Chapter Five- Boruto

Summer was amazing and Kawaki was over literally everyday. Mom and dad had accepted him into the family happily, treating him like a second son. It was great being with him all the time and going to school with him as well was the icing on the cake. The middle school and high school divisions were in the same building, Hikaru academy was huge. So it made sense that I didn't know Iwabe went there and he was an upperclassman, but I tried not to be too bitter about it. Punching Hajime was something I realized I should have done from the beginning just like Kawaki said. I had decided to take his advice and as I was waiting for him after class, Hajime walked up to me. All he got the chance to say was my name before I hit him right in the nose.

Seeing Kawaki proud of me was even better though and I was excited he was sleeping over. However, the storm had me worried. Not just because of dad being out, but because of the storm itself. All long as it only rained and had strong winds, I would be fine. If there was thunder then there would be a problem. I couldn't stand the sound and I didn't want to look like a kid in front of Kawaki. We made it to my house right as it started raining and mom was still in the kitchen cooking dinner. We did our homework in the living room, Kawaki letting me copy some of his answers. Dad made it home about an hour later, soaked to the bone because of the heavy rain. Mom came out of the kitchen when she heard the door, gasping when she saw dad.

"Naruto, you're going to catch a cold." She said as she went over to pat his face with her hand towel. "Where's your umbrella?"

"I lent it to one of the younger boys at the dock." He confessed and mom shook her head fondly. "How was school, boys?"

"Good." I smiled.

"Best day yet." Kawaki chimed in. "Towards the end anyway."

I laughed and dad looked at us curiously. "Is that so?" He mused before mom ushered him into the bedroom to change.

She asked us to set out the plates and said dinner would be ready soon, giving us both a hug before we went into the kitchen. She asked about our day as well and I told her about how pet club wasn't starting until next week. We washed our hands when we were done and joined dad in the living room once he was dry, sitting in the recliner while we sat on the couch. I asked him about work and he sighed, saying it was crazy.

"All the younger boys were on edge because of the storm and some of the older guys teased them about it, some team work, huh?" He said and crossed his arms. "I had my hands full as it was without having to break them up. It's important for everyone to stay calm and work efficiently, the ocean is no joke when a storm is brewing. It hit sooner than we expected too and the waves were throwing a fit."

"I'd like to be out there during a storm one day." Kawaki said thoughtfully.

Dad looked surprised at that and I was too. I knew Kawaki liked storms, but I had no idea he had such a passion for them. "Out on a ship?" I asked and Kawaki nodded.

Dad grinned. "I'll have to take you one of these days."

"You would take me?" Kawaki asked in disbelief and excitement. "That would be awesome."

"You bet!" Dad promised and slapped his knee. "Next time I have to be out there when there's a storm, I'll take you along. But if it happens on a school day you'll have to be 'sick', you know?"

I'd never seen Kawaki grin like he did then. "I'll be sick as hell. I mean. Really sick."

Dad laughed. "It's settled then."

Kawaki turned to me, elbowing my arm. "You hear that? Your dad is so cool." He looked so happy, even his grey eyes sparkled. It was weird, but it was great seeing him that way.

"Yeah, he is. You'll have to tell me all about it when you go." I said before mom came in to tell us dinner was ready.

We all went in to sit down and eat and my parents were glad to hear Kawaki was staying spending the night, not that mom would have let him leave the house in this weather. The wind was picking up and easily heard from inside, the sound of the rain barely carrying over it. I wasn't as worried as before about the thunder since there hadn't been any lightning yet. Kawaki and I took turns taking a shower and then changed into our pajamas, Kawaki preferring to only wear the bottoms. We went to my room for the rest of the night and Kawaki was quick to sit on my bed and look out the window.

"What do you like about storms?" I asked as I sat on the other end of the mattress.

"Everything." He answered quietly. "I love the smell of the rain. How cool a storm looks. I really like drawing similar settings too." He looked at me after a moment and sighed. "You don't like them, do you?"

I ran a hand through my blond hair, wondering how he figured it out. "They're okay . . . just a little intense sometimes."

