AN:( Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own my own ideas and characters.
I also don't own Sonic the Hedgehog.)
I forgot to put this in my last chapter, but Tsubame is pronounced: Sue-baa-may.
The start and end of the story are indicated with horizontal lines above and below the story.
Word(s) in bold are supposed to have an addition of emphasis on them.
Word(s) in bold and underlined have a big addition of emphasis on them.
Word(s) in italics are a sound/or sounds the character makes.
-X- Chapter 2: -X-
The following day, Orochimaru walked to Ichiraku with the memories of yesterday buzzing thoughts around in his head. 'I'm going on a date....and I don't know the first thing about dates! Hmm... Jiraiya might kno--Gah! Forget that, I'd get slapped if I followed his advice....Who else.... there IS Tsunade, but she would either laugh or beat me to a bloody pulp or both. Mom and dad only get all mushy and stuff if I ask them. Sigh. What am I to do?' Just as he reached Ichiraku's he was bombarded with a warm bear hug.
"Orochi-kun!! You finally came! I was wondering what was keeping you," Tsubame said happily, "Come on, or we'll miss the special discount!" Orochimaru was then dragged like a human wagon by Tsubame into Ichiraku.
"Hey there Tsu-chan! You made it just in time. What would you like?" greeted the shopkeeper.
"I'll have the usual Chef-san," she gleefully replied, "What would you like Orochi-kun? My treat."
"Um, I'll have what you're having..." 'What's with all the nicknames? Weird....'
"You sure you know what you're getting into son?" asked the shopkeeper now known as Chef-san.
"Yes ,er, Chef-san? Ahem, it's just ramen," he awkwardly replied, while trying to keep his composure and blow off Chef-san's warning. 'At least, I hope it's just ramen....', Orochimaru thought.
"Here you go, two bowls of the usual. Enjoy," said Chef-san with a big grin, placing their food in front of them.
Both took a pair of chopsticks, placed them across their bowl, and chanted in unison, "Itadakimasu!" Tsubame, with her cheetah reflexes, divided for her chopsticks and ate to her heart's delight. Orochimaru, on the other hand, thought back on the shopkeeper's warning and decided to be cautious. Orochimaru looked down at his bowl, inspecting it with his chopsticks just in case it would explode or something like that. Looking at his date-- I mean partner, he saw her gobbling and slurping up the contents of her bowl.
'Hmm... the ramen must be ok then. Maybe he was joking around with that whole "warning",' he thought. Looking back at his bowl, he caught some noodles between his chopsticks, and started to slurp them up. Right between mid-slurp, he spat the contents in his mouth all over the bar.
"Kami!! What the hell was that?!", he spat trying to get rid of the awful taste. Both the storekeeper and Tsubame looked over at his distressed state.
"What's the matter Orochi-kun? Don't you like salt and vinegar ramen?" Tsubame asked, gulping down the last bit of ramen left in her bowl.
"WHAT?!" he practically yelled, wearing an astonished face, in Tsubame's direction. 'Since when does anybody put salt and vinegar in RAMEN?!'
"We thought you knew about that. Tsu-chan is a regular customer and because of that, we made her 'usual ramen' a part of our menu. See?", Chef-san stated while pulling out a menu for Orochimaru. Sure enough, there was 'The Usual Ramen'. In the description it read: made with salt, vinegar, and the original ramen makings.
'...I should have ordered for a menu....' he thought. After paying for the meal and much calming down, Orochimaru regained his composure and decided to take her back home because of his earlier display of embarrassment. Tsubame, on the other hand, had other plans. They walked down the alleyway next to Ichiraku. Tsubame had preferred to walk on the fence posts next to him. 'Well there goes my first "ever" date. Ended in under 5 minutes. I can't wait to look back on this "fond" memory.'
"Orochi-kun, you want to go shopping together?" she requested out of the blue.
"Huh? Why?" he asked. 'Where did shopping come into the picture? And here's another question, didn't our date just end?'
"I don't know. Just something to make up for the little mishap yesterday."
'I can't believe it. Even after that ramen scene, she still wants to be around me. She must be either very forgiving or very stu-- No! She's not stupid! She's beautiful, caring, and...' "Kind..." he muttered under his breath.
"Orochi-kun, did you say something?" she asked, overhearing him mutter.
He suddenly froze in his path and sputtered, "Uh, uh, I s-said fine! I think that your idea would be fine."
"So what are we waiting for?!" she merrily said, " Let's go!" She jumped from above, grabbed his wrist, and ran down the streets like "Sonic the Hedgehog" racing to hide some moonshine. They visited many stalls, ranging from weapons to clothes and even books. AN:( Icha! Icha! Paradise!! & Make out Paradise! XD ) As the day started to escape them, the duo ended up at a shop selling outside village knick knacks. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, most of the knick knacks were "girly" jewelery. Orochimaru was looking listlessly at the fiery sky, outside the shop, while Tsubame was searching through the throng of shiny wonders.
