A/N: Hey there! Rogue Sunset Ninja here with his first ever story! :D. I was not a writer before this but I guess now I'm kinda of one? This is my first time writing a full blown story so I apologize in advance if there's any mistakes in here.
Anyway, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of 'That Damned Smile'!.
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Disclaimer: I do not condone anything bad in this story (e.g violence, swearing, etc). This story only serves as an entertainment and totally fictional.
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Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
"Ugh, five more minutes…" A sleepy agitated feminine voice groaned against the soft and comfy blue pillow. However, the alarm doesn't care whether you're half asleep or wide awake. As long as it's not turned off, it will continue to bug you off until you silence it by turning it off or using other method.
And judging from what the annoyed female's action, it's definitely the latter.
Her slender fingers grasp the digital clock and literally throws it against the wall, shattering it to pieces. Only then the ringing stops.
"Dammit, I broke it again, I hope mom wouldn't mind me buying the same clock for the tenth time this month…" The grumpy voice murmured. But hey, at least she can finally sleep again in peace.
That is… until someone just backflips into her bed and pummels her down.
"Ohayo Kura-chan!" A high pitched girlish voice screamed into the female's eardrums, rupturing it slightly. The red head goes into full aggressive mode and easily turn the table around by pinning the invader to the bed.
"Mata-chan! How many times do I have to tell you not to wake me up too early in the morning?!" She snarled to the still giggling lady underneath her. "Sorry Kurama, but kaa-chan wants to have a breakfast together with everyone. It's nearly 7 am and you're still sleeping!" Mata-chan explained.
The red head, now identified as Kurama, could only sigh deeply.
"Alright fine. But only because mom said so. If it was Shukaku I will kick his ass so hard my feet would become a tattoo on his ass" Kurama snarled, causing Mata-chan to giggle hard. "I don't think he's recovered from last week's ass kicking Kura, you definitely went all in there" Mata-chan said. "And even with that, he'll grow ten times worse" Kurama chuckled lightly. "Alright Matatabi, let's go meet them".
Matatabi giddily jumps out of the bed like a cat while holding onto Kurama's left wrist, eager to go. Kurama could only shake her head as she lets herself stretch for a bit before following Matatabi's lead.
Going through the long hallway, they finally reach the stairs and Kurama had to keep herself from faceplanting to the ground as Matatabi skips two steps at a time.
After a heartpounding journey, they finally reach the dining room, where the rest of their family is waiting.
"So you finally woke up the sleeping grumpy huh? Well done sis I thought you had to call Prince Charming to do it" A blonde male snickered and punched the person next to him. "No comment" The male said, not wanting to get into a fight between the two.
"Very funny Shukaku, let's see how you'll react when I play frisbee with your PlayStation 5 tomorrow" Kurama snarled. "Hah! How about I make your phone my new chopping board!" He spat back, eager to get into another shouting match with his eldest sister.
But before it could erupt even further, a gentle yet powerful voice silences the two of them.
"Kurama. Shukaku. Stop".
The two participants quickly look to the source and found their mother eyeing the two of them with a smile…
A deadly, silent smile…
Gulping loudly, the two of them sat down and hang their heads low.
"I'm sorry kaa-chan" The two said in unison. She smiles again, this time warmly in a non-threatening way. The two of them still throw dirty looks against each other but decide to call a cease fire, for now.
"Since everyone's here, itadakimasu!" Matatabi chirped and start devouring her plate. The rest of the siblings follow soon after along with their mother. All of them have the same dishes consisting of omurice, miso soup, and a small cup of hot matcha.
"Kaa-chan, where's Hago and Mura-kun? Are they running late again?" Kurama asked. "They already left earlier this morning. They were the ones that cooked you this Kura-chan" A female with snow white hair explained.
Kurama pouts cutely, causing everyone to laugh lightly. "Aww, but I wanna hug them both before they're gone!" Kurama whined. "Calm down sis! You can meet them later at lunch if you want!" Matatabi cheered for her.
"Mata-chan is right, they're really busy right now and it would be better for you to meet them once they're having their break time" Her mother added.
As much as Kurama wants to meet them, she knows that they're currently attending important meetings.
"I guess that's one of the downsides of being a member of an affluent family" Kurama sighed.
