Growing Up With Dreams
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto characters. They belong to Misashi Kishimoto. As well, I do not own any of the characters from The Big Windup! They belong to Asa Higuchi.
WARNING: YAOI. Boyxboy. Don't like it, don't read it. As well, we have changed some of the characters from Naruto and Big Windup. Names and faces will remain the same but ages, personalities, occupations, etc will be altered. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING! Also, a majority of the cities are real cities in Japan. The ones located on the Island, Yumenoshima, however, are fake. So the Island itself and the cities, Shi Yume, Kaigen no Yume, Chīsana Yume, and Nōmin no Yume and the Mountain, Hoshi No Miyama, etc, and anything else on the Island is fake.
EXTREME DRAMA!
Chapter Three – Pursuit of Happiness
Finally. After five years, she could finally take her family away like she always wanted. Temari would finally have the ability to save her brothers from the freak they lived with. Her 18th birthday was coming up next month so she had this time to plan for a new apartment and a job and anything and everything they would need. Things would finally come together and she could protect her brothers they way she couldn't before.
Thank Kami for this day to finally come. It broke her heart to watch her brothers grow up the way they had. Poor little Gaara. She felt the worst for her youngest brother. A boy of only 6 pushed into a world of violence and crime. Gaara grew up thinking it was ok to be mean and take hope away from people because that's what Orochimaru did. Orochimaru took a liking to Gaara from the beginning and started to corrupt that innocent part of the boy. Now Gaara bullied others at school, hurt people, constantly got into trouble. It was at the point in time now that Gaara, now 10 ½, was renown in all the elementary schools in the Kaigen No Yume Region as Shukaku, the One-Tail Demon.
There were so many rumors as to how he got this name and Temari wasn't even sure she really wanted to know. All she knew was that she wanted to help Gaara change back to the kid he used to be. Before the beatings, before the hate, before their parents death.
Temari owed her friend one too. Hidaka-San was such a nice person to let her start working in his lounge and live in the apartments above the lounge with her brothers. He had been one of the substitute teachers at her high school once and since then they had had a great student/teacher relationship. He understood her situation better than most people and instead of calling social services or the Police; he only offered his sympathy and advice. She loved him for it. Maybe even the Father figure she needed while growing up.
So here she was, packing her things and making phone calls to make sure things were still going to move smoothly. She couldn't wait to tell her brothers the big news. Temari knew Kankuro would be happy but she honestly didn't know how Gaara would react. He was a different boy. But maybe he would stop being the little terror in school. The Shukaku, whatever that was.
...
Hello, August 23! Temari's 18th birthday! She had been waiting for 30 years to turn 18. Today would be the day she could tell her brothers all about her secret plans to move out and be free from Orochimaru's hold. Today was going to go so well. The blonde had it all planned to a T. She would pack up the rest of their stuff, which wouldn't take long seeing as they really didn't own anything other than clothes, make a wonderful dinner, break the news, and have Hidaka-San pick them up and bring them to their new home.
The government was already preparing to send Welfare to assist her in raising her broken family. Hidaka had already set up temporary furniture in their small 2 bedroom apartment. Temari almost couldn't stand it, she was so excited. Once she graduated from High school, she could work full-time in the lounge and save money to pay Hidaka for all he's done.
The newly-turned 18-year-old pulled on her favorite blue top and comfortable jeans before tying up her straight blonde hair into the usual hairstyle she liked. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed how her dark green eyes shimmered with excitement. Hope. Happiness. Things she hasn't felt in such a long time. Things she hasn't let herself feel in a long time.
Time to start working! Looking at the clock she smiled at the time. 10:30; she had enough time to do everything she wanted to today. Though, just as she set about working on the rest of the house, the home phone rang.
"Moshi moshi," she answered the phone cheerfully.
"Hai, is this Shikkari Temari?" the lady sounded upset and angry but Temari knew nothing could break her mood.
"Yes."
"Your younger brother, Gaara-kun, has broken school rules and gotten into a fist fight with the older students. We need you to come to the school to come pick him up."
