While you are reading this, I'm being mauled by a NejTen plot bunny. Unfortunately, you won't see it anytime soon due to the other 64 (yes, I counted) plot bunnies currently stored away and waiting to be put to use. Well, R&R please. (yeah, I know this chapter is short and it sucks, but it's just background.

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Ch.20: Memories from the Past

'Gotta go to the bathroom,' Naruto thought as he sleepily made his way through the mansion as the birds chirped in the gray sky above.

He finally reached his destination after multiple tries and multiple failures resulting in muttered curses. He quickly finished his business and groggily made his way towards the master bedroom when he collided into something.

"Ouch."

Naruto (now fully awake) shook his head and focused his gaze on the object in front of him. It was a wall.

'Dammit. I don't need this so early in the morning,' he thought as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. He opened his eyes and noticed something he missed before. "A photo?"

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned his head to the figure in the doorway. "Megumi? Were you awake too?"

"No, when you hit the wall, I was on the other side and I was wondering what the noise was."

"Oh, gomen," he said before returning his gaze to the photo on the wall.

The boy in the photo was surrounded by younger versions of Megumi, Temari, and Gaara. He peered closer and studied the boy in the middle. He had strange markings on his face and a mop of brown hair as he held a black hat in his hand as he smiled into the camera.

"Megumi, who's—"

"Kankuro, my cousin. He passed away."

"I'm sorry," he said as he looked at the picture. "Why do you have all that equipment around you?"

She smiled. "Because we were in a band. Before you ask any more questions, let's go downstairs and get something warm to drink. I'm freezing."

Naruto nodded and followed silently.

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Naruto looked up as he heard the clink of the ceramic cup on the table and watched as Megumi curled up on the sofa, nursing her cup of green tea. "So, you were in a band before FFG?"

She nodded. "Name was Desert Sand. We were pretty good and we would've made it big, but he died before we could get any further."

"How did he die? If you mind me asking."

"Plane crash. He was six years older than all of us, so he handled the legal stuff. He was coming back from a business meeting in South Korea when the pilot suddenly lost control and the plane crashed into the Pacific. It took five days to recover the remains."

Naruto watched his friend stare into her cup and take a breath before she continued. "I was still in middle school and my cousins were in Japan when it happened. The funeral was held in Tokyo. Everyone was crying, but the three of us were hit hardest. Temari looked up to him because he was her older brother and Gaara was starting to reconcile with his father with his help and he was the one to introduce me to music and gave me my first violin. Needless to say, after that, we were never the same again," she said solemnly as she stared out the window.

Naruto stirred his cup of cocoa, no longer hot. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, time eventually heals all wounds and the ones that don't heal don't matter once you're dead. So Naruto, tell me something about you. What about your family?"

Naruto flinched. "I don't have a family. I'm an orphan."

"Sorry," she apologized.

Naruto waved it off. "Don't worry. I'm okay with it now, seeing how I have a foster parent and all my friends."

Megumi blinked. "Foster parent? Who?"

"Kakashi-sensei."

If Megumi had any tea in her mouth, it would've coated his face, the couch, and the window behind them. "What?!"

Naruto chuckled. "Hard to believe, I know. It was something my old man said in my will. You see, he and my father were friends. After he died, it said I was to be placed under his care. I think I was four at the time. At first, I thought he was my real father and then, I found out…"

Flashback

"Oof!" Naruto said as he landed face-first in the sandbox as a smirking fifth-grader stood over him with his friends. Naruto pushed himself from the ground. "I'm telling, Mizuki!"

Mizuki scoffed. "Who are you gonna tell?"

"My daddy when he gets back from college!"

"He's not your dad, you runt."

"Yeah, he is!"

"You idiot, your real dad is dead. Kakashi is just stuck with you because he felt sorry for you."

"No, he didn't! Iruka said so!"

"Whatever runt," he said as he shoved Naruto back into the sand.

end flashback

"I just ignored what he said, but I kept wondering why Kakashi never looked like me. A few years later, I found the adoption certificate and the death certificate of my father along with a copy of his will. I still don't know all the details, just that I'm an orphan with a foster father and a rock star for a dad. I had trouble making friends when I first entered school, but then I met teme and them," he smiled.

He turned to the girl on the couch. "Remember the shuriken thing?" She nodded. "I never told teme the real reason I wanted to do that. I was getting picked on again and I was never bothered by it much before, but they called me a hopeless idiot and that I was disgraceful and trash and Kakashi was just as bad for taking me in, so I decided to prove myself. If I didn't run away from the shuriken, it'd prove to myself that I wasn't weak and worthless—that I was someone Kakashi could be proud of. After that, I stopped doubting myself and never looked back."

Megumi smiled. "Good for you, Naruto. Say, how'd your band form? I want to know how you got Kakashi in the band."

"Oh, well, we messed around with the instruments for years and we all knew how to play already, so we created a garage band. Kakashi found out and decided to give us tips. After a while, he joined in and since he knew people in the industry from when he was in his old band, they sent a representative and they liked us and the rest is history."

"Cool!" she smiled.

The muffled footsteps came from above and they looked up. "Hi guys."

"Damn, you're up early," Temari yawned.

"They are just bursting with morning—" Lee was cut off with a look from Sasuke. "They're just morning people," he finished weakly. Megumi and the girls started laughing.

"Are you kidding, Lee? Usually, she'd mauled anyone who woke her up before 7:30," chuckled Sakura.

"Although she wakes up early for no reason sometimes," said Hinata.

"Whatever, let's get breakfast; I'm starving," said Kiba as he stretched his arms.

"Kay," said Hinata and Megumi as they went into the kitchen, the tea and cocoa resting on the table, the picture of Kankuro hanging on the wall.

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"Bye guys!" yelled Naruto as he waved his arms enthusiastically.

Sakura and Tenten chuckled. "See you next year!" they replied back.

"Next year?"

"Dobe, we go back to school on the second."

"Shut up teme! I knew that!"

"Hn. We'll send a greeting card to you guys."

"Kay." replied Sakura as Sasuke nodded before walking next door, disappearing through the door. 'Till next year,' Sakura thought with a smile before going into her house, the door closing behind her.