I'm back! Oh, my darlings, how I have missed you! This has been my longest absence thus far (Eleven days), and I have regretted every day of it!
There was a lot of stuff going on with school starting up again and then my friend had to come over to spend the weekend (this was hell) and then I had a mock AP exam (I got the highest out of the entire school for the multiple choice!) and I had to go to an art gallery opening (where I was unable to buy any of the pretty shiny things because I ain't gots any monies) and then, to top it all of, Kathy just up and left me in the middle of writing a chapter, which I then deleted because it supremely sucked and I didn't want to subject you dears to that. (sorry for the rant)
This chapter is in two parts and I just wanted to write it to show you the relationship between Ringo and Asuma. It definitely isn't one of my best, but I felt really bad for leaving you guys for so long with nothing.
So here we go!
Ringo had always understood that she wasn't quite what her had wanted in a daughter. Ino had wanted a quiet, dainty, lacy little pink taffeta doll, and instead she had gotten, well… her.
Sure, she could have tried not to play so roughly that she scraped her knees bloody and her hands raw, and she supposed that she could have tried not to be positively disgusted by the fluffy bows and dresses her mother tried to force on her, but she just couldn't.
She liked playing so hard that she fell and tumbled, scratching her skin so much that she could no longer feel the sting. She liked climbing trees and getting dirty, and she liked wearing clothes that she could run in.
She liked being Ringo, and it hurt that her mother was unable to say the same.
One day when she was ten, after yet another little spat with her mother about how she could own an outfit for a week before ruining it, Ringo decided that the best thing to do would be to run away. Her mother would never have to deal with her scraped knees and dirty clothes again and she would be able to play as roughly and as often as she wanted. And she'd be fine, after all, she was going to the ninja academy.
It had been a simple thing to just walk away, most people only thinking that she was going to be playing outside of the village for a few minutes. But she didn't stop at her favorite tree climbing spot and she didn't stop at the little pond that the older children favored, she just kept on walking until it got dark.
It wasn't so bad, really, but then she ran out of the snacks she had brought that were supposed to last her until the next village, and then as the night fell the temperature went along with it, making the girl shiver in her short sleeved shirt and shorts, and then to make it better she tripped over a rabbit hole and twisted her ankle.
After sitting on the cold dirt ground for a minute, biting her lip as she struggled over her hold on her tears, Ringo stood and limped over to a random tree, struggling up to a high branch and wincing every time she jarred her new injury.
Shifting slightly to get comfortable Ringo pressed her hand lightly to her ankle, whimpering at pain that shot through her nerves, wiping at the tears that snuck through her guard. Curling up as best as she could she slipped her arms through the sleeves of her shirt, wrapping them around herself as she fought not to shiver.
She was so cold and hungry and tired, and her leg hurt more than she had ever thought that it had before. She obviously hadn't thought this through, and all she wanted to do now was go back home.
Sniffling, she curled up tighter, trying to figure out if she could last the night so that she could make her way home when it got light again, though with her ankle and how cold it was she wasn't all that sure that it would be happening.
There was a rustling from beneath the tree and then Ringo listened to the sound of the branches moving as something made its way up to her. She stiffened, pressing up against the bark of the tree as she tried to steady her breathing, wondering what kind of animal it would be, steadying herself so that she could fight it off if needed be.
Long and slim fingers wrapped around the branch, a blonde head with wide green eyes popping up moments later, swinging up onto the branch beside her, and seeing the familiar features Ringo breathed out a shaky breath in relief.
"Asuma." She sighed, looking into his delicate face and his wide, steady eyes and just wanting to throw herself at him and start bawling like a baby. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged and and sat, crossing his legs beneath him and managing to perfectly keep his balance on the branch, slipping his hands into the deep pockets of his baggy hoodie. "Everyone is out looking for you, and I figured that I would help out and search for you too."
"How did you find me?" She asked, wondering at how he was able to beat fully seasoned ninjas if they were actually all searching for her. He shrugged again.
"Instinct." He stared hard at her for a moment and Ringo looked away, rubbing her arm beneath her nose as she looked away from him and into the dense leaves that surrounded them.
"Ringo-"
"Shut up, idiot, and stop looking at me. I'm not crying, got it?" He stared at her for another moment before nodding, standing up smoothly without slipping his hands from their warm home in his pockets. Ringo had to wonder if he was doing that because he knew it made him look cool, and decided that if that was the case he was probably the biggest idiot he had ever met.
"Fine. Now come on, I want to get home and you need to apologize for pulling this stupid stunt." Ringo nodded and hesitated, looking down at her up-drawn knees.
