N/A: Aaaand we're back! Hi guys! So just letting you all know that I've released Chapter 12 for Fast Car a few days back. Yeah! We're almost at the end, people! Let's get excited for that! Also, I'd like to inform everyone that it is officially my hell month in school. A couple midterms here and a bunch of research paper drafts there. So I may be a bit inactive for quite a bit of time. But I do promise to get back to everyone as soon as I can. In the meantime, I give you a chapter for BTW to keep you company. :D And if you haven't checked out Fast Car yet, you should go read it and let me know how you think! ^_^ (since it's my first released baby and all. Aheh.)

So this chapter just gives us a little history about Naruto's parents and an introduction of a new character.

NOTE: I don't know if this is common practice but my best friend and I have a whole bunch of nicknames we call each other. And I mean A WHOLE BUNCH (to the point that we lose track which is which sometimes). I based Naruto and Sasuke's friendship with my own. So if you guys find it confusing that Sasuke calls Naruto a whole bunch of nicknames, I apologize in advance. TT~TT

Also, in my country, godfathers and godmothers don't necessarily have to be husband and wife. You can have a godfather who is completely unrelated to your godmother. Sooo just a little heads up. :D

Self proofread... again. Pretty sure there are some mistakes in there. Sorry! TT~TT

*DISCLAIMER APPLIES*

BEFORE THE WORST

Memories of Tragic Bliss

Pretty blue eyes scanned the structure with great excitement. She marvelled at the quaint ambiance of the room, noting the wooden ceiling and floor. There was something about places made out of wood that made a person feel so refreshed, so at home. It was cool inside not just because of the lack of concrete but also because the ceiling fans were turned on to medium setting. The girl trailed a finger over one of the many wooden table tops and sighed as she sat down on a dining chair. This place would never lose its magic in her eyes... because it reminded her of a home she once had with her parents.

"Uncle J, will this really be mine when I get older?" The eleven-year-old girl asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice. She couldn't grasp the concept that a place of such importance and such splendour could ever be in her possession.

"Mhmm. Your parents had this place made from their hardwork before you were even born, kiddo. It was for them and it's for you." Jiraiya lovingly ruffled his goddaughter's spiky tresses. He couldn't help but solemnly look back into his memories as he spoke to the blonde. Kushina, in her life, had the biggest passion for cooking. Talk about the wonders of food and all the different kinds of delicacies and she would have this look of adoration. Her beautiful indigo eyes would sparkle like the most precious of all gems being bathed in the morning sun. It was with that passion and that striking beauty that she caught a certain blond, blue-eyed aspiring investigative journalist's interest in university.

Well... that and her 'strong' personality.

Jiraiya had once made the mistake of angering the woman. It, in all honesty, had the old man fearing for his life at that time.

"Mom would have loved to see how well it's doing now." The preteen wistfully stated. Jiraiya couldn't have agreed more. Kushina dreamed to translate her love for the art into a business and to be recognized for it. Minato, being the excellent husband that he was, did not just only support her but also aided her towards her goal. His wife's dream was also his dream; he used to say to Jiraiya. So the couple would take away a portion of their salaries to put into their savings; they did this for the longest time. Year in, year out both worked and worked in the hopes that maybe one day, they'd achieve their wishes; then one day, they finally had the means to start the project. They bought a worn-down structure in Konoha proper and reconstructed the place back to its previous glory (of course, adding their own little flare to the place). Slowly but surely, the soon-to-be restaurant was getting somewhere. Not long after that, Jiraiya was informed that Kushina was with child.

Jiraiya could not express in words just how ecstatic Minato and Kushina were about the news. Tsunade couldn't be any more supportive for the young couple.

In preparation for their coming child, Minato and Kushina had to sacrifice setting the speedy construction of their little business. They had a more important priority and it was the little boy in Kushina's womb. With the money they had saved, they had a baby room added to their quaint home which was situated just at the outskirts of the city proper.

The room was beautifully painted in soft apricot orange; the colour called for attention yet still pleasing to the eyes. The crib was crafted in wood and was placed beside the window which adorned silky white curtains. Anyone who looked to the child's bed would have to admit how comfortable it appeared with the way the small mattress and its surrounding pillows seemed to have the texture of the clouds. Minato and Kushina littered the baby room with all sorts of toys and knick knacks for their first-born child as any parent would in their excitement.