"You're scared of them." He stated plainly as if he didn't need me to verify. "You shouldn't be… they're really beautiful."

"I'm not scared of them." I insisted and folded my legs.

"But you don't want to be on the boat with me and dad during a storm?" He asked, giving me a disappointed look.

I frowned, not really knowing what to say to that. "I don't know . . . it depends."

"On?"

"How bad the storm is I guess." I answered and looked out the window when I saw a flash of lightning. Oh no.

"Can I open the window?" Kawaki asked, already up and leaning against it excitedly. The thunder that followed the lightning rumbled loudly and I flinched. "It's about to get good."

Kawaki opened the window and everything sounded much closer. My eyes widened as another flash of lightning went across the black sky and I was trembling before the thunder even hit, the loud bang echoing across the clouds and I hid under the blanket. I covered my ears in hopes to drown it out and clenched my eyes closed, the anticipation of another clap of thunder making my heart pound in fear.

The window snapped shut and then Kawaki snatched the cover off of me, looking down at me with a frown. "You're scared as fuck."

I looked up at him fearfully, wanting to deny it but unable to. Lightning lit up the room and the thunder followed. "Make it stop."

Eyes widening a fraction, Kawaki's face softened and then he sat next to me on the bed. "Hey, don't be scared. It can't hurt you. I promise."

I shook my head, wishing none of this was happening. I wasn't always scared. I didn't used to cower like this, but all it took was one night for that to change. I was little when it happened and I had to stay in the house. Dad was still out at sea and mom had to tend to the lighthouse, leaving me all alone. Everything was different when I was by myself, the sounds were bigger and much scarier. I wanted mom and dad to be there with me, but they couldn't. I was on my own and all I could do was hide and hope it stopped. I knew it was silly to still be afraid at my age. I knew that, but I couldn't help it. I pressed my hands harder over my ears and told myself not to cry. At the very least, I couldn't do that in front of Kawaki.

"No." I whimpered after the next roar of thunder. I wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it stop?

"Hey," Kawaki called loudly, taking hold of my hands and pulling them away from my ears. "Look at me."

My eyes went back to his face as I tried not to pull my hands away.

"It's okay. You're okay. I'm here." He reassured me, tone softer than it had ever been as he squeezed my hands. "We can do something and forget about the storm if you want."

"L-like . . . like what?" I asked, trying to focus on him instead.

He thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "I'm not the best at coming up with ideas. You're better at that. But I could… show you some of my drawings if you want."

"I like your drawings." I sniffled, heart starting to slow down.

He smiled at me, letting my hands go and getting up. His backpack wasn't far and he quickly got out his sketchpad and returned to the bed, sitting right next to me. "Alright." He breathed and opened up the pad. "I guess I should show you all of them."

I looked quietly as he started from the beginning and showed me what he drew. I was happy and surprised to see some of me in there, but I was mostly blown away. Since he was drawing more frequently, he was getting even better and the details were beautiful. Most of them were of storms over the ocean with the waves crashing into each other while the wind swept over them. The way he had the lightning going through the clouds was really cool and before I knew it I hardly registered the thunder from outside. I gasped when he turned to a page with another storm, but this one had a ship going over the intense waves.

"That's a pirate ship!" I pointed out excitedly.

"You like it?" He asked, looking from the drawing to me with a smile. "I really like this kind of stuff."

"It's awesome." I told him, wondering if they looked so realistic because he sat outside during them.

He nodded in agreement and flipped to the next page. It was blank. "That was all…" He said quietly. "Should I draw you something?"

I thought about it for a moment. "What about a shipwreck?" I asked, still determined to find one someday and hopefully a treasure map.

Kawaki nodded and dug a pencil out of his bag. "It should be old I think. You agree?" He asked, already starting to sketch lines on the page.

"Yeah, really old." I said and watched closely.

"Really old shit, coming right up." He chuckled, making quick work of sketching out the shipwreck.

