[9]
~ 8: 56 A.M.
Kushina walked around her new project with a clipboard in her hands and her eyes scanning everything. She sighed in frustration and pointed to the lights hanging above.
"Guys come on! We open tonight and the lights aren't working," she snapped.
The workers threw their hands up in defense and quickly went to find the correct light bulbs in the back of the building. She sighed and pushed her hand through her long red-pink hair.
"Hey," someone suddenly said behind her.
She turned around slowly and her face dropped to surprise.
"Madara, hey," she said.
He grinned for a quick second and then crossed his arms over his striped red and black Jude Black Cafe Racer Leather Jacket.
"What's that look? What's wrong?" she giggled nervously.
"Besides the fact that my drunk of a brother's kids are staying with me and he can't seem to get his crap together. Peachy," he explained.
She exhaled and set her clipboard aside at the end of the golden railing.
"Come here," she said, leading them towards the bar sitting on the cushioned red faux crystal seats, "Talk to me,"
He looked down at his feet, scratched his eyebrow and then met her eyes.
"I'm not sure what I can do for my nephews, if I try to take them, he'll fight me on it. And bruise them even more," he said.
"I'm so sorry he's doing this to your nephews, but you have a better case to take them in," she said.
"I can't afford it," he continued.
She licked her lips and looked down at her feet. She then stopped, and then looked up with a grin.
"What's that grin?" he questioned.
"The oldest boys; Kakashi, Shisui, and Obito I can offer them positions here at the restaurant. Security, bartenders, anything. They can make their own money and help you. So you can take them in," she suggested.
He leaned back with an open mouth and eyes to the side. He smiled brightly at the idea.
"I think I can do that, just the hard part will be convincing them to do it," he joked.
"Oh, bring them here," she leaned backcrossing her legs, "I'll convince them," she smirked.
He chuckled.
"What the hell is this?!" a female voice barked behind them both.
Kushina and Madara jumped turning to the red velvet wide-angle stairs. Mito stood tall, firm, and with her arms crossed. A glare covered her face.
"What are you doing with him?" she snapped.
"Mito," Kushina said astonished.
"I'm gonna go," he said quickly, standing up.
"Madara," Kushina tried.
"Don't come back here. And don't even think of coming here tonight for opening night," Mito demanded.
Madara stared into her icy eyes.
"Mito!" Kushina barked.
Mito turned to her sister with wide eyes.
"Madara you can come tonight and ignore my sister's demands," Kushina stated.
"You're gonna take his side after everything Hashirama hid from me! And he was a part of-!" Mito started to shout.
"Okay, I'm gonna go," he said, he quickly walked around Mito.
"Okay, you have no right to demand things in my building!" Kushina shouted.
"So, you're going to chummy up with the man who stole my husband!" Mito barked.
"The reason he was here has nothing to do with that!" Kushina snapped.
"Then what was it? To talk about how great my husband is in bed?!" Mito said.
"His nephews are getting abused by their father, and bruises all over their bodies," Kushina clarified.
Mito's face dropped and looked down at the floor. Kushina scoffed and shook her head.
"See what happens when you're a bitch off the back. Now quit letting Hashirama have this much control over you and I'll see you tonight," Kushina snapped.
"Kushina," Mito tried.
"No, if you do this again you won't be attending tonight," Kushina threatened.
Mito closed her eyes, shook her head once, and sighed.
~ 9: 34 A.M.
Wendy ran around the kitchen counter, searching for her black WINK KANGAROO Shoulder Backpack. She finally found it at the end of the counter.
"Thank god," she smiled.
She reached for it, pulling it off the tile, but a stack of papers fell from underneath it. She angled her head to see it better, draped her backpack on her back, and then knelt to look over the papers. A certain word popped out,
ADOPTION
She gasped and smiled. Covering her mouth with her hand and then her eyes looking for her brothers.
"Natsu! Gajeel! Sting! Rogue! Where are you?!" she shouted.
The boys came from all directions. The bathroom, the stairs, the back porch, and the living room couch. They gathered around her.
"What's that? Were you snooping?" Natsu questioned.
"No, it was under my backpack, but look," she begged to point to the letters at the top of the paper.
The boys studied the paper and then Sting took the page to see it closely.
