Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Any concepts/ideas mentioned in this fanfiction that seem to be borrowed from another media/piece of continuity - note that I don't mean to plagiarize anything or anybody in any way! This fanfic was made for entertainment purposes, not for pissing off others! So yeah!
The theme for this chapter is Kyle Landry's cover of My Heart Will Go On from James Cameron's Titanic. Now I know what you all are thinking. Why have another interlude before a new chapter? Well, I honestly wanted to have a change of pace, and the inspiration just came to me just like that. Writing this will help me with brainstorming for the next chapter and up until this point, I have expanded on Kakashi and Judai's points of view so far, but not Hikari's. And this theme, I feel, personally shows Hikari's thoughts when reflecting on her life as the co-owner of Nagareboshi, a wife to a retired ninja, and the mother of an aspiring pianist.
For a last note, if you want, I would also recommend looking at Taylor Davis's violin cover of the same song. If the piano doesn't suit your taste, then this cover will certainly cover the themes of this chapter better! :)
Please enjoy!
Interlude: Hikari
If you had asked Hoshino Hikari 20 years ago about her feelings on being a mother, she would've scoffed it off and changed the subject.
But now? Hikari would just smile without having to say anything.
Becoming a mother was an amazing thing that her younger self didn't realize at the time.
When growing up, Hikari just wanted to make a cafe. A simple life was all she was aiming for anyway. Marriage wasn't something she really wanted, and if anything, she just wanted to feel free. Not to mention as a little girl, left on the sidelines unable to be a ninja, she didn't have to ask to know that Konoha was a ninja village at its core. Every time she woke up and went to civilian school, there were always at least one to two of those guys jumping across roofs.
It was only when the 2nd Shinobi World War started that Hikari noticed her surroundings change.
People started to get panicky, fearful, and worst of all - desperate. The number of ninja jumping from roofs started to decrease, and Hikari didn't miss the tear trails on some women's cheeks when walking past them.
It was when she turned 15 that the lightbulb finally went off in her head.
I want to make a cafe to help ease the pain of others!
But how? She was just a civilian—so who would listen to her?
It was that thought in mind that Hikari found herself drawn towards the music shop one day while out on an errand. It was a normal shop if anything at first glance, with a soft neon green sign hanging over its front doors, 'King's Music' shining in the pale sunlight. Adding in the pale magenta walls and clear window displays of the various instruments, her curiosity got the better of her.
"Welcome!" the shopkeeper said cheerily when she pushed the door open. Despite the greeting, Hikari grunted in response, looking around the various merchandise. From the looks of it, the inside wasn't that much better, various guitars and other instruments on display in rather bleak-looking corners. It was only when she turned her head to the right that it caught her eye.
Unlike the other instruments surrounding it, this one fiddle seemed to shine in that unique way. Even with the large 'Discount' tag stuck to the top of the handle, the violin looked beautiful.
"Oh, you have a good eye, miss!" Hikari tried not to jump at the sound of the voice, looking behind her only to see the same shopkeeper smiling at her. "That's one of our old rosewood violins that we've had on stock for a while. The thing is, no one seems to want her, so we've put her on discount."
"Why?" Hikari asked slowly.
The shopkeeper just shook her head in confusion. "Who knows? From what I recall, this model is one of the best in the music business with the size and fit in hand, but I think the manager mentioned how the wood itself isn't that great in comparison to other violins of its type."
Hikari didn't even have to think on it. "Could I try playing it, ma'am?"
"Of course you can! Just a moment…" The shopkeeper walked back to the counter and disappeared past the curtain covering the backdoor, and Hikari only had to stand around for a few seconds before she came back, holding what appeared to be a stick in her hand. "Here's the bow, miss! I'll take the violin off display, and then you can try her all you want!"
Hikari did her best to not fumble with the bow suddenly dropped in her hands, and she couldn't help but notice how the bow itself seemed to shine as well. With the swan-bill head and the sleek shine of the wood, the girl would've thought that it was a magic wand.
