A/N: UGHHH I ALREADY TYPED OUT EVERYTHING AND THEN I PRESSED A BUTTON AND EVERYTHING DISAPPEARED I'M SORRY SKDHKJSHDFL
!Warning! - Dark themes! :O
Kind of a filler chapter? Sorry :( But it was needed!
(P.S. - There is some romance considering Valentine's Day is creeping closer!)
- Disclaimer for once -
I do not own anything.
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An evil thought
May or may not break bones.
But an evil thought
Can and does break hearts.
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Poems on the subject of Evil
By Sri Chinmoy
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Irate did not even begin to describe Maiko's state. She was fuming! Livid! Outraged! Those hooligans had shown up and… injured her! Her guest had inspected her wounds and prescribed her some sort of ointment, but she was simply wrathful, planning out her revenge in her erratic mind. She could hear them trying to calm her down, but being beaten wasn't something she allowed!
Even as she spoke, the darkness of her silhouette grew to the point it swallowed the room and Maiko whimpered. She cowered in fear in the corner where all of the glass was and watched as the ghost crept closer and closer…
The door swung open and the greenette flinched.
"Maiko."
She froze. She would know that voice anywhere. A small frown made its way to her chapped, sallow lips. Precipitously, the imp sulked in her corner, curling into a ball and noisily playing with the pile of broken glass.
The guest stayed silent, watching with severe eyes that she knew were very likely glaring into her back.
"Where have you been?" she asked slowly, her voice giving away her pout.
Muteness still kept a cloak around the two and suddenly another person appeared.
"Ah, look who it is," they said, a cruel grin in their voice, "Still moping around I see."
Maiko turned around and glared unhappily.
"SHUT UP!"
Only a few seconds passed before her conduct took an unexpected turn and her glare dissipated.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she murmured.
The guests seemed completely used to her tactics, and departed, slyly leaving her on her lonesome.
Tendrils of dark shadows curled up from the ground and Maiko sniffled, panic gripping her roughly.
It only took seconds until her wrists and thighs were dribbling beads of blood and she felt that pain she recognized so well. Her crooked grin returned, her visage giving off the image of a mental patient.
She felt like a time bomb, winding herself up again and again so that she could explode once more.
The physical pain numbed her, yet hurt her. Stirred her, yet calmed her. Antagonized her, yet…
Her sharp teeth gleamed in the vague light coming from her open door.
Soothed her.
-:-
Hiromi held up her black dress before her; it was just like everyone else's, long sleeves and short. She had worn it not quite a while ago to Asuma's funeral. Silently, she prayed that she would not need to wear it again for a long while after this service.
Deliberately, the blonde pulled the gown over her head and straightened out the fabric when it fell into place. She cautiously sat down at her vanity, prepared to fix herself up to be presentable.
Her figure looked puny, fragile and pathetic. She still had bandages wrapped around her knuckles and other various areas from her fight with Maiko. Tightly, she braided her hair off to the side, her mundane movements hypnotizing her into avoiding the subject of her unstable teammate in her mind.
When she was finished, she slipped on a pair of shoes and made her way out of the house, realizing it was empty because her parents were gone. Carefully, she picked up the lone flower she had bought from the occasion before closing the door behind herself.
The fair-haired teenager arrived at the funeral very quickly, for the service had nearly already begun, starting almost the instant she arrived.
It was similar to the Hokage's, but with a lack of people. A picture of Hanako sat at the front, pillowed by a wall of blossoms, ranging from cyclamens to sweet peas. Hiromi eyed her own offering, a pink carnation.
Slowly, Haru and Kakashi made their way to the picture frame. Hiromi blinked away her tears sternly, telling herself that she had cried enough.
The father knelt down beside his daughter, seemingly explaining to her what to do. His little toddler very tenderly and carefully laid a yellow zinnia in front of her mother's image. When she was done, Haru began to wipe away her own tears before it became a downfall and Kakashi swept her up into his arms, cradling her like the exceptional father he was.
Hiromi looked away and gasped lightly. There was no way… That wasn't possibly..? It was true!
The one and only Kotone stood very stiffly, her white attire sticking out like a sore thumb. Her companions were nowhere to be seen, and despite her upper limbs being in two arm slings (likely the conditions of Tsunade and not the princess's own will), one of her hands held tightly a tea rose.
Hanako's funeral was over before anyone knew it and Hiromi lingered afterwards, hoping to speak with Kotone, Kakashi and possibly Haru.
The wan damsel seemed to have the same thought process and approached her shorter teammate after the service.
"Hiromi," she addressed.
The blonde nodded back to her teammate, waiting. The teen's arms looked wrapped in bandages behind the slings they were supported in. Hiromi cringed lightly, thinking of how painful the injuries must've been.