"Adoption," Gajeel whispered.
Natsu gasped with a smile, "They actually wanna go through with it,"
"They wanna adopt us," Sting said with a smile.
"This is good though! They want us!" Wendy clapped.
Natsu flipped the page to the next and ran his fingers across the bottom of the page.
"All of our names," he said.
"I don't see my name," Gajeel pouted.
"Oh," Natsu flipped to the last page, "Oh yeah here it is. At the top, barely visible," he joked.
"Screw. You," Gajeel clowned.
Natsu, Sting, and Rogue all laughed a bit.
"I wanna go see Minato, and I wanna talk to him about this. How long will it take? When can we-?" she rambled on.
"Hey, hey no. Maybe we shouldn't say anything yet. Leave it a surprise," Rogue joked, putting the papers back on the counter.
The boys all smiled together as Wendy bounced up and down.
"I wanna go see Minato," she hurried off.
"Wendy," Natsu said.
They all followed her upstairs towards Minato's room. Wendy was about to run in when she suddenly stopped making her brothers come to a halt also. They saw Minato knelt over a box, holding a black hoodie with red clover-like flowers on it. Tears fell from his eyes and he sniffed. He squeezed the jacket in his fingers and held it close. He fell back on his butt and looked up at the ceiling closing his eyes. Crying more.
Wendy took a deep breath and held her stomach with her arm.
"Um, maybe we should," Rogue whispered.
They all backed away from the door, leaving Minato alone to mourn.
"Leave him be. They're still mourning," Gajeel said.
15 minutes later and Minato was behind the wheel of his truck with Gajeel next to him in the passenger seat and the other four were in the back. Everything was quiet, except for the sound of the AC running.
He pulled up to the school and parked the car, unlocking the doors.
"You guys have a good day okay?" Minato said.
The boys smiled at him and hopped out of the vehicle. Wendy stayed in the car and then crawled into the front seat with Minato.
"Shouldn't you get going kiddo?" Minato asked.
"I wanted to tell you something," she said.
He leaned back in his seat to listen.
"I had a dream, keeps coming back," she started to say, "Um Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue were all seated around the dinner table. Waiting for Kushina's food, I think it was Thanksgiving. There was a lot of turkeys," she started.
He chuckled.
"I ran in to take a seat. Sting pulled the chair out for me. You came running in with the ham, which is Natsu's and Gajeel's favorite so you had to swat their hands away,"
He smiled more.
"You sat down at the head, and Kushina finally came in. She was holding the macaroni and cheese, I was ecstatic," she said.
"Of course, you love mac and cheese," he said.
"But that wasn't it. Behind Kushina, there were about five other people; Yahkio, Nagato, Naruto, Karin, and Menma. They all came in together and sat down with us. Everyone was laughing, sharing the food, and eating. All of us, together as a family," she finished.
A single tear escaped Minato's eye, but he let it fall. A smile grew on his face, as he pulled Wendy closer and kissed the top of her forehead. Wendy buried her face in his chest and squeezed him tightly.
"Thank you, Wendy," he whispered, making her smile.
She hopped out of the car and waved goodbye. She started to jog up the steps to get inside when she stopped. She looked around the courtyard and felt her skin crawl. An icy feeling went up to her spine and her mouth fell open.
"Oh no,"
~ 11:23 A.M.
Natsu unlocked his phone and clicked on his latest message.
KUSHINA: MAKE SURE TO INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS TO OPENING NIGHT, TONIGHT!
"Okay Mama-Bear is demanding that we bring our "friends" to the opening tonight," Natsu relayed.
"There's only one person I consider a friend, here," Sting stated.
"I know, but she's gonna want a full house. She's put a lot of work into this," Natsu said.
The boys sighed and nodded to each other.
"Fine, but let's be social," Gajeel snapped.
"You're kidding right?" Rogue questioned, making them all laugh.
~ 1:34 P.M.
Sasuke walked up to his locker and opened the door so fast it almost came off the handle.
"Uh, you're a bit late," Kiba said.
"Late night, I slept in," Sasuke answered blankly.
Neji leaned on the metal locker next to Sasuke as the others cleared out. Neji looked over at Sasuke and watched him rifle through his locker.