Despite what she thought earlier, Temari's mood sank. Gaara fought at school. Wonderful. "Yes, I understand. I'll come get him."
With a sigh, she hung up and grabbed her sweater and keys before heading out the door. Oh, Gaara, what am I gonna do with you?
Getting to the school didn't take long and neither did finding the principal's office. Temari had been there enough times now that she could practically close her eyes and find her way there by heart. The receptionist showed her to the room needlessly and Temari sat straight backed in the uncomfortable wooden chair without looking at the little redhead sitting in the chair next to hers.
"Shikkari-San, thank you for coming. As you know, Gaara-Kun has fought in the school yard, picking a fight with our older students. This is the third time this year. We have been lenient with him so far but this is the last time we will over look his behavior. Shikkari-San, we have suspended Gaara-Kun for seven school days."
Temari listened without hearing. Inside, she was just disappointed that this had to happen on her day. Gaara wouldn't care about being suspended. It would have no effect on the impassive boy. Glancing over at him, she could already tell how bored and uncaring he was to his punishment. Why couldn't he just tell her what's going on? Why couldn't he admit to what was bothering him so she could help him out? Did he hate her that much?
"Yes, sir, I understand," she said calmly and quietly. Orochimaru wouldn't be happy to hear about this. A light lit behind her eyes. No! No he won't. We are moving out later today! Screw Orochimaru. We are starting our new life today!
Gaara stood and headed for the door, knowing the conversation had ended. Temari got up and followed, barely hiding her smile. She was upset, yes, but maybe telling Gaara and Kankuro the news would improve their moods. Maybe Gaara would be better and drop this silly fighting.
However, wishful thinking was often a downfall instead of an accomplishment.
The walk home was long. Talking to the near catatonic redhead was nearly impossible. He shut up so tight it was a wonder how the kid interacted with the world at all. Temari tried to stay patient with her little brother and keep her own temper in check. After all, it was her birthday today. She was feeling generous.
"You wanna tell me what happened?" she asked in a gentle voice.
Of course Gaara didn't answer. She didn't expect him to. But would it kill him to even say 'It was the other kids fault'? She didn't want to give up or impose herself on the boy but she was starting to feel kinda of hopeless when trying to communicate with him. Actually, when she really thought about it, she had been feeling this way for a while.
No matter what she tried, he would never open up to her. It was extremely upsetting but she didn't really have a choice of who her brother went to. As frustrating as it was, she was glad Gaara at least went to Kankuro to talk or at least just spent time with. He needed somebody to trust and open up to.
"You know, I have some great news for you later. We will wait until Kankuro gets home but I think it might make you happy."
Gaara remained expressionless as they entered their large home for maybe one of their last times. He stalked up to his room without so much as a word to his sister and locked himself away. Fine. Be that way.
Temari stayed in the kitchen till Kankuro got home from school. The 14-year-old middle brother came home with a grunt and dropped his bag on the ground before slouching into a chair.
"Hey," Temari said cheerfully, trying her best yet again.
"Yo."
"How was your day?"
"Fine."
"I have some news for you. Could you go get Gaara and bring him? I want to tell you both," she said with a smile, her green eyes closing. She was excited but nervous. How would they take it?
Without a word, Kankuro went upstairs to grab his little brother and brought him back down. They both sat in the kitchen silently and Temari was starting to notice a pattern. Silence was obviously a common thing in the household.
Taking a deep breath, she readied herself for the news. "I found an apartment and a job in southern Kaigen No Yume. We can move out today if you guys pack your things right after dinner," she set out the dishes in front of them on the table.
Silence.
"We're moving out? Without Orochimaru?" Kankuro finally asked.
Temari nodded, biting her lip in excitement.
Kankuro finally smiled and pushed his dinner aside to stand and hug his older sister. He was grateful, happy, and just as excited as Temari. She worked hard to do what she did and now she was finally taking them away from the place they hated most. She was finally protecting them.