"Hiromi," Kotone repeated, adding in a very heart-tugging fashion, "I don't know what to do."
It was strange, because it was the first time Hiromi had heard Amaterasu say such a thing. She always seemed to have all the answers and now, Hiromi felt her heart break for the girl.
Lovingly, she pulled Kotone down into a welcoming embrace. The blonde was sure not to grip the mourning princess too tightly, in fear of injuring her further and simply breathed in the essence that was Kotone. The scent of fresh laundry and a hint of some other mysterious, foreign whiff wafted off of the griever.
"It's okay," the smaller teen buttressed in a shushed tone, repeating, "it's okay."
Kotone's familiar voice was muffled by her embrace, her arms trembling against Hiromi's chest, "What am I going to do..? Aiko.. she's.. she's not awake yet.. And Akio.. he's hurt. There's nothing I can do."
There was really nothing that could be said to help her. Her friends, no, her family, was injured and she could not do anything.
It was likely that Aiko may not wake up for months, possibly years. What really was there for Kotone to do..?
"Did Aiko have a book she likes very much?" Hiromi asked very suddenly.
The embrace dissipated as the petite, golden-haired chunin awaited a response.
"Back in the Nishi no Sabaku," Amaterasu began, "there was a book that the twins would try and read to one another. There is a ninety-two percent chance that someone they knew beforehand wrote it."
"Did they bring it back with them?"
"I.. don't believe they did," Kotone's eyebrows furrowed together slightly, "But I don't understand what that has to do with anything…"
"Well, I read in a book when I was younger," Hiromi explained softly, "that if you talk to someone who is in a coma, it's very beneficial. So, you could've read her that book."
Amaterasu looked down at her tattered arms. In this state, she was on the edge of being downright useless. She couldn't even defend herself, really.. But..
"It's decided then."
Hiromi looked up at the princess with a raised brow, "What is?"
"I'm going back to the Nishi no Sabaku."
"W-what?!" The Sato girl exclaimed, suddenly scared, "But I need you here!"
"You .. need me.." Amaterasu tested the words on her tongue.
"Y-yes.." Hiromi blushed faintly, "I do."
Slowly, Kotone rested a friendly hand on the smaller teen's shoulder, slipping her arm out of its sling, "I'm.. sorry. But.. my family needs me."
"When will you leave? And when will you come back?!"
"I don't know."
"Please don't go.. L-.. Let's go together!"
Hiromi's heart was racing. Her only teammate left couldn't just up and leave her! Not like this! Not at all! The stinging feeling of incoming tears caused the chunin to close her eyes.
The feeling of the bandaged limb of Kotone wrapping around the maiden's shoulders caused the tears to flow steadily.
"P-please don't leave me all alone!"
"Hiromi."
The girl looked up gradually and met eyes the color of shining emeralds. Snippets of hope and sunlight glowed brightly in those orbs of fresh jade and Hiromi felt safe.
In the time it took for her to blink, those eyes had shifted back to a dull white. A very determined and wise color of snow.
"I'm going to protect my family now," the woman said firmly, "Just as you must protect what is left of ours."
Confused, the blonde tried to meet Kotone's gaze, but followed it to another person, her expression warming when she found herself looking at Haru, who was looking longingly at the photo of her mother.
"I understand." She whispered.
Hiromi turned back towards Kotone and felt a twist in her stomach when she realized that the pillar of pure wisdom and strength had disappeared. The only remaining sign of the woman's presence was the distant sound of the wind howling.
Normally the petite chunin thought that the winds' cries were frightening, but as she felt the caress of the soft gales on her cheeks, blowing gently her black attire, she thought that perhaps, it wasn't all that scary.
But, as Kotone went to face her own trial of protection..
Hiromi eyed Kakashi and Haru sorrowfully.
She had her own duty.
-:-
Akio's entire body ached. No matter what meds Sakura gave him, he felt as though all of his systems were shutting down one by one. When he requested he be transferred to where Aiko was, the pink-haired nurse simply told him he could not interrupt the Akivi's rest.
Now, here he lay, simply fiddling his thumbs while staring at all the casts and bandages he was trapped in. The window to his right was open and the freshness of the air was kind to his lungs, but Akio still felt extremely ill.
"Akio."
The tanned foreigner sat up hurriedly, his ocean blue eyes wide. Though he had no voice, he seemed to let out a shocked gasp.
Placing a hand over his heart, Akio attempted a slight bow. When he rose back to sit up utterly straight, he smiled affectionately at his guest.
Amaterasu sat in the window, the wind blowing her hair forwards, giving her a very saint-like appearance. For a split second, Akio thought the locks had turned a warm chestnut color.
Grabbing the paper he had been using to communicate with the nurses so far, Akio scratched some words upon it with his pen. When he finished, he turned the sheet around to face his princess.
