A/N: Hi there, my dear readers! I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter of 'Rewind'. I'm sorry I didn't reply to your reviews, but I can tell you this: some of you guessed the identity of the person Sasuke met right ;). Anyway, this chapter is an extra I was planning to write ever since I first conceived the idea of 'Rewind'. It takes place during Mio's last week in the orphanage and the protagonist is... Tsumugi Kotobuki. I felt like giving a backstory to Mugi because she is one of my favourite members of HTT and because I came up with an idea it was hard for me to ignore. You'll see what I mean xD. I hope you like it :).
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't own K-ON.
Sawako stood just outside her office, playing nervously with her hands. Her forehead was slightly sweaty and occasionally she would leave some heavy sighs. When she saw her, she knew it was time to do what she should have done a long time ago.
"Mugi, can I talk to you for a second?"
The girl blinked. Sawako had been acting strange the whole day. At first, Mugi thought it was because of Mio's upcoming leaving, but soon she figured out there was something else that bothered Sawako.
"Of course, Sawa-chan" responded Mugi with a smile.
The older woman guided her to her office and offered her a seat.
"Mugi, I…" started Sawako, but found herself unable to continue.
Mugi simply looked at her, wondering what Sawako wanted to tell her.
Sawako took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"As you know, Mugi, all the new developments with Mio have affected us at a high degree and in more than one ways" said the woman, not entirely pleased by her introduction.
"Oh, I understand. The fact that Mio is leaving the orphanage is quite sad for us. Of course we are happy that Mio has found her father and has a chance to change her life, but at the same time we don't want to lose her. We love her dearly and that's why we are planning—" said Mugi before Sawako cut her off.
"I know, but that was not my point. I mean, the fact that Mio has found about her roots and family reminded me of my own duty to tell you about your family" confessed Sawako.
Mugi stared at her.
"Wh-why me? Why not Yui or Ritsu?" she asked, baffled.
"I'll explain later… But for now, I have to ask you something. Do you remember your mother?" asked Sawako, saddened.
Mugi's expression changed. She bit her lip as an attempt to fight back the tears forming in her eyes.
"How could I ever forget her? She was so beautiful. She had long blond hair and sky blue eyes. She was simply stunning. My father was so proud to have her as his wife. As a child, I wished I turned out to be as beautiful as she was when I grew up" said Mugi melancholically.
Sawako looked down without saying a word.
"Do you remember her name?"
Mugi nodded.
"Ino. Ino Kotobuki."
"Have you ever heard anything about her? About her life before she married Mr. Kotobuki?" Sawako asked again.
Mugi gave her a worried look.
"Is there something I was supposed to know about my mother?" she asked.
"Precisely. Have you?" insisted Sawako.
The girl put on a serious expression.
"If there is something you have to tell me, I would be eager to listen to it" responded Mugi.
"Ino was born here in Kyoto. She was the oldest kid of her family. She had one more sister. She lived along with her family in a poor neighborhood of the city, since her family was experiencing some financial problems. Despite that, Ino was determined not to continue living in poverty and she was willing to do anything to change that. It was when she was eighteen when she met Kenji Kotobuki, nineteen years her senior. Kenji-san was quite wealthy and from a well-known family of Kyoto. He was charmed by her and she enjoyed that. She always bragged about Kenji-san treating her like a queen. I hate to say that, but she wasn't really in love with him. She was in love with his money and the bright future he could provide her. Kenji-san, on the other hand, was head over heels for her and, in contrast to his mother, he didn't mind at all that Ino came from a poor family. He soon asked her hand in marriage and Ino accepted immediately. After they got married, they went to Tokyo, where Ino studied psychology in Tokyo University. After she graduated, she worked as a psychologist for several years and the fact that she was the wife of Kenji Kotobuki helped her career a lot. She was living her dream. She had everything she ever wanted, but every rose has its thorns…" Sawako trailed off.
Mugi had been patiently listening to Sawako the whole time without saying a word. When the woman stopped, she encouraged her to go on.
"As I told you before, Ino did not love her husband. It wasn't long until she started having affairs with other men. Some of them were even patients of hers. When she was bored of someone, she simply switched to someone else. She knew that that would be her downfall, but she didn't seem to care. The last affair she had was with a man named Rock Lee. He was her patient, but soon they both became drawn to each other and thus their relationship began. Lee was not exceptionally handsome, but Ino seemed somehow infatuated with him. Their relationship went on for a year, until Ino got pregnant" said Sawako.
"And then, what happened?" asked Mugi, calmly.
