, she would sew his clothes up when they're torn –they were poor enough that they couldn't afford new clothes, so they had to reuse old ones, until they aren't even usable anymore. Above all, she taught him how to be kind to others.

In short, she was healing. And Jirou was really glad for that.

(She finally got a mother…. A mother who loved her child as much as her child loved her too. Her dream to have a family finally came true…..)

Until one day, everything fell apart.

It all started quite innocently enough. It was one of those rare days when his mother took him with her to the nearby market. While she shopped for groceries, she left Jirou in the park where he played with other village children.

"Your brother is very cute." A woman said to Riko as she watched the adorable raven haired child laugh joyously as he chased after a random kid in a game of tag.

Riko froze and replied back in a voice devoid of any emotions. "He is not my brother. He is my son."

The woman was startled. "A-Ah, my apologies!" She hastily exclaimed, and subtly –which wasn't as subtle in reality as the woman thought- eyed the younger girl. "But in my defense, you don't look old enough to have a child."

Riko clenched her fist so hard that her nails dig into her palm, drawing blood. "Forgive me for being rude," She said coolly, "but it's none of your business."

"a-Ah, of course." The other woman nodded. There was a short pause and then the woman sighed dreamily and said, "But I must say, your child is really cute. He must've gotten his looks from his father." She mused, not noticing the slight tremble that shook Riko's form. "Your husband must be a looker."

Riko gritted herteeth and marched towards the park, and grabbed Jirou's arm. Jirou looked at her, startled. "Kaa-chan….?" He mumbled, eying how his mother was one step away from a full blown panic attack –what with her wide eyes churned with emotions, how her body trembled slightly (nothing a civilian would notice, but Jirou isn't exactly a civilian now, is he?) and her grip was actually hurting him.

"Jirou-kun." She choked out somehow, her throat suddenly felt dry. "We're leaving."

"But-"

Riko didn't hear any protests as she dragged away her son, unaware of the eyes of the other woman following them until they were out of sight.

After that, it only got worse. His mother withdrew from him. She would often zone out and stare at nothing and everything at the same time dully. Her smiles weren't warm anymore. They were tight and frigid. And she wasn't even sleeping well –what with the dark bags under her eyes and the tired sigh she would squeak out every once in a while. Jirou was worried. At this rate, his mother would drive herself crazy with stress.

And then there were the villagers ever since their last visit to the village, there had been some rumors floating around the village about his mother. Some said that his mother was forced into marriage, some said she ran away with her lover and had a child. Some said she had a child out of wedlock. The more darker ones were about how she murdered her own husband in cold blood.

Jirou hated how people were so quick to judge anyone. Who gave them the right to judge anyone? Who gave them the right to gossip about someone's lives? Don't they have anything better to do? Why can't they just carry on with their lives and not make a spectacle of someone else's misery?

He tried. He really did. But in the end, it seemed as if she was slipping farther and farther away from his grasp. In the end, before he knew it, he was all alone. Again…

"Kaa-chan?" jiru questioned as his mother placed him gently on the cart, next to their luggage, and then sat next to him. "Where are we going?"

Riko gave him a smile, which he definitely knew was fake. "You said you wanted to see Konoha, right? I'm taking you there."

"Why?" He questioned.

Her smile faltered and she looked away. In the two years Jirou had come to know his mother, he knew she had never lied to him. She might not have told him everything, but she never lied. If there was anything she was, it was honest.

So, really, how could he have known that she was lying to him for the first and the last time ever?

(How could she have known she will ever see her again? How?)

"We are going on a vacation." His mother replied, but she never looked him in the eyes.

The tall trees….. the warm sun… the gentle breeze….. the hustle and bustle of Konoha's market….. the looming Hokage mountain, with the faces of previous Hokages carved on it, as if they were watching over the village like Guardian deities… Oh how much has he missed Konoha!It has been over a decade since he has seen his Village so full of life…..

'I'm home…' he mused as he stared at the crowded market with a nostalgic look in his eyes, with the random shinobi mingling with the civilians.

"Amazing, isn't it?" His mother mumbled, and he could only nod earnestly.

"Come on," she tugged his hand "I will show you around."

Jirou's eyes sparkled as he stared at his mother. "Really?"

Her eyes softened, and she kissed him on the forehead. Jirou stared at her, wide eyed. This is the first time his mother had ever been so affectionate to him! Sure, she might have given him hugs and pats on the head, but those were always rare. His mother was always hesitant on skin to skin contact. But now, she is the one who initiated the contact!