'Where have you been?'
"I'm sorry I did not come to visit you sooner. I, too, had treatment."
The handsome foreigner eyed her injured arms worriedly and sympathetically. Slowly, he wrote out another message.
'Would you stay here with me for a while?'
Kotone seemed to pause, considering the offer. Akio thought that perhaps the room temperature had gone up a considerable amount, as he felt very hot.
"Akio. I care about you. A lot."
The heart monitor which had had a steady beat just a single second before seemingly had a spasm, its glaringly red lines suddenly making mountains on the monitor.
Akio didn't even bother grabbing his paper and pen (considering they have fallen from his trembling hands) and simply stared idiotically at his princess.
"You have cared for me all of this time, despite my lack of emotions. Thank you."
Kotone leapt down into the room and walked to her partner's bedside. His mouth was dumbly agape.
"I'm going away for a while, but I'll return."
This time, Akio's mouth shut hurriedly as he frantically waved his arms around.
'Where?!' He managed to signal.
Amaterasu turned away from him, facing the window. Her eyes were filled to the brim with thoughts, but he couldn't have possibly read them.
"I'm going back to the Nishi no Sabaku."
Akio gripped the blankets covering him tightly. Why would she want to go back? Didn't she like it here?
"Do.. do you remember the book you and Aiko liked to read?"
The foreigner's expression softened as his thoughts transferred to his sister. She liked the part about the dragon the most.
"Please.. write down its name."
Sheets of paper and his pen were placed back in his reach and Akio met Amaterasu's gaze. At that moment, she looked serious, and yet, sincere.
Taking the items gratefully, the male Akivi stared the paper thoughtfully. What was the name of that book..? What was it..? No.. that wasn't it.. What was it..?
In a slow action, the striking young man led the pen across the paper. Looking at his own handwriting for a moment, he passed the paper over to his love interest.
Kotone received the paper and looked at it, reading the letters carefully before looking back up to Akio, who seemed fairly embarrassed.
"The Princess's Guardian Angels." The damsel looked closely at her partner, asking, "Are you sure this was the book..?"
Akio nodded, and then began writing on another sheet of paper. He flipped the page over when he finished, showing it to Amaterasu.
'Yes, I'm sure. Our mother wrote that book.'
"Your mother..?" Suddenly the paper in her pale hands was very precious, and Kotone scrutinized the writing tremendously closely, eventually asking, "What was her name?"
The incredibly attractive foreigner smiled, putting a finger to his lips, seemingly saying, 'It's a secret.'
Amaterasu seemed to frown vaguely, "And why is that?"
At the sudden show of humanity, Akio let out a boisterous laugh. The room fell silent after the sound of joy and Kotone stared at him, shocked.
"You… laughed."s
Akio nodded sluggishly. The small taste of his voice was encouraging and suddenly Kotone was making her way to the window. The Akivi teen made a choked noise to try and speak, but it pained his throat and he stopped, noticing thankfully that she had turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I'll return with that book. That way.. When she wakes up…"
The last part of her sentence was very hard to hear, but tears began to fall after Akio realized what he had heard.
He looked up, ashamed of his sobs, but was both grateful and disappointed that the white figure of his princess was gone. His princess.
So, Akio positioned himself towards to window, prepared to wait for the rest of his life for the love of his life to return. Yes, he loved her with all his heart. Yes, she would never love him back.
Another tear slipped down his cheek, but this time it occurred with a smile growing on his lips.
His eyes closed and he felt like he was reaching out for a wispy dream.
"I'll return with that book. That way.. When she wakes up.."
Reaching towards his pen and paper, Akio suddenly back to draw. It was a hobby of his when he was a slave in the Nishi no Sabaku and it was time to sleep. He would steal paper from the richer villagers and take charcoal from the palace (usually resulting in a beating) and draw himself and his sister, playing with the princess. Sure, he used to pretend he hated her, but she was the most kind and the most beautiful girl there was.
When his wrists suddenly stopped moving, he realized what he had drawn and smiled warmly at it. Gently, Akio put the piece of paper in his lap and closed his eyes.
-:-
Sakura was exhausted by the time she entered Akio's room. Sure, she loved her job and all, but sometimes she felt like the world was against her. As she greeted the mute and closed the door behind herself, she realized that the handsome young man was sound asleep; a look of pure peace on his face.
Tiptoeing her way to the bedside, the pink-haired nurse inspected his wounds, careful not to wake him. As she prepared to leave, Sakura noticed a sheet of paper that had floated down from the bed.
She went to it cautiously and picked it up and examined it closely. Tears pricked at her eyes and she looked up at the sleeping figure.