At first it looked nothing like a shipwreck and more like a bunch of lines, but then it all started coming together. I was invested in watching him draw and couldn't believe how good he was at it. It seemed like no time at all had passed as he brought the drawing to life and I had been gaping at the page for a long time by then. When he stopped and handed it over to me, I took it to look it over. If I hadn't witnessed him drawing it, I probably would have thought he didn't do it.

"You can have that. If you want… and hey, the storm's over."

I glanced out the window, seeing the stars peeking out between the clouds. "You're right." I said and turned back to him, smiling. "Thanks Kawaki . . . for everything."

"Well you don't need to thank me." He huffed, brows narrowing as he looked away from me. "I didn't do anything."

"You did too." I said and carefully placed the drawing on top of my night stand. "Are you tired? Or do you want to stay up and watch a movie?"

"Let's watch a movie." He said, pulling the covers down and getting into my bed.

I got up and went over to pick a movie, putting it in and grabbing the remote before I got into bed next to him. I pressed play but was only able to make it halfway before I fell asleep. I was grateful that Kawaki helped me through the storm and I hoped next time I could get through it on my own, as long as he was there with me. I woke up first the next morning and sleepily got out of bed to brush my teeth. I could smell breakfast from the kitchen and my stomach growled. A look at the clock told me it was late morning, but mom wanted a while to cook. When I went back to wake up Kawaki, I found him sprawled out, having quickly claimed my spot and then some after I left. I chuckled and decided to let him sleep for a little longer.

Dad was in the living room reading the newspaper, a cup of coffee next to him. I said good morning to him and scowled when he made fun of my bedhead. Mom smiled sweetly when I padded into the kitchen, pausing to give me a hug. She told me dad was taking her out on his day off and that she would leave lunch for us in the fridge, sure they would be back before dinner time. It had been a long time since they last went out and I could tell mom was really happy about it. I set up the table once she was finished cooking and then went back upstairs to get Kawaki. He had knocked the pillows on the floor and was tangled up in the blanket, definitely a crazy sleeper.

I walked over and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, wake up." Instead of waking up, he just rolled over and grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. I picked up one of the pillows and whacked him with it. "Up and attem!"

"Shut fuck time don't." He groaned and pulled the cover over his head.

I grinned and went to the end of the bed, grabbing his foot from under the cover and tickling it. "Up I say!"

Kawaki snatched his foot away, tucking his knees close to his body. "No!" He whined, shaking his head quickly before settling back down.

I covered my mouth to hide my laugh. Who knew he was like this in the mornings? I thought for a second how to wake him up, having to get more creative. I settled on something classic and went to my door as I stared down my target. Then I dashed to the bed and jumped on top of him, a big 'oof' coming from him in protest.

"Son of a bitch." He wheezed and then tackled me onto my back, glaring down at me. "What the hell is your problem?"

I laughed happily, finally victorious. "Are you awake?"

"Am I alive after that would be a better question. Shit." He scoffed and rolled off of me to lay back on his back. "I think I lost a kidney."

I laughed again and sat up. "Breakfast is ready. Mom and dad are going on a date too so it'll be just us until they get back."

"Breakfast?" He sat up and stretched. "Well I can't pass up mom's cooking so I guess I'll get up."

"You guess." I snorted and then stood, heading to the door. "Come on, let's go before dad eats it all."

Kawaki jumped out of bed and ran past me. "Beat you there." He laughed, running out of my room.

"You cheated!" I yelled as I went after him, trying to catch up.

He beat me to the kitchen with a smug grin of his face, having no shame whatsoever. I huffed as we sat down while mom and dad shared a fond look. Breakfast went by quickly and Kawaki and I talked about what we would do today while mom and dad got ready to go. Surfing was a must and the waves were still excited from the storm last night, the sky clear but the wind still blowing. We headed out to the beach as my parents left and Kawaki stopped by his cove to get his surfboard. We went into the ocean and surfed for a long time, having a blast. I fell off a few times because of how strong the waves were, but it was still really fun. We did tricks and Kawaki showed me some I had never seen before.