Kankuro didn't bother eating dinner. He mumbled a happy birthday before running up to his room to pack his belongings. The sooner the better, right? Temari turned to Gaara to see his reaction but the boy was staring at his plate of untouched food.
Not for the first time, she wished she knew what he was thinking or feeling. What she wouldn't give to understand.
"Why are we leaving?" he asked, not blinking or moving.
Temari frowned but smiled and knelt on the floor beside her brothers' chair. "We are leaving so I can protect you. So you don't have to put up with Orochimaru anymore. You can make friends at school and bring them home. Be a normal kid again," she explained patiently.
"You can't. We can't leave Orochimaru..." Gaara murmured. His little jaw was tight in held back anger and frustration.
"What do you mean, Gaara? Don't you want to leave? I know what Orochimaru does to you, don't you want to"
"You know what he does but you never did anything about it before! You don't understand what it's like!" The angry 10 year old leapt off the chair and threw his plate of food on the floor, making a mess as his sister watched him sadly. "You could never understand! I'd rather be here than be with someone who doesn't know anything about me! At least Orochimaru doesn't pretend!"
Temari's green eyes, so filled with hope and happiness earlier, were sad and defeated. She remembered now why she didn't let herself feel those things before. The second she thought things were getting better, there was always something that shut her down. Silently she asked the universe what she had done so wrong to be treated like this. What could she have possibly done to put her in these inconstant maelstroms? They say bad things come in threes. If that was so, she was way past the three and was waiting rather impatiently for her up. Her break. Her happiness.
...
There was nothing more painful for a single parent than to have their child hate them. There was also nothing more painful than to raise a child that's not yours and have him tell you and remind you just how much you aren't his Dad. This is the pain that poor Umino Iruka had to go through, time and time again.
With Naruto it was just prank after prank. Vandalism, graffiti, knocking over trash cans, and just generally wreaking havoc. Nothing Iruka could say or do could influence or change Naruto's perception. And as Naruto got older, the pranks got more and more malicious and dangerous. Not only to himself but to the victims. Once, while trying to ask why Naruto did these things, the ten year old only said 'they look at me funny'.
How is that anything to go off of? Iruka wasn't a Psychologist. He couldn't tell what this behaviour meant. He had tried asking for help on multiple occasions. Nothing good had ever come out of it. Naruto would act completely different and stress out the psychologist to the point where the Dr. Herself/himself would quit. Iruka was getting to the end of his rope. There wasn't much more he could do! He was running out of options.
Every day, he felt his strength draining a little more. His strength, his patience, his calm... Every day, Iruka had to ask himself 'What would Minato do?' Though sometimes that seemed like a silly question. What would Minato do? Ha! Minato wouldn't have been in this situation! Naruto, before the train crash, was a well behaved, polite, friendly and easy-going kid. Since the crash, it felt like Naruto bent over, did a total 180 and became Satan's rival! What could Iruka possibly do to rein in this impossible child?
"Iruka-San?" the voice on the other end of the phone spoke up, shattering the teachers' thoughts.
"Ah, yes, sorry. What were you saying, Tsunade-San?"
"I said you should make him join a sports team. It would definitely help release his aggression and maybe calm him down if he can meet people other than the ones already familiar with his past," Tsunade answered calmly. Smartly. What would Iruka do without this woman? She had saved him time and again. He was so thankful for her help through the years.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. What sport though?" He wasn't even sure himself what Naruto liked and didn't like. But the list of 'dislikes' was a lot longer than the list of 'likes'.
"Well, maybe take him to a few different high school games and see what he gets excited about?"
"Thank you Tsunade-San, you're a big help!"
When their conversation ended, Iruka sighed and tried to put on his best 'I'm ready to face the world' face and waited patiently for Naruto to come home.
When said blonde haired boy showed up, covered in dirt and sand, Iruka first asked what Naruto had been up to that day. Not receiving a satisfactory response, he asked if Naruto played any pranks today. Again, not much of an answer. So Iruka tried again.