On the sheet of paper was a detailed drawing of Kotone, smiling widely, her hands being held by a no-longer blind Aiko, whose eyes sparkled on the page, and an Akio who also seemed to have lost his disability. At the bottom, there was some writing in a language Sakura didn't recognize.
Smiling, she placed the paper back on the bed and left the room, not noticing how the now-awake Akio was gripping the drawing with a grin.
Noiselessly, he mouthed the words at the bottom of the page.
'We can read the book together, as a family.'
-:-
Hiromi patiently picked up a small doll, watching carefully the little toddler who was holding the matching toy with an interested expression. After the funeral, the blonde had decided to take Haru off of Kakashi's hands as he coped with his wife's death.
In the back of her mind, she wanted to sneak into Hanako's room, but decided against it.
"Hiwomi…"
Abruptly alert, the chunin smiled at the silver-haired tot who was cradling a baby doll in her arms, "Yes, Haru?"
Sticking out her bottom lip, the Hatake child looked up with glossy blue eyes, "Is mommy evew coming home?"
Sighing, the blonde placed her own doll on the ground and opened up her arms. Running, the toddler leapt into the comfort of the teen's arms, her baby doll long forgotten.
"I'm sorry, Haru. I really am."
"M-mommy!" Haru cried out, her voice muffled by Hiromi's funeral attire.
"Cry all you want, okay? Crying makes you feel better sometimes."
"I'm sowwy for putting peanut buttew on my dowwy, mommy! Pwease come back!"
After an hour and a half, Haru had fallen asleep. Hiromi carried the little girl to her bedroom and recognized immediately that Hanako had been the one to design the room.
The walls were an elegant red-violet, and the child's bed was some sort of princess canopy bed. The entire fluff of pillows were variations of purple, pink and white, and an extravagant canopy, complete with ribbons and bows, wrapped around the entire thing.
Hiromi sweat-dropped at the sight of it and sighed, "Sensei, you never do anything halfway, do you.."
It took around ten minutes for the short blonde to find the entrance to the castle, but when she did, Haru miraculously awoke and her efforts were in vain.
"Hiwomi! Come see my woom!"
"We're already in it!" Hiromi chuckled.
Crawling inside her castle of a bed, Haru disappeared and then shortly after reappeared with a big teddy bear about twice her size.
"'Dis is Snowfwake!"
"Ah," The chunin shook hands with the giant bear playfully, "Hello, Snowflake-san. It's nice to meet you."
Haru collapsed in a fit of giggles before returning to her bed, leaving Hiromi with Snowflake. The black beady eyes of the stuffed animal caused the blonde to think of Maiko and she squirmed, hurriedly turning Snowflake to face a different direction.
A sigh escaped Hiromi's lips and she tossed her head back to look at the painted flowers on the ceiling. Honestly, she'd have to face her again, one day. She'd also have to tell Kakashi.. And she'd have to have a talk with the Hokage, considering all the secrecy that had been occurring lately. Hiromi groaned; she'd be facing Tsunade alone, now, too considering that Kotone was probably going to disappear soon.
"'Dis is- Hiwomi..?"
The little silver-haired girl crawled over to her babysitter, tossing aside the fluffy cat that was once in her arms.
"What's wong?"
Hiromi smiled sadly, "My friend is sick."
Well, it wasn't a lie.
Haru's mouth opened in a small 'o' and she yanked back her stuffed animal, a white cat sitting calmly with a tail that must've been sat on incorrectly, for it twisted in random directions.
"Twinkles is a doctow! Wike Sakuwa!"
The toddler placed the cat in Hiromi's arms with a satisfied expression before apparently remembering something and making her way back into her bed. When she remerged, she had a frog that reminded Hiromi of Naruto's wallet. In the back of her mind, she predicted that the blonde himself had given the gift.
"And who is this?" She asked sweetly, setting aside the doctor/cat, Twinkles.
Haru smiled widely, "'Dis is Nawuto!"
Hiromi snorted. Of course somehow Naruto would get his hands on a frog plush toy. And of course, it was probably one of Haru's favorites.
"Did Naruto-nii give you that?"
Surprisingly, the little kid shook her head. When Hiromi inquired who did actually give the gift, Haru cutely put a finger to her lips (nearly missing and poking herself in the eye) and giggled.
"Aw, you can tell me!"
"No way! It's a secwet!"
"Awww, you've hurt my feelings," Hiromi grabbed Twinkles and hugged him tightly, "Twinkles-san, please cure me of this terrible aching!"
Haru broke out in happy laughter. The kind of laughter that reminded Hiromi that this was a little girl who thought that unicorns existed and that her father was invincible.
When her fit of chortles was over, the blue-eyed tot crawled over to her babysitter.
"I'ww teww you!"
"You will?' Hiromi asked, faking excitement.