"I... twisted my ankle. I can't move it." Asuma stared down at her for another moment before sighing heavily, turning away from her and crouching down.
"Asu-" She started, but was cut off when the boy sent a firm look at her over his shoulder.
"Just get on and be quick about it." He told her, and though he tried to hide it Ringo could see just the slightest hint of a blush through the darkness.
Ringo hesitated for a moment longer. Asuma was the shortest boy in their class and was almost a good half a foot shorter than her, not to mention just how all around tiny he was. He hid himself in baggy jeans and hoodies but Ringo knew how small he actually was, and she knew that he looked more like a delicate doll than a ninja in training.
But taking a breath she put faith in her best friend and wrapped her arms around his neck, tightening her hold briefly as she jumped slightly up and as he caught her legs in his hands, bringing them around his waist as he stood up.
They stood still for a moment as Asuma balanced himself and then he carefully made his way down to the forest floor, keeping a steady grip on Ringo's legs as she gripped his shoulders, both of them quiet until they had managed to safely arrive on solid ground.
"So what was your plan?" He asked her as he started back towards Konoha and Ringo shrugged, tilting her head back to peer up at the clear night sky.
"I'm not really sure. I guess I was just kind of fed up with Mom trying to force me to be a doll and I decided that we'd both be happier if I just went away." Asuma grunted and Ringo chuckled, propping her chin on the back of his head. "It didn't really work out all that well."
They walked on in silence for a little bit more until Asuma spoke up, obviously having thought over what she had said carefully. "I get that you don't like what your mom is trying to do to you with the dresses and everything, but you need to see that it isn't like she's trying to throw you into a lake of acid. She just doesn't understand you."
"She understands Anzu just fine." Ringo pouted, resenting this tiny and yet enormous fact.
"Yes, but what does that matter? It isn't like you understand your mother either, so stop acting so stupid. And it's her job to try and force you to do things you don't want to do, that's what parenting is all about." She snorted and shivered slightly as the wind whipped against her exposed skin, trying to get closer to the warmth that almost seemed to radiate from Asuma's back.
Feeling her shiver Asuma stopped and without a word sat her down and pulled off his hoodie, tugging it over her head and ignoring her protests until it was on her, crouching back down again for her to crawl back onto his back.
Ringo briefly thought about putting up more of a struggle -after all, he was treating her like a child- but it was so warm and it actually fit her since it was so big on Asuma, so she held back her protests and crawled back onto him.
There was another, slightly longer silence before Ringo sighed, dropping her head down onto his shoulder and closing her eyes as the stupid tears threatened to come again.
"It's just that I'm just... not what she wants."
There were times she wished that she could be prettier, that she could be softer and gentler and have the general air of grace and girlishness that the other girls Ringo sometimes saw had. She wished that she could wear dresses and jewelry, and that wearing her hair down for any length of time wasn't such a huge battle. She wished that she could be more, that way her mother wouldn't have to wish for it.
"Maybe not, but you're what she has, and if you'd stop being stupid you could see that she loves you and not the other you that you think she wants. She'd probably get sick of the other you after a few days anyway."
Ringo smiled and wrapped her arms around him just the slightest bit more, tightening them so that she was hugging him, smiling slightly as she snuggled into the surprising security she found in his slim shoulders and back.
"How did you find me?" She suddenly asked, not believing for a second about his excuse of "Instinct", propping her chin on his shoulder and tilting her head to try and get a better look at his face.
"Idiot." He sighed as if she were a dull child, "Of course I found you. You're my best friend no matter how stupid you act, and there's nothing that could happen that could keep me from getting to you when you need me." Ringo blinked at the strength in Asuma's declaration before allowing a small and soft smile to curve her lips and snuggling into his back, feeling perfectly content with where she was at and how easily she was depending on him.
"Thank you, Asu-chan." She murmured and Asuma snorted in agitation.
"I told you not to call me that." He reminded her, but she could tell by the tone of his voice that he didn't really care.
Asuma didn't know what to do, didn't know what to think. There was a part of him that told him to be happy and that this was a good thing, but that part was so tiny it was almost nonexistent and was easily overshadowed by the more dominant part of him that just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry until he had no more tears left.
She had come back.
His aunt Ino was trying to talk to Kyoko, trying to explain everything to the overly emotional girl and he could hear her shouts through the walls, could hear the pain and the anger and the frustration in her voice that she was venting so easily. It hurt him to listen to her, hurt him to know that there was no going back any longer to the life that they had easily led just hours ago, and with this hurt laying heavily over his heart he stepped out of the window and ran as fast as he could.