And Kurama definitely doesn't exaggerate when she said they're an affluent family. Her full name is Kurama Otsutsuki, the third child of Kaguya Otsutsuki, her mother and the current head of the Otsusuki Family. They are arguably the most powerful and wealthiest family in the entire world. Their family business, the Otsutsuki Corporation, has literally everything under their grasp. Either they have the entire company or invest significantly in it.
Kurama couldn't take it anymore and slumps forward, planting her face against the white cloth on the table. "I wanna meet them…" She murmured against the oakwood surface. Matatabi laughed loudly. "Alright Kurama I get it, you need your daily dose of coffee. Come on, we'll go there once we had our breakfast" Matatabi said.
Kurama lifts her head weakly and nods in agreement. She definitely needs coffee this morning.
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"Come on Kurama, we're here! Cheer up!" Matatabi dragged her sister out from her car, a 2021 Honda Accord painted in black and blue. "I'm coming, I'm coming…" Kurama sighed, still feeling sleepy even though she had eaten breakfast.
"We're so close! Hang on!" Matatabi cheered for her, even going as far as massaging her shoulders. They're currently visiting one of their favorite coffee shop, named Hyuuga's Coffee House. The place, as the name indicates, is small but cozy, perfect for both of them.
The walls were painted in light chocolate color and the furniture are mostly made out of wood. There are some paintings on the wall and along with some positive, upbeat words as well to lighten up the mood even more.
"Welcome to the Shuriken Sha- Oh! It's you two! Come on in! We have your usual spot ready!" The owner, Hinata Hyuuga, motioned them to follow her to their usual spot. It's consisting of two bean bag chairs with a chopped tree trunk as their table. The gentle orange lighting warms the room's mood even more. And to top it all off, this morning the city's experiencing a light rain and there are droplets painting the large window before them.
"Shall I make the usual for you two?" Hinata asked. "Yes please, but make Kurama's slightly bitter, she's grumpy and needs more than usual" Matatabi snickered after getting a death glare from her older sister.
"Anything else?" Hinata laughed quietly. "Oh I don't know about Kura-chan but for me, I'll get a croissant please" Matatabi. "I'll just get a blackforest cake" Kurama added. "Alright! I'll make sure Hanabi gets the order and we'll be back soon" Hinata bowed and leave the two alone.
"So… Kurama, why aren't you married yet?" Matatabi threw the question nonchalantly. "Are you being serious Mata-chan? What's with you and marriage?" Kurama growled. Matatabi holds her hands up in a mock surrender manner.
"Whoa calm down sis, I'm just asking you since most of us are already married. Even Shukaku's getting married considering he's the most immature out of all of us. Why haven't you?" Matatabi replied. Kurama supports her head with her open right palm, cupping her chin in a tired manner.
"How many times do I have to say this Blue? I told all of you I won't get married until I feel I want to" She answered her question for the millionth time so far. "With that attitude, you'll get married in kaa-chan's current age" Matatabi snorted playfully.
"Whatever, I'm going to check if there's any other cake that I can eat" Kurama stood up and left her sister. "Such a glutton" Matatabi commented, which Kurama brushed off easily.
She walks to the glass display that has a variety of cake, each one is delicious and mouthwatering. "I guess I'll just throw in a slice of tiramisu as well. Matatabi's paying for this one anyway" Kurama smiled. She sees Hinata and motions her to come over.
"You find anything else you'd want to eat?" Hinata asks. "Yeah I guess I'll add a tiramisu as well. Mind if I take it now?" Kurama asked. "Sure thing, I'll grab a slice for you" Hinata replied and grab a plate while cutting a good portion of the still round cake for Kurama.
"Here you go, enjoy miss Kurama" Hinata smiled, which reciprocated warmly by the redhead lady. Just as Kurama about to turn and make her way back to her table, she bumps into someone and nearly spilling her plate.
"Hey watch where you going you-…" Kurama was about to go on a rambling spree when she suddenly stop dead mid sentence.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Can I replace your cake as an apology?".
That voice… that soothing voice…
Now Kurama is a tall lady, standing at 5'8 feet tall. But she still has to crane her head back to meet the gaze of the guy she bumped into. She couldn't help but to gasp lightly.