"Mmmhmm! 'Dat's wight!"
Leaning forward as though to whisper, Haru said with a giggle, "Ojichan Jiwaiya (Grandpa Jiraiya)!"
Surprised, Hiromi raised a brow, "Jiraiya-sama? That's strange."
"Ojichan brings candy sometimes! And look what he taught me!"
Haru scrambled her way to the top of a little table where the remnants of a failed tea party lay. Pressing her little hands together in a seal, Hiromi suddenly stood.
"Ehh!? Jiraiya-sama tried to teach you a jutsu!?"
"No, no! Chakwa!" Haru said sternly.
Slowly, Hiromi reseated herself and watched as the little girl pretended to fire off a fireball jutsu followed by something she made up.
Now that she thought about… Hiromi hadn't trained very much as of late. She even had those that she could start using.
"Haru-chan," the blonde chunin suddenly said, causing the tot to stop in the middle of performing a wood-style jutsu, "Do you want to go train?"
"Twain?" Haru cocked her head to the side, "Wike a choo-choo twain?"
"No, no, I mean with chakra!"
"Okay!" Gasping, the little girl covered her heart with her hands like an old woman who had nearly forgotten something, "I need to get dwessed!"
Haru dove into her closet, which was as nearly as classy as the rest of her room and reappeared in a color t-shirt underneath an overall dress with a bright green belt. Her stockings were both two different patterns and her shoes were plastic slippers from a princess costume she wore a long time ago.
"Wet's gooooo!" Haru cheered happily, grabbing a bag with a little mirror inside, along with a stick of her mother's lipstick.
As the little girl prepared to leave, she suddenly grabbed her frog plush and strapped him to her back, revealing that the entire toy was a backpack. Stepping into view of her own mirror, Haru struck a pose but then stuck her hands in her hair.
"Umm, what's wrong?" Hiromi asked.
I feel like Hanako-sensei is either cursing me for letting her daughter dress like this, or smiling down upon me, she chuckled to herself.
"My haiw!" Haru pouted.
"What about it?" Hiromi smiled, "it looks great."
The toddler paused for a moment before pointing at Hiromi's own side braid.
"Can I have one of those?" She asked politely.
Haru sat in front of Hiromi, who braided the tot's thin hair patiently, deciding that instead of one, she'd do two pigtails. The little girl insisted on putting ribbons on as a finishing touch and rejected the two that Hiromi held up, picking up a shoe, yanking out its purple laces and biting them in half.
"Sensei," Hiromi mumbled to herself, "your daughter is nothing like you."
-:-
"Come in!"
The door to the Hokage's office swung open softly and Kotone entered. Tsunade and Shizune eyed her white backpack, which seemed lightly packed.
"What is the meaning of this?" The Hokage asked, crossing her arms.
Amaterasu replied, "I'm going back to the Nishi no Sabaku for a while."
"When your friends need you most, you decide to disappear," Tsunade snorted humorlessly, "How pathetic."
"I need to take care of my family now," Kotone countered.
"Your 'family' is in the hospital, and you should be, too!"
"What's back in the Nishi no Sabaku that's so important that you'd leave your family?" Shizune piped in.
"A book." Amaterasu responded.
"A book? That's ridiculous; I won't allow you to leave," Tsunade frowned.
"You don't understand," Kotone explained, "I need to do this. The people I care about are hurt… And this is all I can do to help them."
"Why don't you bring someone along? I'm sure Hiromi would be more than willing to tag along." Shizune offered.
When there was no response, the two other women watched as Kotone walked to the window, and stared out of it.
"Look down there."
Tsunade peeked over the princess's shoulder and noticed that Hiromi was pushing a ridiculously dressed Haru on a swing.
"Hiromi has her own family to protect."
"Well, we can't just send you out there without any way to defend yourself!" Shizune opposed.
"I assure you, I will be unscathed."
"What if Maiko were to show up?" Tsunade defied, "What in the world would you do then?"
Amaterasu took a minute to think before replying, "Would you rather me be gone for a matter of weeks or stay here and interrogate you on the subject of said missing nin?"
Tsunade bit her lip and glared holes in her desk.
"Fine," she eventually gave in, "have it your way. Go to the Nishi no Sabaku and retrieve your book. But I only have one requirement."
"Which is?"
"You are entailed to stay at least three days in Sunagakure."
"And why is that?"
"That way you can at least have some sort of contact with us; have them send a single messenger eagle over to inform us that you've arrived there safely. If you don't, I'm sending a squad out to find you."
Eyeing her own arms (now safely placed in their matching white slings) Kotone nodded soundlessly.
"Well, now that that's settled, I have a feeling you're going to ask me about Maiko."
Immediately, Amaterasu replied, "Why did you lie? Why did you keep information from me? And from Hiromi for that matter?"