There was no destination in mind, no set place that he was actually heading towards, but he knew that he just had to get as far away as possible before he broke.
He made it to the small hill that he and Ringo frequented, sitting down next to the lone tree that crowned it and curling up as he tried to keep the pain from becoming too overwhelming. Resting his head on his up-drawn knees he closed his eyes and bit his lip, praying that something, anything, could come and save him from drowning in this overwhelming sea of insecurities he had found himself thrashing in.
"Asuma." He jerked back at the sound of the familiar voice, looking up at his best friend, his confidant, the shock of his name forcing the tears he had been valiantly holding back to begin to fall.
Ringo watched the heartbreaking sight for a lone and silent moment, staring into his tear filled green eyes as a piece of her heart broke for him.
"Ringo," He choked out, not trying to stop the tears that seemed to pour endlessly from his eyes, "I don't… She just…" And without a word Ringo dropped down in front of him and pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him to hold him close. His arms came up and wrapped gently around her, but after a beat he tightened his grip and held on desperately, as if she was the only lifeline he had left.
He buried his face into her throat as he began to sob, squeezing her so tightly that there was a threat of her not being able to breathe after a few moments of the treatment. Ringo listened to the sound of his broken sobs as they were ripped from his chest, hot tears running furiously down her throat to be soaked up by the fabric of her T-shirt.
Neither of them knew how long they stayed there, Asuma's tears seemingly never ending, but eventually his choking cries decreased in volume and his tears started to slow until the two of them were just sitting there, Asuma's breathing ragged as he refused to give up his hold on Ringo.
"She came back." He whispered, closing his slightly swollen eyes as he relaxed, the repetitive and soothing strokes of Ringo's hand against his back calming him. She nodded and waited for him to continue.
"What am I supposed to do now? We... She hasn't been here in so long and some would say that Maria took her place but..." He let out a shaky breath, "It just felt so good to see her."
"What did she look like?" There was a pause that lay so heavily around them that it nearly suffocated them, and Ringo was about to take back the question when he quietly answered.
"Broken." He whispered, "She looked broken, like a single touch could tear her apart, and her eyes were so hurt that it felt like something was stabbing me in my heart. But when she saw Kyoko and me it was like all of that went away and she looked so happy, like we had magically fixed everything that was wrong with her just by being there."
"I mean," He said so quietly that she strained to hear it, "How can a person look at someone like that?"
Ringo didn't shrug since the sudden and sharp movement would have dislodged Asuma, but she did try to silently convey her sympathy.
"It isn't the fact that she's back that is bothering me, it's just that I didn't understand how deeply I had missed her. And I know that it's kind of stupid since I can't remember anything about her."
"That's not true," Ringo gently told him, one of her hands coming up to gently smooth down his wheat blonde hair, "You remember that you love her."
Asuma pulled back enough to look up at her, blinking his tear swollen eyes at her as he thought over her words, a glowing smile finally spreading over his face as he held the wisdom and truth of her words close.
"Thank you, Ringo." He quietly and gratefully said, though the girl just waved his words away as if they were bothersome bugs.
"Please, it was nothing. I didn't even do anything, and you were the one who was crying all over me like you were a little girl." Asuma snorted lightly at the girl's attempt to lighten the mood and brought her close again for another hug, surprising Ringo since neither one of them were really the touchy feely types without a reason, such as comfort in a maternal crisis.
"You always know what to say to make everything better." He told her, the relief in his voice clearly evident and he held her tightly, acting almost as if he never wanted to let her go.
"With you," She said, wrapping her arms around him in turn, "Always."
Well, there you go.
Oh, and Ino eventually accepts that Ringo is Ringo, and she loves Ringo but she just has a difficult time understanding her.
I always try to write enough that you never have a very long wait in between chapters (because I know what a terrible experience that is), but I hope you all understand that there will be times that I get busy, but I will always try and make sure that it is never longer than a week or so.
And now, to say something to my newest and dearest little darling jayjoan: I. Love. You.
This person called me a goddess and said that there were zero imperfections in my ShikaTema storyline (a lie, but it made me sooo happy to read this), and I have to thank you for literally making my week.
Also, I will now be requireing all of you to call me a Goddess now. Hahaha...
I'm being serious.
And to fearless-forever98- Songs for my pairings? Well, that sounds absolutely fantastic. Thank you Josh (and I have a foam turtle that I named Steve!)
I'll see you all as soon as possible! Lots of love from the Goddess (I am never letting this go. Ever.)