Hey, it's been a while, huh?
I don't really have much of an excuse for why I've been gone save for just hating what I've written. If you do care, I've left my piece at the bottom, and if you don't — well the story's right ahead!
It isn't much, but I do hope you forgive me and enjoy!
Naruto groaned as he stirred in bed, his head aching but slightly better than the day before. The blinds were still closed and even without the use of his still broken clock, Naruto was well aware that it was somewhere near the crack of dawn.
When he was still working part-time as at the ramen stall, Naruto had woken up around this time in order to get ready. And even though he had been away from the shop for a while and had no need to wake up so early, he still did. The blond had done it for so long that it had started to become second-nature, something he still did on a daily basis.
Blinking rapidly as he winked the grogginess out of them, his eyes finally stayed open long enough for him to see his little sister still on his bed, still lying atop his arm, her tiny frame rising and falling gently. A small smile played at Naruto's face as he watched at his younger sister sleep, an opportunity he didn't really get to have in the past. After a bit of struggling, his other arm managed to snake itself out of her sleeping grasp and reached up to pet the charcoal-black hair that sat on her head.
As he toyed with her hair, his mind started to wander about it's colour. Naruto had heard it countless times in the past. About why Lucy had black hair when no one else in the family did. Usually he answered the question with an amused smile and a waggle of his eyebrows. Normally it left people confused, as if the air of mystery that surrounded his sister's black hair was something amusing to him.
Some people debated that Naruto did not even know, or that she might have been adopted, or perhaps even a product of an extramarital affair, yet not a single whisper was brought up to Naruto. No one dared to say such a thing to the guy who had a black-belt in Taekwondo and whatever colour belts or trophies he had for his other martial arts. That and also because Naruto was arguably one of the nicest people in school, and no one wanted to be rude to the guy who offered to help anyone with anything.
Naruto did, in fact, know why his sister's hair was coloured this way. And it wasn't much of a secret in the family either. It was simply due to hair dye. A simple pack of hair dye that he normally got for her when they went out to shop.
That kind of answer wouldn't satisfy most people — hence Naruto's air of secrecy regarding the topic. Still, seeing the faces of his befuddled questioners was something Naruto just couldn't help but find humour in. Wasn't their business to stick their noses in his Lucy's business.
But the reasoning behind his sister's need to colour her hair was something he didn't find much humour in. The story of why she wanted to dye her hair was a story for another time. Naruto didn't exactly like her colouring her hair but he respected her choices and agreed to help her dye it whenever he could. Thankfully she didn't have to use bleach, otherwise, it would have been a firm no from her oldest brother.
With a low sigh at that distant memory, Naruto brushed it aside and returned to absently toying with Lucy's hair.
The black curtains that normally kept her eyes hidden had been swept aside and showed a pair of closed eyes that had a light dusting of freckles at the corner of her eyes. A trait she shared with a few of her siblings. Against her pale, milky skin, the freckles were incredibly obvious. It did make her look cute. Shame about her hiding her eyes though, Naruto did enjoy how adorable she had looked with them exposed. Lucy always looked like a silver doe with how large and wide they were.
One might have thought of Naruto as some kind of secret sis-con, and they would be right no matter how much Naruto denied it. His red face never did help his cause.
As he continued to let his mind wander, a small yawn escaped his lips and Naruto felt the wave of sleep hit him. There was still a few hours to school, right? And a short nap did sound rather good…
Soon, he found himself cuddling up next to his sister and hugging her lightly as his mind slipped back to the world of dreams.
Nearly an hour later, Naruto's door opened by a crack and a head of short brown hair popped inside.
"Aw, dangit." Luna muttered softly at the sight of Lucy already in Naruto's bed. "I was too bloody late! Maybe next time…" With a low accented grumble, her head slipped back out and she retreated back to her room quietly, a notebook in hand.
And here she was hoping to play a song she wrote with the guitar Naruto kept in his closet! Now she had to postpone the concert she was going to play him!
"Ugh, great." Lori groaned as she stepped away from the door, "I literally put in the effort to know all the timings and days he stays in bed and someone's already in my spot. This is so annoying." Whipping out her phone, she began to tap into it furiously, her eyes rolling as she strolled down the hallway back to her own room.
"So that's where you were, Little Miss Doom and Gloom." Lynn scoffed at her younger sister and room-mate sleeping in Naruto bed. No wonder she was missing from the room when Lynn checked up on her earlier. She balled her hand into a fist and slammed the base of it into her palm, clicking her tongue. "Whatever. Tomorrow no one'll beat me there! I'll be the first!"
Lynn wasn't the most competitive for just sports in her family.
"A little bit late, ain'tcha?" Mr Coconut asked after a quick glimpse at the two sleeping in the bed.
"Quiet you." Luan shot back at her dummy, narrowing her eyes at him. "And don't think I don't know that you thought you would have been sleeping with us." Luan shut the door as she crept back to her room, "That would just be creepy."
"Aww…" Mr Coconut whined sadly, a rather eerie sight considering how unnerving what with his blank stare. "You're not the only one that's Coco-nuts about him you know." Whether Mr Coconut was referencing her sisters, or merely just himself, Luan wasn't quite certain.
"Yeah, yeah." Luan clasped her hand over her doll's chattering mouth, "Clam it, nutcase."
"They're so cuuuute~!" Leni squealed as quietly as she possibly could at the sight of Naruto with his arms around Lucy. "Oh my gosh! I totes need a pic of this!" Whipping her phone out, Leni snapped a few pictures of the pair before slinking back out, giggling at the numerous images she had of them.
As the door shut, Leni, nor any of the other girls, managed to notice the tiny grin that Lucy had splayed out on her face.
"Suckers." The soft murmur fell on deaf ears and her grin soon vanished as the young Goth buried her face into her brother's chest, promptly returning back to sleep.
Chapter End
Sorry I've been away for so long. My health acted up during my short time as an intern and I fell into a small pit of depression with emotional breakdowns in front of my family, who thankfully supported me with the best they could through that turbulent time.
Obviously, I've lost the will to write and even now it's hard to say that I'll continue on with it. You have no idea how many times I've tried to continue with the rest of my stories, but stop short and give up when I'm a quarter in with a chapter. It's not that hard to explain how much you love something but just can't act on it. I'm sure many of you understand how that feels.
But writing this chapter did fill me with a bit of happiness, but I'm not going to be too optimistic and promise you another chapter anytime soon. Or ever for that fact. Life's been a hassle and it's going to be much more busy from now onwards. But I do sincerely hope I can start to write again, and enjoy it.
Please write a review! Short, long, chatty or brief, I'll read 'em all! Tell me your thoughts and ideas! It doesn't even have to be related to the story. I just love reading what people leave behind on my stories.
PS. Is it just me, or are there less and less updates from FF authors nowadays? I wonder if everyone is feeling the same way, or just busy with life.