"Because," Tsunade sighed, closing her eyes, "I was trying to protect you two."
"How long have you known about her? What do you know about her?"
"I've known ever since she disappeared. And… that's classified."
Kotone turned away towards the door, pushing it open with her foot.
Before she exited, she said with finality, "I expect all of the answers I request when I return from the Nishi no Sabaku."
And on that note, the door closed behind her.
-:-
Kiba rode atop of Akamaru, the beast trotting along the soft dirt path of the park. Lately, he had found that a nice stroll through the place was quite relaxing. Since it was sometime in the summer, the trees were full and green and there were a lot of fresh scents around.
Rounding a corner calmly, Akamaru suddenly barked loudly.
"Eh? What is it?" Kiba asked.
The large dog sniffed the hair and barked to his master. Somehow, the teen understood Akamaru's language and the two made their way to the area of the park where they usually trained.
As they entered the clearing of clean, nice-smelling grass, Kiba grinned widely. Hiromi was in the center of it all, her hair tied back appropriately, an intense expression on her face. Her movements were graceful and soft, almost as though she were dancing. There was something in her hand, but Kiba couldn't quite get a good look.
"Ah! Puppy!"
Hiromi lost her focus and turned hurriedly and smiled at the sight of Kiba. Haru had leapt down from her seat atop of a stone ledge and was making her way towards Akamaru, who looked just as excited to see the little child.
Knowing the dog wouldn't hurt the girl, Kiba dismounted Akamaru and made his way to Hiromi, who seemed to be stuffing something into her bag hurriedly.
"Hey!" Kiba greeted her happily, "What are you two doing here?"
He knew not to bring up the subject of Hanako, so he decided to try and ignore the funeral he had attended earlier.
"Haru was feeling a little cooped up, so I brought her here." Hiromi explained with a small smile.
The two teens heard a squeal and spun to see Haru atop of Akamaru, who was trotting to and fro with his tongue cheerfully flopping out of his mouth.
"Geez, he really likes her!" Kiba laughed.
Squinting, he snorted, "Is that a frog backpack?"
Hiromi giggled behind her hand, "Yeah.. Apparently Jiraiya-sama gave it to her. She named it Naruto."
Haru and Akamaru galloped by and the little girl daringly leapt off the dog in an attempt to roll, but landed flat on her face. Hiromi sighed and fetched a small bandage out of her bag. Kiba watched as she picked the tot up and scolded her. After the wound had been treated, the blonde chunin couldn't help but kiss the toddler's head and encourage her to continue, but more carefully.
When she returned, Kiba whistled, "Wow! You're pretty good with kids."
"Thanks," Hiromi beamed, sitting down in the lush grass, "for some reason I have this strong urge to be her mother, as if I could replace Hanako-sensei."
The brunette looked over at his friend, awaiting tears. When he saw that she wasn't crying, he cautiously wrapped an arm around her shoulder, comfortingly.
"I think it's very admirable of you to be doing this," he explained, motioning towards the giggling Haru who was receiving 'kisses' from Akamaru, "You may not be able to be her mom, but you'll definitely be a good one in the future."
Hiromi tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, blushing furiously at the thought of having her own children, "You really think so?"
"Yeah," Kiba replied, pulling Hiromi a tad bit closer, "Your kids would be cute, too, since you're so pretty."
Sure, it wasn't the best compliment ever, but Hiromi turned even redder, if it was possible.
Her heart was soon to burst from her chest from beating too hard, but it felt nice and warm. Wiggling her toes inside of her shoes, Hiromi unconsciously leaned into Kiba, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.
The two flinched at the close contact, but settled into it slowly. All was silent, save for the sound of distant water, Haru, and Akamaru.
"Kiba?" Hiromi whispered.
"Hm?"
"I, umm, I, can, um, close your eyes!"
Kiba blinked, "Why?"
"'C-cause I asked you!" Hiromi blushed, "P-please? Just for a second?"
The dog lover shrugged, "Fine."
Dark eyes closed and blue eyes quivered nervously. The petite chunin felt her heart swell and she scooted out of Kiba's grip so that she was sitting in front of him. She felt very nervous, but possessed to do what she was going to do next.
"Y-you can't see anything, right?" She asked anxiously.
Kiba frowned, "Not anything at all; Why am I even doing this?"
"Pl-please just stay like that for a moment longer!"
Hiromi gulped and shyly inched forward. Yes, she was going to do this. Absolutely. Yes. Yup. Any moment now. Another inch and she would be there. She closed her eyes. Yeah, that would make it go faster.
Peeking out from underneath her eyelids, the blonde realized that Kiba had opened his eyes and she was centimeters away.
"Ahhh!" Hiromi yelled, pushing herself up and away from the brunette, her words eventually meshing together.