And then the violin itself found its way into her arms. The shopkeeper never stopped smiling while doing this, and Hikari just glanced at her before looking back down at the instrument. Even with the 'Discount' tag, it was as if the violin was quietly saying 'Play me!'
Hikari just rested the violin on her shoulder, holding it gently via the neck, put her chin on the chinrest, and raised the bow to the strings. With a simple movement, a soft note sounded.
"…Is this your first time playing violin, miss?" The shopkeeper asked.
Hikari just nodded, blinking in disbelief.
"Well, you don't look like a first-timer, miss!" The shopkeeper laughed softly, smiling the entire way. "The way you're holding that little one is as if you're a pro! How do you feel about buying her?"
The girl's answer was immediate. "I'll take her!"
And soon enough, Hikari arrived home with a beloved instrument that would keep her company for years. At first, when her parents found out, they disapproved, at least a little bit. After all, Hikari did use a majority of her saved allowance to buy it on her own without even considering lessons beforehand. But they relented after much begging, and soon enough, they tried to find a teacher for her.
But even then, Hikari didn't really…well, approve of any teacher. Sure, they all had their own methods, with different songs and music sheets offered to practice from. But Hikari didn't want to stick to one tune or one rhythm.
She wanted to play freely with no restraints.
Maybe that reason was why her parents quickly gave up on the idea of finding a teacher and just let her do whatever she wanted. And this was a nice change since for once, she had the chance to be herself. She didn't have to hide anything—all she had to do was just play.
The music just came to her, after all. It was a slow process, learning all by herself after all her teachers gave up, but by the time she was 20 years old, Hikari felt confident enough to start performing outside on her own.
This wasn't really the start of a cafe like she expected, but this was a good way of making money, right? Especially since she moved out of her parents' old home to live by herself. It was time to move on from that childhood home - but she would still visit. And people enjoyed her playing at least.
The violin was a good choice after all!
It was actually at one of her many performances outside in the center of Konoha that she met him.
Two-toned brown hair, brown eyes, and a green Konoha vest.
Initially, Hikari just took him as another customer, coming around to see what the crowd was all about. But then, with each new day, she kept seeing him. Either at the front of all the people, or hidden in-between all the new faces. Hikari guessed he was her first regular, but why wasn't he talking to her?
It was about 2 weeks in that she finally had enough. Once the entire crowd went away for the night, Hikari looked out for that shaggy head of two-toned brown hair and grabbed his hand before he could run off.
She at least wanted to know who this guy was.
"Hey, I'm Hoshino Hikari! What's your name?" She asked with a huge grin.
The ninja looked rather perplexed at her greeting before looking away with a light pink dusting his cheeks. "…Yuki Judai."
"Well then, Yuki-san, have you at least been enjoying yourself?"
The man just blinked before chuckling. "Yuki-san sounds way too formal, ma'am. Judai is fine."
Hikari just frowned playfully. "Then, you drop the ma'am and call me Hikari then!"
And that was how she met her future husband. At first, they just talked about what was going on in their lives. It started with what songs they liked, favorite foods, and so on. Apparently the ninja was a cellist and it only added another check-mark in Hikari's approval list. But it wasn't all fun and games though. Even with the Second Shinobi World War slowly reaching its end, the conflict was still a huge part of Judai's life. He didn't talk much at first, only really answering her questions when prompted.
And then there was a moment where he didn't come to see her play. When the first day passed, Hikari didn't try to pay too much attention to it.
By the time a week had gone by and she had heard rumors of the brunette in the hospital though?
Screw this shit, I'm going!
It was that thought that Hikari just grabbed her violin and bow from the apartment, ran over to the hospital without even glancing at the others staring at her, and burst into the hospital room where he was.
All that greeted her was a flapping window curtain and a nervous smile.
"Uh…yo!" Yuki Judai said cheerfully underneath all the bandages and hospital gown, trying to look nonchalant while perched on the windowsill.
Hikari just facepalmed.
And then sat down in a nearby chair, violin in hand, to play another song.
"…You really need to take care of yourself better."
Hikari never thought it would be her doing all the work, though. At first, it started with the music. It at least made the tension in his shoulders go away.