"Naruto, please look at me. I want to talk to you about-"
"Forget it, Iruka! You're not my Dad! You can stop pretending to be better than everybody! I hate it when you talk down to me. Like, you think I don't understand or something! Stop trying to be my Dad! Stop trying to be my friend! I'm tired of your questions, tired of living here, and tired of you!" the boy yelled and slammed his bedroom door in Iruka's face.
The man stood completely still for a moment. That was the meanest Naruto had ever been towards him. Usually it was just impatience... now it was hate... anger... as if Naruto despised the man who was looking after him...
Iruka closed his tired, chocolate brown eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose where his old scar stood. Was Iruka going to make it through this? Was it possible to make this work? Was Naruto beyond saving?
What would Minato and Kushina do?
With a tear filled sigh, Iruka trudged back to the kitchen and picked up the phone and hit redial.
...
The rest of the week didn't go any better for the poor blonde boy. That day, someone in the Middle School had beaten on Naruto that day and called him a monster.
Why would the boy say that? Naruto wasn't a bad person. At least, he didn't think so. What could he have possibly done to piss off a seventh grader? Most of his pranks were only pulled on his classmates.
Kicking a pebble down the sidewalk, Naruto walked with his hands shoved into his pockets and head down as he chewed his lip, a nervous habit of his, and contemplated what he did to that person. Monster? That wasn't a nice thing to call anybody. But he also had those eyes... those eyes that Naruto had almost gotten used to seeing as he grew up. He didn't notice them much when he was younger but now that he was ten, he knew. He noticed. Those eyes so filled with confusion, fear, nervousness... hate...
Naruto had seen them time and time again. He was the kid whose parents had died in that train wreck. He was the kid who pulled pranks. He was the kid who picked a fight, intentionally, with kids twice his age just to prove a point.
He was never Naruto. Just 'the kid'. Not even his classmates would call him by his last name out of respect like anyone else. It was 'Hey, You!'
Not Naruto. Not even Uzumaki. He wasn't a person... no one could even acknowledge the fact that he was just a troubled kid with nowhere to go. He was up against a wall. Pressed against a cold, unfeeling wall by his whirlpool of emotions.
And those eyes.
He hated those eyes. He wanted them to look at him like a normal person, not just some freak. What did he have to do to get that?
"Oi! Watch where you're going, dumbass!"
Naruto stumbled back and caught himself before he fell. He knew that voice though. He didn't even need to look up to see who it was. How could you forget the voice of your best friend? How could you forget the voice of the person who hurt you the most?
"Shut up, Sasuke. Just get out of my way," Naruto mumbled and tried to push past Sasuke and the other guy Sasuke was with. The new guy grabbed Naruto though and yanked him back hard enough that Naruto fell back on his bum.
"Don't talk to Sasuke like that, freak!"
Glaring up at the new guy, he noticed that the boy looked a little older than Sasuke. He had white hair, even stranger than Naruto's natural blonde hair, and very violet eyes.
"Who're you calling freak, weirdo? You're the one with pointy teeth!" Naruto retorted back as he pulled himself to his feet. Indeed, the new guy had teeth that looked they were filed to points. What kind of person would do that to their teeth?
"Shut it, shrimp. I'm Hōzuki Suigetsu and you better not forget it!" the white haired boy announced proudly. He grinned like a predator. Naruto didn't like him one bit.
"I don't care if you're the Emperor himself! You're in my way!" Naruto growled, feeling his body tense up from the very bad vibe he was getting from Sasuke and this Suigetsu kid. Suigetsu shoved Naruto back a step, getting in the smaller boys face with an arrogant sneer.
What was going on? Naruto just didn't understand. He and Sasuke used to be the best of friends for years. Granted, since their parents died, they had fallen apart but they had always come back together in the end. But now it felt like Sasuke was replacing him; like he found a replacement for Naruto's friendship and companionship. Was Sasuke gonna stop being friends with him? What had Naruto done wrong?
"Sasuke, get your dog out of my face!" Naruto growled darkly, feeling threatened as he went nose to nose with Suigetsu.