Kiba was a light pink, but he reached out for Hiromi's hand to pull her back.
"O-oi! Hiromi! Oi! Calm down!"
"Eeeekk!" The chunin shook her head erratically.
When Kiba's strong grip encased her small hand, Hiromi lost it and shoved him away, her courage completely washed down the drain.
"Haru-chan! Time to go! Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
The little girl was as confused as ever, watching her babysitter snatch up all of their things and bolt, grabbing the Hatake by the collar.
"Ah! Bye, puppy!"
"Hiromi! Wait!" Kiba called out.
His voice disappeared amongst the trees and he sighed, upset that he had ruined the moment. When he caught a peek at Akamaru, the dog seemed to be laughing at him.
Growling, Kiba waved his arms angrily, "She ran off! That wasn't my fault!"
"Well, maybe.. A little bit my fault.."
Akamaru seemed to smile smugly.
"OI! CUT IT OUT!"
~:~
I've never been the type to say what I feel
So basically I keep everything inside
And with you it was no different
I want to tell you, believe me I've tried.
~:~
By Mandy.
~:~
Source: Secret Admirer, Falling in Love Poem poem/secret-admirer-3#ixzz2KRwfjQJX
A/N: I AM SO DONE UGHHH I'M SORRY GUYS I DID ALL OF THIS AND AFTER I RESPOND TO SOMETHING I DELETE IT AND I AM JUST SO DONE I ASDKLGJHSDKLJGHSDG I CAN'T DO IT FOR REVIEWS ICAN'T I AM SO DOONE
One day later ...
Okay, I can do this XD
REVIEWS
Animefangirl95 - Yes, she is quite messed up :c Hahah yeah XD
She has come very far :) And it was pretty depressing :C
Aw, don't cry! :O School dance? :) I hope you had fun! And I'm sure you looked pretty :)
I thought maybe I hadn't portrayed that scene correctly, but I'm glad you liked it :D
Hahaha XD I did the same~! I was like 'i can't let anything happen to Akio he's too hot'
Well, I love reading your reviews! :) Sorry if I seem to be trying to speed through this :( I finished all of this stuff and then it deleted it all so, apologies!
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
xXFallen-Angel-Of-DarknessXx - D: I'm sorry!
There are some sad moments, but it's not as sad as it is emotional; the music contributes SOO much to the feelings of the game. I honestly felt really complete when I beat the first one :) While they are difficult at times, I suggest you play them; You may like them a lot! :D
Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)
PsychoIdiotLady - Huh, I suppose you make a good point. But now that I think about it, what would they do for an execution? :o A public hanging..? Electric chair? Just curious XD I'd love to hear what you think about it.
I didn't answer many questions, but I am building up to a big reveal :)
Thanks for reading and reviewing! v.v I hope you enjoy this new chapter!
ShadowBloodNinja - I promise I will read it! :O I can't live with the fact that I would break a promise! v.v
Well, I'm probably so scared of them because I'm scared of heights D: Crying is good for you sometimes :) It makes you feel better afterwards; and crying in front of people proves you're not fake!
*read that whole thing extremely intensely* you go, girl :) It was very courageous of you to stand up to those bullies! But I also think it was very mature of Jennifer to not start a big fight and approach you calmly and apologize; I think that's a great quality to have. You should also set an example to others v.v I think not cursing when you're mad is a sign of maturity and wisdom v.v They're just words and they're weapons and not very nice! :O
People who spread rumors are scary, but really, they just want people to like them :o It's just that way with young people v.v
Yes, he is :) Sorry XD
I promise I'll read it :O I swear! I watch Pewdie play it c: though sometimes I just want to hit him XD He always either goes the wrong way or walks past stuff.
ADFGJAD;FLKJGADLKFHGAHAHADFKGHADFKGH A;KJH IN A CUTSCENE TOO ADFKGHAKDLFJHG I'M SORRY FOADFGHDFALKGHJAHAHADFL;GKAFD;GK H
*calms down* :') hehe. It's okay I like long reviews! :D Here's your update! :)
Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)
SummerAngelz - O_o I WILL respond to ALL of these.
- The Puppet and the Puppeteer -
Chapter 3 - Thank you very much! :) Green hair = Maiko and Main OC = Kotone :D
Chapter 4 - I like scary! :D I'm trying to gradually build up to romance v.v I absolutely HATE chapter stories that dive immediately into 'i love you' and stuff :P
Chapter 5 - Puddle of water = Sasuke..? XD Okay?
Chapter 6 - Haha, I tried not to make is so obvious XP heehehe c: even if I wrote that story ages ago, I still think I make it really awkward for that scene XD
Chapter 7 - Thank you! :D
Chapter 8 - I just don't like cussing at all v.v I think it's very pointless and that swears are just out there to provoke fights. I only use them in my story because they suit some of my character's personalities :) No one looks at this story except for myself! And those reading XD Ughh that'd be so awkward ._.