This guy… has the most beautiful shade of blue for his eyes. His eyes are deep ocean blue in color, and it's luring her in to dive into it to explore the wonders inside. And he's definitely tall, way taller than her. From her guesstimation, he's standing around 6'3. And the most prominent facial feature on him is not his magnificent eyes, it's the three whiskers on his cheeks.
"Umm… miss? Are you okay?" The young man asked her again. Kurama suddenly realizes she's been staring at him for more than a minute. Not knowing what to do, she excuses herself while making a mad dash back to Matatabi with her tiramisu in tow.
Matatabi immediately recognize her sister's abnormal behavior and immediately asks her about it.
"What's with the rush? Afraid they'll catch you stealing again like that one time?" Matatabi jested. Kurama gives her a dirty look. "One: no, I'm not stealing and I paid that one in the end. And two: I don't want to talk about it" Kurama replied back with an edge on her voice.
"Jeez, I know Monday can be a pain in your ass but looks like there's something different with this Monday" Matatabi laid back against the bean and gaze to the rainy day. "Look, I know you won't shut up until I tell you but please, just for this once, I don't want you to-…"
"Hey, umm… miss? I didn't get your name and I still feel bad for bumping to you so… I hope this'll make up for it".
Kurama really don't want to look to her left but Matatabi is already doing the favor.
"O-Oh my god! Wow! Umm… n-nice to meet you! Mister…" "Mister Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki. Please, just call me Naruto" The handsome blonde man introduced himself. "Mine's Matatabi, and this ungrateful little brat is Kurama" Matatabi introduced herself and Kurama gracefully.
Naruto smiles warmly for a few second before realizing what she just said.
"W-Wait! Y-You mean…" He gasped in disbelief. Matatabi just nods her head giddily. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you're THE Kurama! I'm sorry Miss! I hope I didn't get myself into trouble!" Naruto apologized profusely.
Matatabi is having a great time and decides to put him out of his misery. "Oh don't you worry about that! It's not your fault, it's definitely her. I probably should buy her a tail light like I promised a while back" She cackled at the seething redhead.
"Well… it would mean a lot to me if you'd accept my apology Miss Kurama" Naruto asked her again with hopeful eyes. She bears no ill will towards him - only to Matatabi right now, which she'll get her payback later – and couldn't help but to sigh deeply.
"Alright, I guess it is my fault. I'm sorry, and thank you for the cake, that's really nice of you" Kurama offered him a sincere smile. Immediately, Naruto's face light up like the fireworks on New Year's Eve, smiling and Kurama could feel her heart throbbing wildly out of control.
"W-What is this feeling? This is… something new…" Her mind was going haywire.
"You welcome! And uhh… enjoy the cake! I have to go so… see ya!" He flashed her a bright wide smile, showing her his pearly white teeth.
For no reason, she suddenly gasps loudly and kicking the table hard, causing her to groan and clutching her feet. "Umm, are you okay?" "J-Just go!" Kurama hissed, still reeling in from the pain. Naruto, not wanting to incur her wrath, shoots Matatabi an apologetic look before making a beeline for the door.
After Kurama recovers – and with their orders served -, Matatabi shoots her a dirty look.
"What now Mata-chan?" Kurama grumbled, eating a spoonful of her black forest cake. She really don't like that look. "What now Mata-chan? Are you serious? Did you not see that hurtful look on that guy's face? I just wanna hug him to death as a compensation!" Matatabi started. "I was in a major pain Mata-chan! How'd you react when you're in a pain and someone keeps talking?!" Kurama countered.
"Well I'd tell them to shut up but this is different! That guy literally apologized to you and tried to make sure you're okay!" Matatabi argued, which thankfully didn't garner a lot of attention since there's not much visitors.
"Well yeah I'm sorry, but I just need to calm down on my own" Kurama offering a diplomatic look. Matatabi huffs and grabs her cup. "Fine, but if we ever meet him again, I'll not let you go until you apologize, thoroughly" She stated the last part firmly.
Kurama knows her too well if she uses that tone, she'll definitely get what she wants, no matter how ridiculous it'll be.