I flopped down onto the sand when we came back to the shore, tired and content. Kawaki sat down next to me as we took a break before going inside to eat the lunch mom made. I was ready to go again after eating, but we explored some first instead of getting right back in the water. I was frustrated that we hadn't found another cove yet and it had to happen pretty soon now. We did climb over some big rocks and spotted a couple standing on the beach. I was shocked when the woman suddenly slapped the man, Kawaki laughing at the display. After that we went back to surf for a little bit and then went to the boardwalk. It was fairly crowded and we figured the arcade was too, a lot of people out and about for the weekend.

I found a flyer that said a circus was coming soon and asked Kawaki if he wanted to go, hoping to get up close and personal with an elephant. Kawaki was all for it and I couldn't wait to go. We were heading back home when I turned a corner and bumped into someone. I was about to apologize before I realized who it was, that Raiko guy.

Kawaki suddenly grabbed my arm and shoved me behind him as he moved close to Raiko. "Say something." He hissed and Raiko glared at him but said nothing before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Well that went well." I mused and moved to stand next to Kawaki.

"I need to see Iwabe." He muttered and started walking off.

I followed after him, confused. "How come?"

"Need something."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what that something was, but it sounded important.

I walked with Kawaki around the boardwalk until he found Iwabe. I made a beeline for an ice cream stand while he got whatever he needed from him, deciding to go with cookies and cream for me and chocolate for Kawaki. I gave it to him when he was done and we ate our ice cream on the way back home. He wanted to go to his hideout instead once we reached the beach and I followed him in, mindful of the tide. The sun wasn't setting yet, but it was low in the sky and making everything look orange and pink. I looked out at the water as Kawaki made and lit one of his non cigarettes. We sat in comfortable silence as he smoked and watched when the sun did begin to set. The temperature dropped a little, but it was still warm outside.

I got the urge to surf at night, never having done it before and the full moon giving off enough light for us to see. Kawaki joined me after he was finished smoking, the crash of the waves sounding louder at night. Mom and dad were back when we went into the house and we took a shower before watching a movie with dad in the living room, mom starting on dinner. I loved how comfortable and complete everything felt with Kawaki around and I hoped it would always be like this. We hung out all day Sunday as well and even went to school together on Monday. Hajime steered clear of me and I was very smug about it, making Kawaki laugh. Girls would bug us every now and then, but they finally got the message after I kept telling them no over and over again. I didn't understand why they wanted to hang on Kawaki and I and I didn't want to. We were both happy when it stopped.

Kawaki still left lunch early sometimes to go with Iwabe and people stared at him when he came back. When it happened the first day of school, I thought it was because of Kawaki's piercings. I realized much later that it was because he smelled like the stuff he smoked and told him as much. Kawaki said it wasn't their business what he did, brushing it off as if he couldn't care less. Yet after that he started bringing cologne so the smell wasn't as obvious. Pet club started back up the following week and Metal and Shikadai were still in their own clubs. It wasn't really Kawaki's thing so he didn't join, but he waited for me everyday on the roof, smoking his non cigarettes. I had a great time with all the animals and was once again reminded of how much I wanted a dog. My birthday was coming up in a few months so I would ask my parents then, though Kawaki's was before mine.

I had to start thinking about what I wanted to get him and wanted it to be something he really liked. The circus came up first however, and I was counting down the days. When the day finally came, I had practically dragged Kawaki all the way there. The house of mirrors caught my attention once we went in and we went there first. We played games at the different stands next, winning some prizes. The big tent was where all the performers were and I was excited to see them all. The show was amazing and had all the classics like the man and the lion, the trapeze and the tiny clown car. I nearly lost it when the elephants came out, standing and clapping as loud as I could. Kawaki took me around to another area when the show was over and I couldn't believe what I saw. They were letting people ride elephants.

I was more than ready to get up there and we went to wait in line. We put our prizes to the side when it was our turn and I could barely contain myself, I was really getting to ride an elephant. It was so much fun up there and a lot easier than riding a horse. It was by far the highlight of the circus, I had a blast. We told mom and dad all about it when we went back to my house. Dad was starting to get more hours at work again, but some of them were voluntary. I didn't know why he did that until mom had shocked Kawaki and I with some special news. Kawaki and I were in the living room doing our homework when she sat on the couch, clearing her throat.