"Are you okay?" Neji asked.
Sasuke looked down at his feet and shut his door. Neji looked closer and reached up turning Sasuke to face him completely. Seeing the marks around Sasuke's eye and his face.
"Jesus Christ Sasuke, what happened?" he questioned.
Sasuke sighed and turned away, placing his head on the cold metal. Neji leaned closer and turned Sasuke's chin to him.
"Talk to me, what's wrong?" he asked.
Sasuke licked his lips and exhaled a deep breath, "My dad's a drunk, and when he's drunk...he's violent," he said.
Neji looked around the hallway and then whispered, "Sasuke, if your dad hits you, then- "
"Ah, stop right there. My uncle already took care of it, we're staying with him. My brothers and I," Sasuke explained.
Neji rested his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, Sasuke turned to him and started to reach his hand up to hold it until they both saw Natsu approaching them.
"Hey um, sorry to interrupt the conversation, but um my mom is having the open night of her club tonight and I'm being forced to invite you via my mother. She wants all teenagers to come," Natsu explained.
Neji turned to Sasuke, who looked blankly at the wall.
"Sure, why not," Neji answered, Sasuke turned him in surprise.
"You'll thank me later," Neji said, Sasuke sighed in irritation.
"Great, I'll see you guys there," Natsu said, quickly scurrying off.
Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel stood at the end of the hallway as Natsu approached them.
"Did you ask him?" Sting asked.
"I haven't seen him yet," Rogue answered.
Wendy turned the corner, quickly catching her balance, and searching for her brothers.
"GUYS!" she bellowed.
They turned around and Natsu immediately knelt to her.
"Hey, hey what's wrong? What is it?" he questioned, holding her in his arms.
"There's...there's...," she stuttered.
"Wendy, what's wrong?" Gajeel asked.
"I saw something outside...rather someone," she sniffed.
"Who? Who was it? Mard?" Natsu questioned.
She shook her head quickly, "Jiemma," she answered.
Natsu's eyes widen in shock, he looked at Gajeel who turned to the twins; Rogue and Sting. They stared at each other in shock.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Konohamaru asked walking up to them.
Wendy hugged Natsu and touched his stomach. He cleared his throat as Sting moved Konohamaru to the side.
"So how would you feel about opening at Kushina's club tonight? Singing?" Sting asked.
Konohamaru leaned forward with a raised eyebrow, "Come again?"
~ 7:56 P.M.
The club looked magnificent. The shining lights. The glow of red with a hint of spice. The bar was fully stocked. There were private sections in the shapes of circle booths with red curtains to block out the fun. The tables were pulled back enough for the dance floor. The cooks were ready to flavor up the food and make everyone's mouths sizzle.
Kushina brushed her red-pink hair and looked down at her golden Women's Elegant Sloping Shoulder Paillette Sleeveless Evening Dress. She looked up at the light glow shining over her dress. She closed her eyes and a few tears escaped her eyes. She couldn't stop them, so she let them flow. She reached for the napkin and dabbed her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" a female voice came behind her.
Kushina wiped her eyes with the napkin as her sister came up behind her. Mito was sporting a sexy red Sweep/Brush Train Trumpet/Mermaid V-neck Sleeveless Tulle Dress, she rubbed Kushina's shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Mito asked.
Kushina shook her head slowly, "I've always wanted something like this, to open my place and own it. Now tonight's opening night and my kids...the ones I love, aren't here," she said.
"Yes, they are," Mito said, turning Kushina to her, "They are right outside. Gajeel, Natsu, Sting, Wendy, and Rogue,"
Kushina licked her lips, "I know they are here, that's why I feel like crap. I'm happy because my kids are here for me tonight, but also they aren't," she said.
Mito ran her fingers through Kushina's hair.
"I can't imagine your pain, but this is your night. Minato is here. So are your new children, slap a smile on your face, and join us okay?" Mito asked.
Kushina smiled a bit, as Mito took a napkin to dab the running mascara marks. Kushina smiled and gripped her sister's hand. They walked out of the dressing room to the front of the club. It was a full house, and everyone wasn't even already there yet. Sting and Rogue were by the bar, drinking water. Gajeel and Natsu were letting people in as Minato wrapped his arms around both boys. Wendy was on stage, messing with the microphone stand.