This time Sasuke shoved Naruto back hard enough to make him stumble back onto his ass again. Naruto lost it then. Out of hurt, confusion, jealousy, and every other thing that the 10 year old couldn't name, he leapt to his feet and lunged at the black haired boy. And he didn't stop at slamming him to the ground; he sat over his stomach and started pummeling in that pretty face he had come to hate. Hitting Sasuke with tears in his eyes. Hitting and yelling things he wouldn't remember later. Sounds started to blur together, smells were overwhelming and Naruto started seeing tunnel vision. He could only see Sasuke underneath him, bleeding and crying, trying to curl up and cover his face.
Naruto would have kept going too; it felt good to relieve his frustrations and anger after having them pent up for so long; if not for Suigetsu and the group of kids who were yelling and trying to get him to stop. A pair of painfully strong hands gripped Naruto's shoulders and wrenched him free of Sasuke and turned so Naruto couldn't see Sasuke or Suigetsu anymore.
He was panting and sobbing but wasn't coherent enough to understand what was being said to him. His heart was pounding violently in his chest as he was led away.
"...uto! Naru... at happened? ... Why did..." the voice faded in and out. Naruto looked down at his small, balled up fists covered in slick blood. Sasuke's blood. His blue eyes flicked up to look at the adult kneeling in front of him. It was his Japanese teacher. His mind snapped back into place for a moment, just long enough to realize what was being said. "Naruto! Naruto, what happened here? Why were you hitting Sasuke?"
Naruto started shaking violently as the adrenaline coursed through his little body. "He... was leaving me..." he mumbled, his eyes flicking back down to his throbbing fists. The teacher started speaking to him again, trying to ask more questions but Naruto was beyond reason and intelligible thought. There was no point in talking to the blonde.
There was no point. Because Naruto didn't even know what to do with himself. He had lost everybody important to him. First his parents, Iruka hated him, and now Sasuke, his one and only true friend had chosen some pointy toothed freak over him. There was nothing left for him. Nothing for him to look forward to. Nothing left to take his mind off the hurt of the past.
Was there nothing but suffering for the blonde? Was there no happiness to be found?
Naruto didn't think so.
...
"Naruto, I know you're going to like it so stop pouting!" Iruka reprimanded for about the 15th time that day.
"Iruuukaaaa... I don't wanna go to a boring baseball game. Baseball is such a weak sport!" the 11 year old pouted as he fingered the thick bandages taped over his cheeks. They were itching like crazy. He figured he was being punished for having Iruka panic and take him to the hospital. Not to mention the fight he had gotten into with Sasuke that got him suspended from school for a month. That was months ago though.
"Stop picking at them. And baseball is not a weak sport. It's very physically and mentally exhausting for the players. It's, perhaps, not as exciting as hockey or football, but it has its own form of excitement. Just give it a shot," Iruka patiently explained as they pulled into the parking lot.
Naruto sighed in resignation as he hopped out of the car and followed Iruka out to the baseball diamond and the stands. After grabbing some snacks from the concession stand, the pair made their way up the bleachers and picked a spot where they could see the whole field. As they were settling down, a bright eyed girl with silver hair dressed in the baseball uniform came bounding up with a big smile on her angled face.
"Hi! You're Naruto-kun, right?" she asked, seeming very casual. It caught both Naruto and Iruka off guard but the blonde nodded. The girl turned and waved a boy over, calling, "I told you it was Naruto! I told you I recognized him, Dai!"
Iruka put a warm smile on and inquired as to how the girl knew Naruto as a boy with light forest green hair and muddy brown eyes approached with a shy smile. The silver haired girl turned her bright green eyes to Iruka. "Me and Dai met him while he was staying with Gramma Tsunade forever ago!" she said excitedly. "He was so cute! All smiles and sunshine and our bestest friend even though it was only a few days. But then he never came back to Gramma Tsunade's so we thought we'd never see him! But I would remember that yellow hair and blue eyes anywhere!" she grinned widely and reached over to ruffle Naruto's hair affectionately.