Once the room was fully furnished, both parents couldn't help but feel like the room was lacking something. Chalking it up to perfectionism, the couple had simply let the feeling go. It wasn't a week before their baby was due that Minato and Kushina were leisurely looking through a small baby store just within their neighbourhood. It was there that both parents were enraptured by a small plushy; the only one of its kind - a vermilion fox with shiny beady eyes and a cute button nose. Its fur was soft to the touch and it was the perfect kind of fluffy. Not too hairy that would make a person's nose itch, and not too soft that it would cause the toy to be fragile. Minato marvelled at the stuffed animal's white breast and its dipstick tail. Kushina loved the way its ears were perked up as if it was full of life.

Not half an hour later, Kurama was perfectly situated inside the baby's crib waiting for the child's arrival.

The room was finally perfect.

A few days later, on the tenth of October, Minato was awoken at three in the morning by his groaning wife. Kushina was rushed to the hospital by her frantic partner. It was comical to see how Minato was floundering about while Kushina simply stayed calm despite her contractions.

Tsunade arrived at the hospital an hour later after Kushina was admitted; Jiraiya, thirty minutes after the old blonde. Minato and Kushina were the type of parents who wanted to keep the child's gender a surprise; so both the older individuals couldn't contain their excitement to find out if Kushina's motherly intuition was spot on. For nine months, the red-headed mother would answer that "Naruto", named after the hero in Jiraiya's recent masterpiece, was a boy; and she seemed to be one hundred percent sure that she and her husband would have a son. The conviction was apparently contagious as everyone connected with the young soon-to-be parents believed that the couple was due for a boy in their near future.

Fourteen hours later, Kushina had successfully given birth.

... Imagine everyone's, especially Minato and Kushina's, surprise when Naruto turned out to be a girl.

"So I guess our little girl is stuck with a childhood full of trains and cars, Kushina." Jiraiya remembered Minato saying to his exhausted wife. The woman could only chuckle at the words as she lovingly held Naruto for the very first time. In the older gentleman's opinion, that single moment – when Kushina was cradling her daughter while Minato enveloped his two girls in his arms – was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen; and that picture would be forever ingrained in his mind.

Life for the couple was spent in cloud nine after Naruto was born. Not once had Jiraiya seen the parents unhappy. Two years later, Kushina had quit her job as a chef at a local hotel and The Hokage had made its debut. She led the staff with the finesse of a true leader and although the restaurant wasn't as popular as she had hoped, she still persevered and believed that one day hers, Minato's, and her staff's hard work would realize international prestige.

Jiraiya felt that the next year flew by too fast for his liking.

It was a perfect July summer evening. The young couple had decided to take their three-year-old daughter to the annual summer festival. The outdoor venue was full of all kinds of food which caused the summer air to waft with various tempting aromas. It was packed with booths, all having different games with which you could win and choose from a vast array of prizes. There were rides, there was music, there was dancing. It was overall a joyous occasion.

The family had done their rounds of the place and had managed to eat almost everything the festival had to offer and had ridden every single ride at least thrice. Minato had even managed to win his wife a gorgeous rose flower hair accessory from a balloon dart game. He also won Naruto an adorable black cat plushy to keep Kurama company. Naruto never went anywhere without Kurama with the logic that her beloved toy would feel lonesome all alone in their home. The cat toy, now in the little girl's possession, was the perfect friend for her Kurama on days when she wasn't allowed to bring the fox with her.

The last event for the evening was the fireworks display and it was the most awaited occasion. Respective families and groups picked out their own spots to watch and admire the display; out of the hundreds of people, Minato was able to find and save quite possibly the spot with the best visual of the fireworks. It was a secluded area no one knew of and it was elevated to a certain degree. Kushina sat her daughter down by her side with Minato following suit; and as the first of the series of pyrotechnics exploded in the night sky and its little wisps of light trickled back to earth, it felt as if the family watched the stars of heaven fall in their direction.

It was indeed a joyous occasion and Naruto would never, ever forget that day...

Unfortunately, it wasn't just because of that singular event of pure bliss that the blond child would never, ever forget that day.

The family treaded back to earth after that magical moment with the fireworks. Minato was carrying her baby girl since she was slowly being consumed by the call of sleep. She held on tightly to her new plush doll and her Kurama as she was embraced by her doting father. Kushina prattled to her love about anything and everything. Minato would respond with a fond chuckle and input his own little stories here and there as the young family made their way back home.