Kushina smiled and walked up on the stage with Wendy hugging her. She kissed her forehead and then took the microphone to speak. She gulped until she felt a warm hand on her back. She turned to her husband joining her on stage. She smiled brightly as he smiled with her.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded and entwined her fingers with his. He kissed her cheek as she turned on the microphone. Everyone in the club turned to her on the stage.
"Hello everyone, I'm so pleased that you all made it out here tonight to the opening of my days and night club. Welcome to 'The Red'." she announced.
Everyone clapped happily and smiled at her.
"And in a few minutes, we'll be blessed with a beautiful performance from local singer, Konohamaru Sarutobi," Kushina finished.
Everyone clapped as Konohamaru stood off on the side. He rubbed his arm, looking around the room as Rogue hurried up the steps.
"Hey, you okay?" Rogue asked.
"I'm gonna crap my pants," Konohamaru said.
"Hey easy, easy. Everyone that loves you will be here," Rogue cooed.
"There's one person I would like to be here, but I don't know if he'll show up," Konohamaru said.
Rogue looked towards the entrance and smiled, "I think he's here," he said.
Konohamaru turned towards the entrance to see his father, Hashirama, walking in. With Madara on his arm.
"He's here," Konohamaru said.
"Exactly, now you have no reason to be nervous," Rogue said.
Konohamaru smiled at his friend and then looked ahead towards his father. Hashirama looked up at his son and grinned at him.
"People are staring," Madara said, unlinking his arm from Hashirama.
"Ah, ah," Hashirama gripped his hand, "Don't worry about that. Ignore the stares. Okay," he said.
Madara sighed but gave a slight smile. Hashirama smiled too and then walked towards the stage to greet his son. Madara watched as Hashirama greeted his son with a hug. Konohamaru sighed relief and wrapped his arms around his father.
"Madara!" Jiraiya shouted.
The Uchiha turned around and laughed a bit.
"Hey Jiraiya," He said.
They hugged as Minato walked up to them.
"Thank you, guys, so much for coming tonight," He said.
"Hey no problem, she has a full bar, right?" Jiraiya joked.
Minato laughed rolling his eyes.
"I thought it was females with busty chests and curvy bodies that make you drop to the floor with no pants?" Madara said.
"Well I'll just have fun in other ways, join me, will you?" Jiraiya said pulling Madara off.
"If I'm not back in 5, get Hashirama to save me," Madara said to Minato.
The blonde laughed but nodded. He moved from the entrance as the teenagers started to arrive. They all walked in, infancy wear looking beautiful or stunning. The lights dimmed and spotlighted on the entrance or the stage. Konohamaru gripped the microphone in his hands, took a deep breath, and as the music started behind him, he sang his version of 'Breathin' by Ariana Grande.
Some days, things just take
Way too much of my energy, I look up and the whole room's spinning.
You take my cares away
I can so overcomplicate
People tell me to medicate.
Hashirama smiled in the audience at his son's deep, but soulful voice. Everyone started to smile at his beautiful voice. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Neji all moved their heads to the beat.
Feel my blood runnin'
Swear the sky's fallin'
How do I know if this ****'s fabricated? Mmm
Time goes by and I can't control my mind
But you tell me every time
"Just keep breathin, and breathin, and breathin"
Hashirama felt his eyes water, Madara rubbed his arm as they continued to listen to him sing. Sasuke nodded his head to the song, he turned to the entrance as Lucy and Loke walked in. Loke was dressed in a dark green grass tuxedo suit. Lucy was on his arm in a rose gold BECCA FORMAL HIGH SLIT SEQUIN DRESS. She looked up at Loke and grinned at him. He smiled as they looked at Konohamaru singing.
Sasuke moved away from the bar and walked over to Neji.
"Hey, I heard they have private rooms," he whispered into Neji's ear.
Neji opened his mouth with a click and then stood up with Sasuke. They moved towards the stairs and disappeared into the backrooms. Sasuke pulled Neji in and closed the curtains behind him. Neji pulled him to his lips, Sasuke gripped Neji's waist and then lifted him.
"Uh," Neji grunted.