And then, Judai started popping up in her apartment, looking sheepish as always.
…Occasionally bleeding on some days.
"…What am I, your nurse?"
"You don't seem to mind, though!"
"Heh, point taken." Hikari didn't mind the bloody bandages either.
She already heard many of the horror stories that went on inside and outside Konoha's walls anyways. A little blood wasn't going to freak her out.
And besides, she was helping a precious person. She wasn't going to abandon them anyways.
Before she knew it, Judai had retired from his former life, almost immediately asking for a date.
"Could you go out with me, Hikari?"
The woman could still remember those words as if it were just yesterday. It was so sudden and yet so natural, to where she immediately answered.
"What time and what place, Judai?"
Soon enough, their marriage flew by, and with Nagareboshi Cafe officially in business a year or so later, it wasn't at all surprising to find out that she was pregnant.
Hikari could still laugh at the memory of Judai's face when finding out the news.
"…You're pregnant."
"Yes, Judai."
"You're pregnant."
"…Yes, Judai, I am."
"You're pregnant. Y-You're—" A fist lightly bumped an open palm as the smile just froze on her husband's face. "You're pregnant."
"…Yes, Captain Obvious, I'm pregnant."
And then Judai just kissed her as hard as he could, doing his best to not slam her into the wall amidst the passion, and that was the end of the conversation.
At least he was happy. With everything they had seen and possibly gone through with the end of the Second Shinobi World War - he needed as much of it as he could get.
Though one thing that Hikari did not expect when becoming a mother was how loud a child could get.
Hoshino Tomoko came out on September 24th, looking to be a rather wet and quiet baby for the first few seconds of life.
And then her mouth opened.
"WAH!" she wailed in the most high-pitched voice ever.
Hikari found herself both loving and loathing of the noise all at once. Loving because this was hers and Judai's beloved child, and loathing because that same wail went on for quite a while.
And I mean a while.
No matter what she and Judai initially tried to do, it seemed like whenever the baby wasn't sleeping, she was crying about something. Even when left alone, or seeing the Hokage Monument for the first time, Tomoko was almost always crying.
Judai, being the retired ninja and new civilian, initially panicked—leaving her to do most of the work again for a while. But then, he started catching on. Judai at least knew when Tomoko's tears might start again, and borrowed almost every childcare book in the nearby library to study (which was a strange thing in itself because Hikari could vaguely remember his distaste for scrolls and mission reports alike back when they first met).
It started with Peek-a-boo. And then a small, baby version of 'Tag.' Hikari later on found herself busting a gut from laughter for the first time in weeks at the sight of her husband attempting to 'let the train in' while feeding their little girl.
Despite all this cheeriness, Hikari just became tired sometimes.
What happened to that life of simplicity and freedom she wanted?
Tomoko was a lot more work than she expected.
And then, one day, Hikari just had enough with the cries and picked up her violin (while letting Judai hold her). Nothing really came to mind - all that was on Hikari's thoughts was just quieting their little girl down.
Who would've thought that the first violin note would completely silence those ear-splitting wails and replace them with warm gurgles of baby-laughter?
That moment, where little Tomoko-chan reached up to her Mama with her pudgy hands smiling at the sight of the violin, just made Hikari fall in love with her all over again.
And then, when that same little girl was three, Hikari knew she was going to be different.
That grand piano sitting in the center of Nagareboshi Cafe was bought on a whim if anything. They had enough saved up, and Hikari just went with it. Heck, Judai played the cello while she occupied the violin, so the piano was initially out of the question. But Judai was the one who convinced her otherwise.
If one of them could learn piano, then it could provide a unique experience for both them and the customers listening in. Stringed instruments were amazing and all, but the consumer would always appreciate some variety.
Who would've thought that little Tomoko-chan would inherit her parents' talent and serve as that connection?
Her little, "Eh?" after finishing one of the most beautiful songs Hikari ever heard in her life just confirmed that.
Soon enough, Tomoko was becoming a force way beyond Hikari's wildest dreams. Don't get me wrong, there were many moments that showed that Tomoko still had a lot to learn if she wanted to head out into the real world. Hugging everyone in sight wasn't always going to fly. Why else would Hikari even consent to Tomoko's request to be homeschooled anyway?