Naruto blinked in confusion. He didn't remember these two at all. You'd think he would, seeing as whom in Japan would have silver or green hair? Natural silver and green hair none-the-less. But they honestly did not stir a memory in his mind. Curious. He looked at the green haired boy and smiled politely. "What are your guys' names?"
The green haired boy grinned sheepishly, scratched the band aid that spanned the bridge of his nose, and answered politely, "I'm Kazumi Daisuke and this trouble maker is Izumi Ryder. Sorry for the rude introduction; I couldn't exactly stop her..." he grimaced while rubbing his right shoulder.
Iruka smiled warmly, "It's alright. I'm glad you two remembered Naruto. Are you both a part of this Minor League game?"
Izumi nodded, her short silver hair rustling with her movement. "Well I've been in baseball for 6 years but Dai has been in it since he was born," the 11-year-old giggled. Naruto smiled. He kinda liked Izumi-chan and Kazumi-kun. They seemed like friendly people. He kind of started feeling guilty for not remembering them.
A distant chime sounded, announcing the start of the game. Izumi and Kazumi jumped and said hurried good-byes before taking off to their dug-out. Naruto had to laugh as Izumi shoved Kazumi off his feet and took off laughing. Poor Kazumi hauled himself to his feet and took off after her, calling her names as they disappeared from sight.
Naruto could tell he liked baseball already. As he watched the game, he cheered for their team and got more and more excited as the game went on. Though, he didn't quite understand how the game itself went or what happened to make the umpire call fouls or balls. So he asked Iruka. As the game went on, Iruka became more and more relaxed and happy. It made him happy to see Naruto getting so excited. It made him happy to see the darkness, that had become so common in Naruto's eyes and demeanor, fade away to nothing.
He was sure this would help Naruto. Mentally, Iruka thanked Tsunade for thinking of bringing Naruto to a game.
At the end of the game, Naruto and Iruka waited for Izumi and Kazumi. The pair finally emerged, covered in sweat and dirt. They looked ragged and worn out but so happy. Not just for the simple fact that they won the game but because they had just played and had fun. Naruto suddenly felt envious; he wanted to play too.
"Izumi-chan, that was great!" Naruto exclaimed as he bounded over to them, a huge smile on his bandaged face.
Izumi stopped talking mid-sentence, a look of malice crossing her features as Kazumi paled. The girl turned to look at Naruto, a glare in her bright green eyes but a sweet smile on her face. "What did you just call me?" her voice was rot-your-teeth sweet. Scary...
Kazumi laughed nervously and instantly put himself between Naruto and Izumi, his hands up defensively, "He doesn't remember us, Ryder! You can't get mad at him for calling you that!"
Izumi shoved Kazumi out of the way and advanced on poor, unsuspecting Naruto. "What did you call me?" she asked again. Her hands closed into tight, tiny little fists, shaking with fury.
Feeling threatened, Naruto backed up, eyes wide. "Uh...Izumi-chan?"
"NO!" Kazumi threw himself in the way as Izumi raised her fist to hit Naruto. Kazumi went down with a dull thud and a groan. Kazumi rolled around, clutching his head in pain. "That's it! I'm done! I see a light... I can't go on... go on without me..." he moaned.
With a snort of amusement, Izumi placed her hands on her hips, "Fine, I'll eat your cinnamon roll at Aunty Shizune's."
Kazumi shot up from the ground, "No! I earned that cinnamon roll, you didn't!" Izumi grinned and shoved Kazumi over again.
"So uhm..." Naruto stood there awkwardly, not sure what the hell just happened.
"Ah, Ryder hates it when people call her 'chan'," then Kazumi leaned over and whispered in Naruto's ear, "She doesn't want to admit she's a girl. So we just call her Ryder, Izumi or Izumi-kun. To make her feel better... she has a mean punch..." as if remembering, Kazumi rubbed his right shoulder again.
Iruka butted in finally. He had to berate himself for not catching on sooner but when Izumi had mentioned Shizune's name, the light bulb finally pinged in his head. "You two know Tsunade-san and Shizune-san?"