He put him down, laying Neji across the curved leather. Neji leaned back as Sasuke got on top of him.
"Hey, hey hey, wait for a second," Neji said.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"What are we? We getting sleeping around so what are we?" Neji asked.
"Do we have to talk about that now?" Sasuke questioned.
Neji's face blanked, so he turned away as Sasuke leaned down kissing his neck. Neji pushed him off and straddled him. Sasuke held him by the waist as they continued to kiss and then undress each other.
Sometimes it's hard to find
Find my way up into the clouds
Tune it out, they can be so loud
You remind me of a time
When things weren't so complicated.
"Hinata?" Kiba questioned, he stood up from his chair.
The raven-haired beauty turned around in her dark navy-blue Long Sleeves Sequins Appliques Mermaid Evening Dress and smiled up at him.
"Hey, I just wanted to ask you for a," he held up his hand for her, "Dance,"
She looked into his eyes with a shocked expression, "Since when do you dance?" she took his hand.
He smiled and twirled her around. She giggled as he dipped her back.
"Oh, you got smooth," she giggled.
"I've always been smooth, you know in my bedroom where no one can see me and not make a fool of myself," he said.
She giggled, "So what exactly is there to you Kiba Inuzuka?" she asked.
"Mm well that's under a huge stone wall, that won't be breaking down any time soon," he said.
"Luckily I like a challenge," she joked.
"I can't tell if you're joking or serious," he said.
"I guess only time will tell," she said.
He smiled at her as he saw Sakura in her XXXITICAT Women's Formal Fairy Lace Sleeveless Cocktail Banquet Long Maxi Dresses walk over to one of the private sections. She pulled the red curtains apart and paused.
"Hisui?" she said.
Hisui looked up in her green A-Line V-neck Floor-Length Tulle Evening Dress with Beading Sequins Split Front.
"Sakura," she said.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked.
"Uh, I came for Lucy, but social events make me nervous sometimes," Hisui said.
"Mm, you and me both," Sakura said.
Hisui smiled a bit and then sipped her drink.
"Uh, can I join you?" Sakura asked.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah sure," Hisui said.
She scooted over letting Sakura sit down.
"You're not drinking alcohol, are you?" Sakura asked, pointing to Hisui's cup.
"No, but I could see it right now," Hisui answered.
Sakura reached into her black BMC Fashionable Faux Leather Gold Metal Accent Envelope Style Statement Clutch and pulled a flask. Hisui smiled and offered her glass. Sakura poured the contents of her flask into the glass.
"Now I can relax," Hisui joked, taking a sip.
"Can I have some too?" Sakura asked.
Hisui smiled and handed her glass to her, when they touched skins, they almost entwined fingers together. They stopped and stared into each other's eyes, but didn't move their fingers apart.
As Konohamaru continued to sing, Lucy walked around the bar until she bumped right into Natsu.
"Oh, Natsu," she gushed.
"Hey," he said, turning around.
"Um, your mom did great here tonight. This place is amazing," she said.
"Yep and it's open to all ages," he explained.
"It's amazing," she gushed.
He smiled and looked towards the dance floor. He then held up his hand to her.
"Wanna dance?" he asked.
She stopped and backed up a bit, "I have a boyfriend," she said.
"It's just a dance," he said.
She licked her lips and then took his hand. They moved to the dance floor and swayed together. Loke watched from the slide, his face angered.
"So, what's this dance about?" she asked.
"Just asking you to dance?" he questioned.
She shook her head, "Sorry I just, you and your brothers are like a fresh light here in town," she said.
He smiled a bit, "Well we're all we have," he said.
"And then came Minato and Kushina," she stated.
"A blessing in disguise behind a lot of hair," he specified.
She giggled and put her head down. Natsu looked ahead at Loke, who shook his head walking away.
"I think I just pissed off your boyfriend," he said.
She turned around to see Loke making his way to the bathroom. She sighed and shook her head.
"I'm gonna have to talk to him," she said.
"I don't know Loke, but he seems nice," he said.
"He is, he's the best," she explained.
"Then maybe you should go talk to him," he said, letting go of her hands.
"And I would like a dance," someone said behind them.