"Alright fine. Want me to take him on a date as well?" She quipped. Matatabi's eyes light up brilliantly and a sense of dread and horror immediately fills the redhead's mind.
"Oh my god Kura-chan! You're a genius! I will plan it out just for you!" Matatabi squealed, clapping her hands. "It's just a joke Mata-chan!" Kurama snapped, clearly not amused. Matatabi just gazes upon her dreamily.
"Yeah yeah, keep talking bullshit Kurama. I know what's going on right now" She mumbled. "Yeah? What's that?" Kurama shot back.
"Someone's in looooovvveee…" Matatabi sang, swaying her head left and right. "Kurama and Naruto, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" Matatabi continued. Kurama decides to stop her before she goes too far by wrestling her in the bean bag.
"You better stop or I will spoiler you of the ending of your favorite drama series" Kurama snarled. Almost immediately, Matatabi shuts up, knowing how dangerous it'll be if she doesn't find out herself.
"Fine sis, but seriously, I can see it in your eyes. You're slowly falling in love and to think that it only took a single smile to win your heart" Matatabi spoke, mainly to herself. "I'm not falling in love Mata-chan, it's just a friendly, innocent smile" Kurama tried to explain.
But Matatabi, with her vast knowledge of love and romance, all thanks to years of experience from reading, watching drama series, knows all too well.
"Come on Kura-chan, this is like one of the drama series I watched" Matatabi said. "Don't you mean ALL of the drama series you watched?" Kurama sneakily mocked. "Whatever, but the thing is, it's true. You're falling in love. You're basically that tough tomboyish girl that declared would never fall in love but within the next day or so you found someone that literally make your stomach do a flip. And that someone was Naruto" Matatabi explained.
"And to make things even better, you're in completely in full denial and vehemently rejecting the idea of you falling on love. Come on sis, maybe he's the one for you. Hell, we all been ribbing Kaku-kun for not getting married for the longest time and now? He's getting married next month!" Matatabi added.
"It's not that easy Mata-chan. Plus, we're only like what? 24? We still have a long way to go and we're definitely way too young for that kind of stuff" Kurama argued. "Young? What are you, 12? Hago and Mura-kun literally got married at the age of 22!" Matatabi countered.
"Why don't you get married then?" Kurama narrowed her eyes. "It's none of your business" Matatabi pouted. "I stand my ground then" She smugly grinned. "Whatever, your loss. If you're not gonna marry him within a year, I call first dibs" Matatabi declared.
"You're watching way too much drama Mata-chan" Kurama shook her head as she took another bite of cake.
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The Otsutsuki Corporation headquarter is a sight to behold. More than one hundred floor and going as high as 400 meters from the ground, it's definitely an engineering marvel. The building is painted with ivory white color and the sun is reflecting off of the building brilliantly.
"Well, I guess this is it. We're finally about to meet our nii-san" Matatabi stretched. "Which floor is it again?" "Floor 98. Why did they put the meeting room there anyway? Such a hassle" Kurama grumbled. "Oh don't be lazy, we're using fast elevators anyway" Matatabi said before pulling Kurama into the building.
Immediately, the receptionist recognizes them and bows in respect. "Miss Kurama! Miss Matatabi! Your brothers are in the meeting room. You may meet them now" She informed them. "Thank you" Kurama thanked her.
Both of them immediately go into the elevator and typed in the number 98 before the door closes and it starts moving upward fast. The elevators have glass panels on them so you can see clearly nearly 360 degrees outside. After a 20 second ride or so, they finally reach their destination.
The hallway seems deserted as it's almost lunch time, which is perfect since that means they can probably eat lunch with them as well.
Kurama couldn't hold her own excitement any longer and she's making little skips in her steps, which Matatabi follows. They found the door to the main meeting room, which is massive. Pulling the door open, they peer inside to see the twin brothers already setting up for their next meeting.
"NII-SAN! HAGO-KUN! MURA-KUN!" The two of them squealed from the top of their lungs and launched themselves onto them.
"Kura-chan! Mata-chan! It's good to see you too!" Their brothers, Hagoromo and Hamura, hug them back tightly. "Why you didn't tell me you're leaving early? I could've at least give you a goodbye hug!" Kurama protested, now acting like a little child once more.