In times of bliss, the last thing on anyone's mind would be the prospect of any sort of tragedy to happen; because it was in moments like these, misfortune was such a far-fetched concept.

The visual of a shadow crossed Minato's periphery. Suddenly on high alert, he snapped his gaze towards the shadow's location. Kushina quirked her head to the side at her husband's abrupt guarded disposition. He gave their sleeping daughter to his wife and asked the red-head to quicken her pace. Kushina was confused but followed the blonds' instructions nonetheless. Minato stayed close behind the mother and child, ready if ever there really was a threat to their safety. Hopefully, his mind was just playing tricks on him and he simply imagined the movement in the darkness.

When deprived of one of the senses, a person naturally relied on the other four to acquire information. It was dark and Minato wanted to know for sure if they were being tailed. So he listened...

He counted the footsteps.

One. Two.

One. Two.

Those were coming from Kushina.

His feet were doing their own little sets of two of their own. His steps in time with his wife's.

One. Two.

One. Two.

He didn't hear anything out of the ordinary; just the sound of two pairs of footste-.

One. One.

Two. Two.

There! A pair of footsteps that came from neither of the parents. Minato hoped that the steps came from a person who was merely finding their way back to their respective home.

Not wanting to cause unnecessary panic, he wanted to confirm once and for all if the other set of feet were truly following him and his family or not. Minato pulled Kushina to stop, putting their fast walking pace to a sudden halt. Not a split second later...

One. Two. One –

And then silence.

That was all the proof the young father needed.

Minato pulled his wife and ran. This woke up the little girl in Kushina's arms. The little blonde was in a state of panic as soon as she realized that her mommy and daddy were running away from something. The girl asked what was going on yet no one would answer. Just imagine the outright confusion and terror a girl of three and just having come from state of sleep could have been experiencing at that time. In her panic, she dropped the black cat her father won for her. She screamed and cried for someone, anyone to get Kurama's and her new friend back.

Friend.

Friends were never meant to be left behind.

So Minato went back.

He quickly turned about face and ran for the stuffed animal on the ground a few metres away, while he simultaneously instructed his wife to keep on running.

Kushina didn't run.

Not soon after, Minato was able to acquire the stuffed animal, but the stunt he just pulled allowed their pursuers to close whatever distance the family made. He couldn't run anymore. Trying to run would only be a futile attempt by that point. Facing the three men, he pleadingly shouted for his wife to run; to put herself and their daughter out of harm's way.

Kushina refused.

Minato picked up a nearby branch to defend himself. He shouted yet again, this time in a more commanding tone, for Kushina to alert the authorities and reminded her of her duty to keep their daughter out of harm's way. He promised her he would get back home safe, promised his wife that he'd follow behind as soon as he beat the hell out of those criminals, promised his daughter that he'd safely bring the black cat to her room and that all five of them would play together come the morning.

He assured his Kushina and his Naruto that he loved them just in case.

Kushina was crying by then. She warned her husband that if he didn't follow soon, she'd cripple him. Minato gave a thumbs up as a response; the gesture becoming a signal for Kushina to start running.

She sprinted far away, carrying her daughter with her. Naruto screamed for her daddy and started squirming which caused Kushina to lose her bearing. The mother tripped and fell into thick shrubbery.

The thorny braches of the bushes managed to wound the woman's flawless skin in a multitude of ways but the pain of her scratches were drowned out by the sound of her child crying. She was able to shield Naruto from the thorns but she wasn't able to completely protect the blond child from being hurt. Three deep cuts trickling with blood on each of Naruto's chubby cheeks.

She immediately took out her handkerchief and wiped the blood from her child's face as well as the tears that were free-falling from bright blue eyes. Kushina cradled her child and, in her most tender voice, lulled her daughter into a calmer state. Soon, the blonde girl was simply hiccupping from the distress.

The sound of crunching leaves from not too far away caused Kushina's ears to perk. She peeked to get a glimpse of the figure that was approaching; hoping against all hope that it was her husband.

It wasn't Minato.

The despair she felt was almost enough to make her pass out. But no. She was stronger than that. Her indigo eyes shifted to her still upset daughter and softened. Kushina softly placed her hand on Naruto's wounded cheek and soothingly rubbed circles on the soft flesh with her thumb. She kissed her baby on the forehead after which she removed her turquoise jewel from her neck. As she secured the gem onto Naruto's form, she gave her little girl instructions about being very quiet and keeping still. Naruto was not leave that spot until mommy or daddy came for her.