Izumi and Kazumi both turned and agreed in unison. "Yup! She's our neighbour." Iruka frowned. He didn't recall Tsunade ever mentioning these kids. And they talked about her like she was family. That struck Iruka as strange but in a way it made sense. Back then, Naruto's parents were still alive. Minato and Kushina probably knew these kids.
"Gramma Tsunade is the coolest! And Aunty Shizune makes the greatest cinnamon rolls ever," Izumi smiled.
A car horn honked so the group looked over. A silver van was parked with a logo painted on the side for Nemui Inn. On the end of Nemui was a Sakura flower surrounded by flittering petals. Neither Iruka nor Naruto recognized the logo or the name but Kazumi and Izumi did.
"Ah, it's my Dad! Ready to go, Ryder?" Kazumi asked as he started heading towards the van. Izumi nodded.
Before they got in the van though, Naruto ran up and asked for their numbers. He had realized during the game and after that these kids were the type of people he wanted to surround himself with. They didn't know of his past, they didn't think of him as a prankster or a monster. They wouldn't be able to judge him or look down on him. And seeing their passion and energy on the field just inspired him. Already he felt a little less out-of-place.
When they gave him their numbers and crawled into the van, Naruto ran back to Iruka with the biggest smile on his little face. It literally lit up the air around him. It had been so long since Iruka had seen that boy smile...
Already doing mental calculations in his head, Iruka deemed he could afford to put Naruto on his school's baseball team. Granted money would be tight for a while, but it would be worth taking Naruto out of his shell and making him a better person. One baseball game at a time...
...
Earlier that day, Izumi Ryder and Kazumi Daisuke raced home. School was over but their baseball game was gonna start soon and they had very little time to get home and get their things ready. So they could be found racing each other down the street, holding tight to their backpacks.
Excitement coursed through them as they pounded down the pavement. "We are so going to win today!" Ryder panted, a big smile on her face. Daisuke only grinned back in agreeance. It was the first game of the season for their team. It felt wonderful to be able to get out and play the great game again.
As they rounded the corner, they passed Aunty Shizune's house. She was just getting out of her little purple car as they stormed by. "Hey!" she called to them. The pair came to a screeching halt and back tracked to stand in front of her. Her hair was up in a pony-tail today. "How did those tests go today?" she asked warmly as she bent over to pull groceries from her back seat.
"Great!" Daisuke pulled his test out first and handed it over proudly. "I got 100% and a gold star!"
Shizune took it with a huge smile, "I expected no less from you, Daisuke-kun. Well done! How about you, Ryder-kun?"
Ryder pouted and hesitantly handed over her test. Shizune took it and looked at the mark circled in the corner. 75%. "That's not bad at all, Ryder-kun! Good job!" she encouraged.
"It's not enough for a gold star!" she glared at Daisuke with her fresh-cut-grass green eyes.
Daisuke stood with a smug smile while Shizune handed back their tests, "You don't need a gold star to show how hard you're working. You're trying and that's all anyone can ask."
Ryder pouted more and mumbled under her breath, "Well Daisuke doesn't have to work for his..."
"Now, now, you both did a great job. How about, when you get home from the big game, I'll have some cinnamon rolls ready for you?" Shizune suggested as she walked up to the front door of her house.
Ryder grinned widely but Daisuke dropped his backpack and jumped in the air with his excitement. "YES!" he screamed, pumping his fist in the air.
"Better hurry before you're late!" Shizune called to them. The two snapped back to attention and took off running again, heading for home. They got to Daisuke's house quickly and threw their backpacks in a corner before tearing up the stairs to his bedroom.
Ryder had long since started hiding her equipment and uniform at Daisuke's due to her family upbringing. Her Father, Atsushi, was extremely strict and traditional when it came to raising his kids. Ryder was supposed to be the little lady of the family seeing as her two older brothers, Kio and Ryuzaki, were to take on the business world. Atsushi, and her mother Nori, pushed Ryder to dress and act like a girl. To sit prim and proper, to make meals, to clean and sew and raise children. Ryder was subjugated to this torment daily. Her only out was baseball.