'I hope she has a good explanation for coming here,' he thought.
"Orochi-kun!!! Come over here! I found the best gift ever!" she announced, tugging on his arm. He followed her all the way over to a pair of silver, almond shaped earrings. AN:(The earrings Orochimaru wears during the Chunnin Exams, where he fights Sarutobi on the roof.)
"Um, Tsubame, you do know those are earrings right?"
"Yeah," she said, the earrings glistening in her eyes.
"Gulp. Girls earrings?" he struggled to get out. He turned his flushed face, avoiding her sparkling gaze. 'Oh man.... her eyes are starting to sparkle.... like fireflies.... What am I saying?!'
"They're not too girly looking. I've even seen guys wear them too!" she replied.
"Sigh...." AN:( Translated, it means: She isn't going to budge....)
"Does this mean you like them too?!"
"Wait, what?"
"Well, if you don't like them, there's this neckla--" she started, forming a pouty face.
"NO!! Uh, I mean, I like these silver, GIRLY earrings."
"You do? Well then, that settles it!" As soon as she was gone, he rolled his eyes, wondering what he just got himself into. "Hello ma'am, I'd like to buy these earrings," she rang out.
The old woman behind the table looked up from her sewing. "Certainly." She proceeded to the register. Receiving the earrings, her gentle smile grew somewhat. "My dear, do you know who's earrings these were?"
"Hmm? No, not really." Upon hearing this, he turned his head to hear their conversation.
"These earrings belonged to a young woman who was best friends with a nice young man. The young man had secretly loved the young woman and wanted to propose to her. But he didn't want to give her any normal engagement ring. He wanted his proposal gift to be special. He then remembered what she would stop to gaze at every day as they walked home.
Shining in the jewelry window, would be the same pair of stunning, one-of-a-kind, silver earrings. She would sometimes tell of how she was the only girl to not own earrings. She'd even joke about how funny it would be if he brought her those earrings. The lad rushed to the shop in hopes to make her dream come true. However, he left when he found they were too expensive.
About to lose all hope at making her dream come true he had a great idea. The next day they met, he presented the silver earrings to her in his proposal. She accepted and they went home to tell of the good news. She stopped suddenly when she saw the earrings still in the store window. He explained that he used his dead grandmother's ring to make the earrings. In awe of his sacrifice, she gave him one of her earrings as a symbol of her love for him."
"Wow... Whatever happened to the couple?"
'Please say they got married. Wait--did I just sound like a girl there?'
"Well, you know, they married later on and lived a happily ever after."
"How sweet... Thank you so much for the story."
"Oh no problem. You and your boyfriend have a nice day," waved the woman behind the register.
That comment almost made his eyes bug right out of his head. 'BOYFRIEND?!?!'
"Ha ha!You too ma'am! Come on Orochi-kun!" she said, grabbing the bagged earrings and clutching Orochi-kun's hand in the other. On their way to the Hokage Tower, Tsubame noticed an unoccupied playground below the hill. She stopped to point it out to Orochimaru and he reluctantly nodded. While he hesitated, she ran down the hill like there was no tomorrow. The first thing she went to was the slide, then the see-saw, and then the monkey bars.
Orochimaru slowly made his way to the swings, where he sat and rocked to-and-fro. He stayed this way just watching his friend have "fun", the fun he never understood unless it related to power. Tsubame eventually calmed down and saw Orochimaru all alone. Worried about him, she calmly walked over to the swing next to him and sat down. "What's the matter Orochi-kun?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," he replied, trying to avoid her gaze by looking at the village-skape infront of him.
"Is it the earrings?" she guessed, looking into the bag.
"No, it has nothing to do with them. Sigh. I really don't want to talk about it," he said, hunching over to cup his chin with his hand.
"Alright, I respect that. Is there anything I can do?" she asked, looking in the same direction as he.
"...." Orochimaru rocked silently at this. 'Nobody has ever asked me that before... Come on Orochimaru! Think of something! She needs an answer.' "I guess, um, if it's not too much..."
"I think I know what you want," she said with a smirk.
"Wha? You do?" He looked astonishingly at her. 'She does? Has she figured me out that quick?'
"Of course, you want me to teach you how to swing." His surprised face dropped at this.
"..... Uh, yeah, how did you know?...."
"Call it my intuition," she said, getting up from her swing to stand behind him, " Now, are you afraid of heights?"
"No, not really. Why?"