Jirou hmmed as he relished the feel of his mother's warm lips over his forehead. He was like a needy child starved of affection.

"Really." His mother replied.

"Did you have fun?" Riko asked her child as soon they retired for the night in a room in some cheap hotel.

"Uh-huh!" Jirou exclaimed eagerly as he giggled and clutched Neji-kun (the dove plushie) tighter his arms. For the first time in his life, he didn't need to act like a child, coz he was feeling so happy that his inner child was squealing with delight and almost bursting from his cool facade. "Neji had fun too!" she then stared into the beady eyes of his plushie and asked "Right, Neji?"

His mother chuckled and ruffled his hair. "I'm glad…." She mumbled dazedly, her voice sounding distant, as if she was thinking of something.

Jirou stared at his mother, an unsettling feeling creeping in his heart. What the…..?

"Kaa-chan?" He asked and tugged her arm to get her out of her trance. She immediately blinked, and stared down at him.

"Ah, I was in a daze again, wasn't I?" She sighed and then shook her head. "I've something for you, Jirou-kun."

Jirou blinked. For him?

The older woman rummaged through the shopping bags, and pulled out a small brown paper bag. "Here." She said as she gave it to him.

He raised a brow as he opened the paper bag, and froze when he inhaled the mouthwatering scent of dango filling his nostrils. He looked up at his mother, wide eyed. He hasn't had dango ever since he was born. His mother was poor, and even with how much harder she worked, she never made enough money that they could enjoy even small luxuries. How much has his mother being saving just to bring him for this vacation? She must've had been saving every ryo in these two years for just this very day!

"Can I really eat this?" he asked hesitantly.

She just smiled at him. "Of course."

He hesitantly grabbed a dango stick, and took a bite. Instantly, the sweet flavor exploded in his mouth, making him moan.

"that good, huh?" His mother mumbled softly as she gently made him sit in her lap. He nodded eagerly and shoved a stick towards her.

"You twy it too, Kaa-chan!" he exclaimed.

She just shook her head. "I don't like sweets much, Jirou-kun." He just shrugged and kept eating his dango.

Riko let her hand run through his raven locks as he ate. "You know Jirou-kun," she mumbled softly, "I'm really glad I chose to live that day…" she whispered, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have had you….."

"thank you for being my son, Jirou-kun.."

Jirou turned to stare at his mother. Why is she saying such things? Why now? Not that he isn't glad that she is telling him how she feels about him, but something just doesn't feel right…..

"Kaa-chan, wha-"

He flinched as he felt splitting headache in his head, and his vision blurred. His limbs suddenly felt heavy, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand what was going on!

He mentally noted his symptoms-dizziness, blurred vision, no control on his limbs….. it seems like he has come in contact with some paralytic drug. But when…..?

The dango. Shit.

"Why…..?" He whispered, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"I'm sorry…." She choked out as tears spilled from her eyes. "I'm not strong enough…. I tried…. I really did….." She gasped, "But in the end, the hatred I have for myself won over the love I have for you." she sobbed as she kissed his son over the forehead. "I love you….. I love you so much Jirou-kun… But I can never forget what that man did to me… I am tainted, Jirou-kun. And I'm afraid I will taint you too…" she clutched him tighter in her arms. "I don't want you to live in misery like me…. I don't want you to be despaired, taking care of a broken mother who can never be the mother you want. I don't want you to turn out like me….."

He tried to stay awake, he really did. But his body wasn't accustomed to flushing out any toxic substances from his body. Soon, his vision swam, and he let tehd arkness engulf him in a warm embrace.

Even when he was unconscious, he swore he heard his mother's last words to him.

"Please. One day, if you can, then please forgive me, Jirou-kun."

(She regretted she couldn't even tell her her answer. She never told her how much her child loved her. How much she was grateful that she took care of her reborn self. How much she was glad to have Riko Kageyama as her mother.

She never told him she forgave her.)

The next day, the Matron of Konoha Orphanage was surprised to find a two year old child lying outside her Orphanage's doorsteps in a slumber, clutching a bird plushie in his hands.

(That very morning, the Konoha Military police found a body of a female in the Naka river. After some investigation, it was concluded that the woman had committed suicide by jumping off a high cliff over the Naka River.

No one noticed a raven haired boy weeping quietly, clutching a bird plushie in his arms, mourning the death of a mother who loved him so much that she even died for him.)

A/N: Reviews? Anyone?