Kushina put Kurama against Naruto's little torso for the child to hang onto until this traumatizing event was over and done with. Before Naruto could even ask what truly was going on, her mother had whispered to her an I love you before to woman conspicuously jumped out of the shrubs and made a break for it.

The man was hot on her heels in a heartbeat.

Like a good girl, Naruto kept silent and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until her eyelids became heavy and she had fallen asleep right where her mother had left her.

The morning light came which announced the start of a new day.

The stuffing of a certain black cat were scattered on the moist soil.

Mommy and Daddy never came back.

"Uncle J? Hey!"

Jiraiya had had that glazed over expression for quite some time now. Heck, she had been calling him for the past minute and a half now and still no response.

"Hey, pop! Pop! Pops!"

The old gentleman sombrely recalled the day when 'Mugging caused death for young parents' hit the headlines. A local jogger had heard crying from one of the path shrubs and found a blond child littered with wounds inside the plant. Not soon after that, the police were alerted sightings of the child's parents. Jiraiya had cried so much after hearing the news. He would never forget that day; the day an innocent child was rendered without parents, the day he lost two good friends, and the day he acquired a daughter.

"Jiraiya!"

The man snapped out of his thoughts and was surprised to see face of his goddaughter literally just in front of his own.

"Gah! Personal space, kid!"He screamed as he shooed Naruto's face away.

"Well you weren't responding! How else would I have gotten your attention?" The blonde harrumphed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Jiraiya looked at his now daughter and softened his gaze. Rather than The Hokage doing well, Minato and Kushina would have better loved to have seen their girl grow up to be a beautiful lady. The man snickered.

"You know, your parents thought they were going to have a boy for their first child."

Naruto dropped to the ground. "Shut up, old man!"

"Hn. Even your parents thought you were a boy, Elle."

Only one person had that voice. Naruto looked behind her and sure enough there Sasuke was beside Tsunade.

"Hey, brat. Your friend's here to pick you up." Tsunade said as she lovingly ruffled her goddaughter's blond spikes.

"Hey, Aunt Tsunade." The girl beamed at the blond busty woman that was her godmother before glaring at Sasuke.

"What took you so long, grumpy?!" Naruto placed her hands on her hips in a scolding manner.

"Hn. Come on, Sunny. Mom's waiting outside. It's not every day my dad allows us to have a tour of his company." The twelve-year-old company heir pulled the blonde towards the exit.

"Hey! Answer my question!"

"Hn."

"Sasukeeeee!"

"..."

" S'uke! Did you know that the restaurant is gonna be mine when I'm older!"

Tsunade could only smile at the dwindling sound of the two children (well, actually Naruto was the only one speaking) leaving the restaurant she was managing. Naruto... would be just fine. As long as she had friends like Sasuke in her life, she would do great.

"You know, I won't be surprised if those two end up together." She spoke her mind as she made moves go get herself a glass of water. Jiraiya made a face at the prospect. "I doubt it. I can't imagine those two falling for each other." The visual of an older Naruto managing The Hokage together with the Amaterasu branch leader made his stomach sick.

"Want to bet on it, Jiraiya? Five hundred and I say those two end up a couple a few years from now." The woman, not looking a day older than thirty, flicked one of her low ponytails back in place. She was notoriously known for her gambling habits. Every casino knew of the name Godaime Tsunade but not just because she frequented the casinos. It was also because she Tsunade always, ALWAYS lost in betting. It was with that mindset that Jiraiya easily took the bait.

"You're on, Tsunade. Sasuke and Naruto ain't ending up together. That's final." Jiraiya pointedly stared at the other's hazelnut eyes.

"You sure it's not just 'cause you're overprotective of our girl, old man?" Jiraiya felt a tick form at the woman's words. Of course he wasn't! It was just that if anyone, even if it were Sasuke, so much as even thought of getting near Naruto in 'that' way, he would bludgeon them.

No big.

"Don't you have a restaurant to open up, grandma?"

Tsunade chuckled as she flipped the closed sign to open. The first wave of customers entered the establishment, signalling another productive day for the store.

"Get up off your bum and help me work, you old coot."