But even then, even as a civilian wife to a retired ninja, Hikari didn't miss the glint of something else in her daughter's blue eyes when Tomoko thought she wasn't looking. Hikari could already tell that Tomoko was different from the other children when seeing that she chose to head to the library instead of play with the others. And her ears never lied to her when telling the woman that Tomoko was hiding something in her voice every time she said 'I love you.'
It was one day, when the girl was about 6 years old, that Hikari decided to ask.
"Tomoko-chan?"
"Yes, Mama?"
"Why do you say 'I love you' so much?"
The little girl blinked those large blue eyes of hers before looking down and crossing her arms. A moment of silence passed before Hikari saw that bright smile. Unlike the other grins, Tomoko looked almost mature in some way, yet the white teeth mixed in that childish innocence that brought back fond memories of that laughing babe from so long ago.
"Why not, Mama? People need to hear it more often! I love you and Papa, so I want to say it because I love you!"
Hikari didn't realize at the time that there was more to the story. How could she? She didn't know that her daughter was a reincarnation. That was something for Tomoko to say - one day.
For now, Hikari just chuckled to herself and hugged the little girl tightly.
Hoshino Hikari originally wanted a simple life doing something she loved and opening a cafe.
And she essentially accomplished that - but just with a few catches.
Ninja were still a constant in her life. Even with her husband retired from the business, he still had his connections.
There was always that underlying fear that something would happen to Tomoko because of said constant. I mean, her first friend was one of the most skilled ninja of the new generation, and if not for Tomoko's constant insistence that Hatake Kakashi was amazing, Hikari would've thought otherwise.
There were also those bad customers that showed up every now and then. Whether it was through verbal complaints in the back corner or actual threats mailed into the mailbox every now and then, Hikari just couldn't help but shrug.
But even then, she wouldn't give up anything.
Hikari had her cafe. She had something that she loved in the form of her violin.
Hikari had a loving husband, who gave up his ninja life just to ask her out (after some wrenches thrown in, but that will be told another time).
That same husband gave her the means to create her dream cafe, and most importantly.
Judai gave her Tomoko.
And little Tomoko-chan was her world. Even with all the chaos that came with it…
"Sakumo-kun, come over and get into the photo already!"
"H-Hikari-san, I'm not so sure about this. I mean, this is your family's picture after all. Is it really okay for me to be in there?"
"Sakumo-san, Kakashi-kun's already here with me! So, come on!"
"You heard the little lady, Sakumo. So, get in here."
"…Come on, Dad. The cameraman's glowering already."
"…Oh, alright."
FLASH!
That picture frame sitting on her side table, right next to her beloved rosewood violin, was proof enough.
Hikari and Judai, standing in the center, beaming over a smiling Tomoko. The little girl had apparently grabbed Kakashi's hand to pull him into the picture, and the ninja's sheepish father standing at the right side of the two just completed the image.
With all the ninja and chaos in her life, Hoshino Hikari wouldn't trade it for anything. Even with the blood and occasional nightmare.
Because it was that same system that brought her so many precious memories.
Author's Notes: So this chapter's premise is actually based on matt-lea's review from Chapter 27, and how I should try addressing Tomoko's whole 'I-love-you' habit. When attempting to write Chapter 28, this idea came up as a way of mitigating a lot of the future drama, and with everything going on in the real world right now (not just college life, but political sphere and etc), I just wanted to focus on something positive.
So some good things can come out of knowing ninja!
Anyways, before I sign off, I want to give a personal thanks to all the readers and followers I have on Civilian Pianist, especially matt-lea, Goldspark1, LunaSunFlowerLily, ThatIdioticMelody, HikariNoTenshi-san, and squeegywing for their reviews. Their words in particular really helped me out when I was studying for midterms, so thanks a lot guys! We currently have 404 reviews, 600 favorites, and 782 followers!
I love you all so much!
This is Writer-and-Artist27 signing out, and I assure you—Chapter 28 is in the works!