"Ino became pregnant with you. She knew that you were Lee's and not her husband's, but she didn't want to jeopardize her stable life. Lee, too, did not want anything that had to do with the child Ino was carrying, so they broke up. Ino tricked Kenji into believing that you were his daughter, but his mother was suspicious of her. Kenji ignored his mother's doubts and for three years he lived under the false impression that Ino's child was his. But after a test his mother forced him to have, Ino's scheme was revealed. Kenji threw her out of their house and once again, Ino had nothing. Her status, her lifestyle, her family, all gone. It was then when…" Sawako started crying.
Mugi watched her as the tears left her big brown eyes and ran down her cheeks. The girl refused to let hers fall as well.
"Ino committed suicide. It was too much for her. Kenji was at a loss after Ino's death. He sent you to his mother, as he couldn't have you around anymore, mainly because you reminded him of Ino. Soon, he became alcoholic and one night, after drinking too much, he had a fatal car accident. Meanwhile, as you may remember, Kenji's mother brought you here. It was when I first started to work here and she left you at the orphanage claiming she was too old to take care of a child. She visited you from time to time and, some times, she even took you to her house. Eventually, she stopped, and you know the rest" Sawako concluded.
The blonde girl continued to stay calm, as she had been during Sawako's narration. The woman couldn't believe in her eyes. Mugi's reaction to what she had just told her was abnormal.
"Mugi…" she muttered, not knowing what to say.
"Sawako, what you told me… I… I already knew it" explained Mugi.
Sawako felt as if she was struck by lightning. Did that mean that she also knew about…
"When I was nine, the last time grandma—I mean Kenji-sama's mother—took me to her house, I found her diary. Out of curiosity, I opened it and I read it. It was a big shock to me to find out the secrets my family kept from me. I stood there for hours, staring at the pages, trying to accept that all I had just read were true. But grandma found me. She shouted at me and then slapped me. She told me I was just like my mother and that she didn't want to see me again. We spent the rest of the day not talking to each other and she returned me here the next day. It was the last time I saw her" confessed Mugi, saddened. "But how did you know?"
Sawako looked at Mugi straight to the eye for the first time after her narration.
"Mugi, do you know your mother's surname? Her family's surname?"
"No" she replied the girl, confused. "What does that have to do with what I asked you?"
"Her name was Ino Yamanaka" responded Sawako, her voice trembling as she spoke Ino's name.
Mugi's eyes widened.
"B-but that's also your surname…" she mused.
"Remember when I told you she had a younger sister?" asked the woman, her eyes meeting the ground again.
Realization struck Mugi.
"You…? You are my mother's sister?" she asked in a barely audible voice.
Sawako didn't say a word. Her expression was all Mugi needed to be convinced.
The girl stood up from her seat. Sawako feared the worst. Mio's reaction after meeting her father was not pleasant at all and she didn't want Mugi to hate her. But she was ready to face the reality. If Mugi felt hurt and betrayed it was all her fault. She knew she should have told her the truth earlier, but she had never found the courage to do so. Even if Mugi grew to despise her after that, she would accept it, but she would never stop loving her niece.
Mugi walked in front of Sawako, who was still sitting on her seat. The girl stared at her intensely. Sawako closed her eyes. All was up to Mugi now.
And suddenly, the woman felt two warm arms around her. Mugi's body was pressed against her own in an embrace. Sawako couldn't move.
"Aren't you mad at me?" asked Sawako on the verge of tears.
Mugi only hugged her harder.
"I always felt there was a connection between us. Back then, I couldn't explain it, but now…" Mugi trailed off. "Thank you for being by my side."
Sawako let all her tears fall. And so did Mugi.
.
.
.
They spent hours crying and talking about Ino. It was painful for both of them, but they agreed that they would overcome their pain together. They had each other now.
"Sawa-chan, I have to go now. I have a piano lesson with Ritsu" announced Mugi.
"Ritsu wants to learn how to play the piano?" asked Sawako surprised.
"Well, she wants to give Mio her own personal present before she leaves" said the girl, making her way to the door.
"Mugi" she heard the woman say and she turned around.
"Would you mind if the girls didn't find out about our relation?" asked Sawako, as if embarassed.
Mugi smiled at her.
"Not at all, aunt Sawako!"
A/N: Mio isn't the only one that has parents from Narutoverse! See what I did there? Ino (blond hair/blue eyes) + Rock Lee (big eyebrows) = Mugi! Not to mention Sawako and Ino sharing the same surname xD!
Loving every single one of you,
-UAP