They turned to Erza Scarlet pulling Natsu away. Lucy stood there with a glare across her face, and she crossed her arms.
Minerva finally arrived in her black and gold Oscar de la Renta Floral-Embroidered Tulle Illusion Gown.
"Over there," Sting said pointing towards her.
Gajeel looked over his shoulder to her and walked over to greet her.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," she smiled.
"You look great," he said.
"Thank you," she giggled.
They leaned closer and kissed each other sweetly. She then looked around the area before landing her pupils on Kushina.
"Is that...is that your mother?" Minerva asked.
Gajeel turned, "Yeah, Kushina," he said.
"She's pretty, but I kind of," she giggled.
"What?" he questioned.
"I kind of expected her to be...drop-dead gorgeous. I mean for a woman who's had five kids, I mean," her voice trailed off.
She looked into Gajeel's eyes and her expression dropped, his face was full of anger.
"Don't talk about her like that," he snapped.
She scoffed, "I was just joking," she said.
"If you wanna stick your foot in your mouth you can leave," he snapped.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that I'm sorry," she quickly said.
He turned towards the entrance where someone walked in wearing a black cloak with the hood on covering his face.
Gajeel raised an eyebrow in confusion, but then he felt the icy prickly feeling run down his spine.
"Oh no," he whimpered.
Minerva stared into Gajeel's eyes in confusion until the hooded man pulled off his hood.
"SO! WHICH ONE OF YOU IS MINATO!?" the man shouted.
Konohamaru moved his head away from the microphone stand, and everyone turned around to see what was going on.
Minato came around the tables to make himself known.
"Jiemma!" Natsu shouted.
Jiemma turned to Natsu with a grin on his face. Natsu's face angered as Jiemma held his hand up towards Minato and a huge blast went off.
"MINATO!" Hashirama shouted.
Minato gagged a few times with his mouth shut. He looked down at his stomach where a huge gaping hole was planted, blood dripping from his lips. Kushina gasped and almost collapsed.
"NO!" Natsu shouted.
Sting and Rogue's mouths dropped open in shock, Gajeel's face saddened.
"DADDY!" Wendy cried.
Minato fell back into the arms of Hashirama and Madara.
"Hey hey, no no no you're okay," Hashirama cooed.
Jiemma vanished into thin air as the slayers rushed to Minato. He grunted in pain, holding his hand up. Sting and Rogue immediately gripped his hand. Kushina ran over and collapsed in between his legs.
"Minato, my love," she gripped his cheeks.
He choked on his blood but looked into his wife's eyes.
"No, no-no. Minato," Natsu cried.
Minato turned to Natsu and smiled a bit. Natsu shook his head back and forth as tears poured.
"Move!" Wendy demanded, making everyone stare at her, "MOVE!"
Hashirama and Madara moved to the side as Wendy placed Minato's head in her lap. Minato looked up at her and tried to speak, but Wendy shook her head.
She placed her small hands on the sides of Minato's face and they glowed a teal blue. She closed her eyes as the magic traveled down Minato's entire body. He started breathing more and he tried to reach his hands to Wendy. She opened her eyes and they were the same color as the magic. Minato's body brightened.
"What is she-?" Kushina started to question.
"It's her healing magic, it's hard to control," Natsu explained, astonished.
Wendy closed her eyes as the magic died down and Minato's stomach was restored with skin and tissue.
"oh my god," Madara said.
"That's stronger than my medical Jutsu," Kushina said.
"Uh," Minato grunted, sitting up straight and turning around to face her.
Wendy smiled brightly at him until her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell forward.
"Wendy!" he shouted, catching her in his arms.
"It's okay, it's a side effect from the spell. Healing comes with issues," Natsu explained.
Minato held her in his arms as Kushina placed her hands-on Wendy's little body, her hands glowing green.
"Okay! Everyone out! That's enough for tonight!" Kushina barked.
"Kushina," Minato tried.
"No! I already had five of my babies taken from me!" she barked, "And now you were almost gone tonight. I'm done. No one is taking anything else from me! Not you! Not her," she pointed to Wendy.
"Not him," she pointed to Natsu, "Him, him, or him. No more. Not. My. Babies," she barked pointing to Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel.
"Or this town will rain Hell," she threatened.