Since she met Daisuke, back when they were 5, he had gotten her into it and they had become inseparable since. And Daisuke and his family understood her situation and allowed her to stash her things with Daisuke.
Daisuke threw his uniform on and grabbed his duffle bag and Ryder did the same, getting more and more excited as the minutes ticked by. "Kids, let's go!" Daisuke's dad, Ko, called from downstairs. The duo thundered back down the stairs and sprinted for the front door with wild enthusiasm.
"We gotta win, we gotta win, we gotta win," Daisuke chanted as he threw himself into his Dad's silver van.
Ryder laughed, "Why are you so into it?"
Daisuke turned his muddy brown eyes with wide disbelief. "There are cinnamon rolls on the line, Ryder! We have to win!"
Ko laughed as he started towards the baseball diamonds. By the time he got there, the two were arguing so fiercely that he had to pull them out of the van before they would move on their own. They settled down fairly quickly though once they saw the field and the dugouts. Excitedly, Ryder looked around the bleachers to see the turn out for the first big game of their Minor League. She saw a small group of High Schoolers just skipping class, a few proud parents waving and cheering and a man with a scar spanning the bridge of his nose much like Daisuke's sitting with a cute little blonde haired boy with bandages taped to his cheeks.
She stared at him for a moment longer until it finally clicked. She punched Daisuke's right shoulder, sending him flying, "Daisuke! Dai, Dai, Dai, Dai! Oh my God is that Naruto?" she tugged his shirt and hauled him to his feet, pointing at the blonde boy. "It's totally Naruto, isn't it, Dai?"
Rubbing his shoulder with a grimace, he looked to where she was pointing. Indeed, the blonde kid looked a lot like the boy they used to play with but what was with those bandages?
Ryder noticed him rubbing his shoulder and looked at him apologetically, "Sorry... I keep forgetting sometimes..."
Daisuke shrugged it off, "It's ok. But I don't know for sure if that's Naruto-kun. It's hard to tell because it's been so long."
Not really paying attention, Ryder took off towards the bleachers and towards the familiar boy. Daisuke slowly made his way over, shaking his head at Ryder's eagerness. She sure could be a kid at times. He watched as she started to talk to him and felt a surge of embarrassment as she called back to him confirming that it was in fact Naruto-kun. Then the man Naruto was with asked politely how they knew Naruto.
Daisuke shyly came up behind Ryder and listened as she told the story with her usual exaggerations. He flushed with slight shame though when she reached over and ruffled Naruto-kun's hair. How rude! Daisuke apologized, "I'm Kazumi Daisuke and this trouble maker is Izumi Ryder. Sorry for the rude introduction; I couldn't exactly stop her..." he grimaced while rubbing his right shoulder. He noticed her look of apology again and chose to ignore it as Iruka-San assured the pair it was alright.
The four of them talked for a short while longer before the bell for the game went off. As Daisuke and Ryder made to leave, Ryder shoved him over in her excitement and took off laughing. Already in pain, he hauled himself to his feet and chased after her, calling her a sissy and a priss; names she hated more than anything.
With the clamour from finding their long lost friend, Daisuke and Ryder found it extremely easy to play the game. They were more in sync during the game than usual and it worked in their favour. They won the game 5-2. Sweaty, dirty, sore, and exhausted, the pair still had more energy than usual knowing that Naruto would be there waiting when they got out.
And he was.
...
Ok so I FINALLY completed chapter 3. THIS WAS A LOT OF WORK! Might I just say that it's TWICE AS LONG as the other chapters?! BE HAPPY!
Anyways... I hope you guys all enjoy it as much as I did. I can't wait to start getting into the good stuff!
Please keep reading, faithful fans, and I hope you approve of how it unfolds.
Written by TLC
Specially brought to you by COFFEE and my motivator/editor/pain-in-the-ass/ brother/ butt-face – Bubbles. SAY THANK YOU TO BUBBLES! This chapter would not be out without his help!
Anyways...
R&R please! I wanna know what you think!
Love you all,
TLC