"I have some good news." She said, watching our faces closely. "I'm pregnant."

My jaw dropped at her sudden and straight forward words. "Y-you're . . ."

"Shi-oot we're gonna have a baby!" Kawaki gasped.

Mom giggled and clasped her hands together. "That's right. A little sister."

"Whoa!" I was taken aback, but still really happy.

"Congrats, mom." Kawaki said and got up to hug her.

She held him tightly, all smiles. "Thank you, dear."

Dad already knew, they were both hiding it from us until the right moment. I didn't know if I would make a good big brother, but I was glad I was going to get the chance to be one. Kawaki and I fussed over her after that, making sure she wasn't over doing it. I helped with the cooking while Kawaki helped with the lighthouse. All four of us talked about what we would do and made plans, the hardest part picking a name. Kawaki actually forgot about his birthday during all the commotion and excitement and was caught by surprise. Mom and I made the cake while dad went to get the presents we asked him to, wrapping them up when he got home. I had finally picked out a present and for him and was told to keep him away from the house until everything was ready. We surfed most of the time and then I ran in the house before him so I could yell surprise. The look on his face was priceless.

We sang happy birthday and he blew out the candles, smiling shyly at all the attention. Dad got him a new surfboard, mom got him some clothes she thought would suit him and I got him an art set. I could tell Kawaki was really happy, but he was also touched. He looked a little sad even and I noticed him tear up a bit. I trapped him in a hug and told him happy birthday again, letting him hide his face on my shoulder. Things calmed down after his birthday, but something was different. It started off as a small feeling I would get when our eyes met, not a big deal but still noticeable. The feeling got bigger and bigger as the days went by and it was getting distracting. I felt funny whenever we would touch, my heart beating faster when Kawaki smiled at me. I had no idea what was going on. It was impossible to ignore and it wasn't a bad feeling. It actually was a good one.

My birthday fell on a school day, but the only other people who knew were Metal and Shikadai. They wished me happy birthday and gave me a present before I went home. I could tell Kawaki was in on whatever my parents had planned, he was in such a rush to get home. I didn't get a dog, but I wasn't too depressed over it. They all sang happy birthday to me and we all spent some time on the beach. Dad got me a surfboard as well and mom got me a cookbook, noticing how I took to it once I started helping her. Kawaki's gift caught me off guard and I never could have guessed what it was. He got me a turtle and I was so happy, I didn't know I even wanted one until I saw him. He was so cute and could play in the sand with me. I gave Kawaki a big thank you hug, my heart feeling funny again when he hugged me back. The turtle was named Bolt and mom and dad got a kick out of it when we told them. It was silly, but it suited him. I made sure to take good care of Bolt and set his glass home in the living room so everyone could enjoy him.

Kawaki was around me all the time and while I loved that, it only helped that feeling grow. It got to the point that I was hyper aware of everything he did. My gaze drifted to him more than it used to and I was thinking about him constantly. I didn't know what was going on and one day I asked my mom about it. We had a long talk and she explained things to me, saying that it was normal. It was confusing to me despite her patience and it made me wonder. My feelings for Kawaki weren't that of a friend anymore, but I still saw him as my best friend. Things were normal between us, but he affected me in a different way. I liked Kawaki . . . I had a crush on him. It was hard to understand at first, but it all made sense. I liked him and that was okay. It was okay to see him in that way. However, I wasn't sure what to do moving forward. How would I act on it? Should I act on it? I liked the way things were now, but what about in the future?

It was a lot to think about and in the end I decided to take it day by day. Being Kawaki's friend meant a lot to me and I wanted it to stay that way for now. I wouldn't worry about my feelings just yet, I would let them grow in peace and enjoy being with him. Hopefully I would know what to do in the future, but I wasn't scared. Kawaki would always be my friend no matter what.