"Kura, you're 24 years old and still acting like 4? Come on" Hagoromo joked. "Hey now big bro, let her be like that. She's our little big sister after all" Hamura added in. "You guys are the worst!" Kurama squealed. "And that's why you love us" Hamura replied. All four of them tighten their hug for another fifteen seconds before Matatabi ends it.
"So, Kurama here found someone and immediately fell in love!" Matatabi chirped loudly, rolling her eyeballs toward Kurama. "I did not!" She hissed in defense. "Really? That's great Kura-chan, so when he's gonna propose to you?" Hagoromo smirked.
"I don't even know him that much! I only know his name! And I'm not gonna get married anytime soon!" Kurama whined, now that she gotta handle more teasing all thanks to Matatabi's sloppy mouth. "Keep telling that to yourself sis" Matatabi sneered.
"Alright alright that's enough both of you" Hagoromo breaking the sibling fight once more for the unknown time since they were just a small kid. "So, what brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be doing something like playing games together?" Hamura asked.
"Well initially we just wanted to say hi to both of you, but since it's almost lunch time, I guess it'll be a good idea to tag along with you for lunch" Kurama explained. "HER idea, not mine. I'd rather be in my bed watching Youtube until I fall asleep" Matatabi added.
"Well lucky for you, we're about to do just that" Hamura said. "But, right after we finished this meeting" Hagoromo continued. Immediately, both Kurama and Matatabi throw their hands in the air and let out a growl of frustration.
"Really nii-san? Another meeting? How many have you had so far?" Kurama asked. "Four I think" Hagoromo answered. "And five with this one" Hamura added. "Why you guys have to work so much anyway? Can't you just take a break once a while and let your assistants take over? I just wanna spend time with my big nii-san!" Kurama protested.
Hagoromo and Hamura just smile at their little sister's antics. It's well known that Kurama, with that hard and tomboyish exterior on the outside, is still a huge softie on the inside. Which makes her easy target for her other siblings to pick on as her first instinct is to get her older twin brothers to help her.
"Alright, alright, I guess we've been working too much recently. We'll call our assistant to see if they can cover us for… 3 days at least" Hagoromo said. "You promise?" Kurama's eyes widen, brimming with hope. "Yes, we promise. We even would try for a week" Hamura added.
Kurama squeals and hugs her brothers tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! You're the best nii-san ever!" Kurama kept saying it at lightspeed. "Hahaha! Okay okay calm down Kurama, the meeting's about to start and since you two are here, why don't you join us?" Hagoromo said.
"Wait, is it okay if me and Mata-chan are present?" Kurama asked. "Yes it will be fine. The meeting's a small one as well and it should be finish quick" Hamura answered. "What's the meeting about?" Matatabi jumped in. "It's just a meeting about a restaurant chain we've invested for a while. The owners would like to expand even more and with that, would also want to increase our investment in their brand as well. Considering how profitable it has been and we're pretty much good friends with each other, I'd say this meeting would go smoothly" Hamura explained.
"And to top it all off, he said he'd like to invite us to have lunch in the restaurant's original place as well, so it'll be perfect for both of you" Hagoromo added.
"Wow! Free food!" Matatabi quipped, garnering laughs from the twins. "Not free Mata-chan, we're investing remember?" Hagoromo chuckled. "Sorry nii-san" Matatabi mumbled sheepishly. "It's okay, and it looks like the owner has arrived" Hagoromo said looking at his phone.
"Yes Yuka-san, bring him over. We're ready". Anticipation is brewing for the two of them, mainly Kurama. She has been wanting to have this lunch with her brothers for the longest time and if surviving this meeting means she can have that chance, so be it.
A subtle knock on the door alerts them that he's here. The door opens and the man walks into the room.
"Hello Hagoromo-sama, Hamura-sama. Pleasure meeting you again" The man greeted. "The pleasure's all ours. Please, have a seat".
It doesn't take long until Kurama realizes who that man is.
She just couldn't believe it…
"Y-YOU?!".
"Hi…".
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A/N: Well, I guess that's for the first chapter! Sorry for the lack of length and everything else, I'm still new to all these stuffs so I hope you'll understand. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I wish you all the best! :D
Until next time!