Chapter 9 - AwWWWWW thanksssss :D
Chapter 10 - Lol by a long while I mean there's barely anything even now, in the sequel XD Yeah, Idk who I like more XD I love both of them! ikr v.v
Chapter 11 - hehehehe c:
Chapter 12 - Ikr.
Chapter 13 - Garrus V..? :o
Chapter 14 - I won't :)
Chapter 15 - AWwwwww yeaauuhhh! :D
Chapter 16 - Thankss! :) I think I'm still a little rough around the edges when it comes to fight scenes, so I really appreciate it! :D
Chapter 17 - The thing is, Neji is very cold sometimes and stern, and Hiromi needs someone who is willing to try hard to make her laugh and pursue her while she has to pursue Neji v.v ALL YOU LADIES OUT THERE YOU GET THIS YOU BETTER NOT EVER HAVE TO PURSUE A MAN BECAUSE IF YOU ARE RUNNING AFTER HIM HE IS NOT WORTH IT. YOU ARE ALL INDEPENDENT WOMEN WHO DON'T NEED NO MEN.
But yeah, Neji is for me ;)
Chapter 18 - Ughh it's so hard to involve him, sometimes XD No problem c:
Dates! Bonus Chapter - hehehe I had so much fun typing up that chapter :D
Chapter 21 - it's okay c: I know dem feels. hahahah thanks! :) There's a lot more to see!
Chapter 22 - :) That's right! Oh, no it's fine c: ... oh i get it XD
Chapter 23 - is spin off a compliment XD OFJADKFHGADFJGH YOU'RE SOOOO SWEET STAHP IT
Chapter 24 - It is kinda sad D: AWwwww! I wish I had a twin sometimes :) I'm sorry your friend is moving away :C But maybe it's a sign that you need to start befriending new people? I know it seems kinda lame and scary, but I suggest it :D You never know; you may meet someone who is your perfect friend!
Oh, no :O I am more than willing to read it! I love to learn about my readers c:
Sorry; there will be more in the future ;)
Chapter 25 - HEhee, thanks! It was an annoying OC I thought up XD Aww, you should try and rewatch them! Or read them; the anime and the manga are amazing :)
Chapter 26 - I LOVE YOU TOO OMG LET'S GET MARRIED
- The Free and the Enslaved -
Chapter 1 - Yay! :D HEhehe I tried to make her as cute as possible! Hehehe c: don't die! I flip flop between both names :)
Chapter 2 - AWWW YOU ARE SOO CUTEEE STAHP IT I LOVE YOUUU DHADFGKHADFKJGH YOU ARE SOOOO SWEET PIRGJIRGOPAHUAERGOIUAER
Thanks for reading and reviewing a whole bunch! :)
MsReinvited - Thank you very much :) I apologize for the swapping of terms, but I am actually constantly trying to keep the readers in state that they are as uninformed as the characters :D Sorry!
I'm sorry! D: There's a reason for it, I swear! Please don't kill me :C
Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D
FOLLOWERS
XxAnimeLover4EverxX - my fingers are so cold ughh whyyy warm me upppp thanks btws
I am a Dre4mer - whyyy shouldn't it be spring or something isn't it supposed to be warm or something
KunoichiOtakuAnime - adsklgjakdfhg;adfjhg so cold
MsReinvited - please cuddle me i'm so cold
FAVORITINGS
XxAnimeLover4EverxX - please send help
music-anime-lover - Lol jk c; i'll be fine.
KunoichiOtakuAnime - I need an electric blanket XD
MsReinvited - I hate to show up out of the blueee uninvited~
That's literally all I've been thinking when I look at your username XD
A/N: FINALLY. Two days after and I can finally post the finished product :) Thank you for reading and such!
GUESS WHO STILL HASN'T RESPONDED TO THAT GIRL AAHAHA MEEEE I'M SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON
The other day, I attended a friend's wedding and was reminded that I have no one to celebrate Valentine's Day with except for my television, videogames, and my Harvest Moon games that make me think that I have a boyfriend ;D
No, but seriously this is going to be a repeat of New Year's day.
*Sigh* oh well :) No point in getting upset over it!
YOU GUYS BETTER NOT BE SAD IF YOU DON'T GET OR GIVE ANYTHING ON VALENTINES DAY BECAUSE GUESS WHAT GOD LOVES YOU MORE THAN ANY BOY/GIRL EVER COULD AND I LOVE YOU AND I WOULD BUY YOU ALL CHOCOLATES OKAY
LET ME LOOVE YOUUU
Please look forward to Chapter 11!