"Because I'm going to push you. You better hold on tight." Right after her warning, she pushed him. A little too hard.
"Aaaaahhhh!!!!" yelled Orochimaru, skyrocketing from the swing.
"Orochi-kun! I'm coming!!!" With that said, she ran after him. Once she reached the trajectory point, she turned around with arms open wide. She caught him just in time as he knocked her down to the ground. After the crash, he braved a peek and found his lips centimeters away from her own. A flame of red spread across his face as he backed off her. "Ugh... Orochi-kun are you ok?" she groggily said, awaking from unconsciousness.
He quickly turned his head away from her as he replied, "Yeah, I'm quite alright. What about you?" 'Kuso! I can't believe I almost spilled the beans! And what was that feeling back there?'
"Just a couple of bumps and bruises. Like Orochi-kun, they will never hurt me," she said, rubbing the back of her head. She dusted herself off and came over to his spot in the sand when he didn't turn to look at her.
"Say Tsubame, when I was flying through the air, I felt a rush go through me. What would you call that?" he asked, back still to her.
"Huh? A rush? Did it feel bad or good?" She placed one hand on her hip and the other on her chin, her thinking position.
"Good," he replied, a blank look in his eyes.
"I guess that would be called the thrill of having fun."
"Fun...so that's what that was..."
"Don't tell me you've never had fun before." Now was Tsubame's turn to be astonished. He shook his head from side to side in response. "That's a shame. Did you not have fun at all today?"
"Kinda....I think."
"Well no wonder you didn't have fun! You think too much! Having fun doesn't require extreme thinking," she said with a smile, patting his back. When he still didn't look at her, her happy face melted into one of melancholy. "Do you like me Orochi-kun?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I?" This made him turn to look at her. He was met with her somber stance. Her left arm crossed to caress her right upper arm, and her face turned to the space next to him.
"Well, I feel that I haven't exactly been a friend to you. You've been somewhat distant the whole day. I'm sorry for not being a friend to you." This made something snap inside him. He instantly stood up, grasped her right hand in both of his, and stared her in the eye.
"Stop apologizing! To me, you've been the best friend I've ever had. I'm the one who should be doing the apologizing. I'm sorry for not being the friend to you," he stated with a commanding tone.
"Orochi-kun...." she muttered with tears taking form in her eyes.
"As proof, I promise you the best fun you've ever had," he said, angling his head to keep contact with hers as she tried to duck her head.
"...Alright, but I also want you to have the best fun you've ever had too!" she said placing her left hand on his and smiling. Both ran to the swings, Tsubame pushed by Orochimaru and vice versa, laughing the entire time. The two had glorious fun together that seemed to last forever. As the lamps started to light up and the sky faded into a pitch black filled with twinkling lights, the duo decided it was time to leave. They made it all the way to the Hokage Tower before they decided to go their separate ways. "Today was a great day, don't you think Orochi-kun?"
"Yeah," he said exhasted. 'Actually, that's the first time I've ever had fun and spent time with a friend. Much less a girl, unlike Tsunade.'
"Oh! I almost forgot", she exclaimed, pulling out the bag's contents, "Here's a friendship earring for you. As long as we have these, we will stay best friends just like in that old lady's story."
"Um thanks, but does this mean we ca--, uh, have to get married?" he asked, half-hoping.
"Ha ha ha, you're so funny Orochi-kun! No, we don't have to get married. I agree that you may be my boyfriend, but not in that "lovey dovey" way. Does that make you feel better?" she replied, putting her earring on her right ear.
'To be honest, no,' he thought. "To be honest, yes, and thanks for the earring," he said, clipping his earring to his left ear.
"I think I better go now."
"Guess so. Say Tsubame? Can we get together again sometime soon?"
"I'll try but no promises. I have to get back to training for my team's evaluation test two days from now. I don't want to disappoint them you know?"
"Right. I understand. See you later Tsubame," he declared with a waving hand.
"Bye Orochi-kun," she replied, waving back with a warm face. He turned back around and walked his way home. "Bye Tsu-chan..." he mumbled quietly to himself. She stayed rooted to the place until she was sure he made it over the hill. She jumped silently into the air, and glided from roof to roof, to her home in the woods. In 15 to 20 minutes, she arrived at her home, a private log cabin, that was located between the hidden village of leaf and the hidden village of rain.
Opening up the door, she turned the lights on and rung out, "I'm home!" She heard a chirp and a tweet answer back from further inside the house. Pretty soon, the singing creature came fluttering to her and landed on her right index finger. "Awww Piyo-kun... I'm glad to see you too. It seems you kept the house nice and safe. Good job," she said to her pudgy pet canary. She petted Piyo-kun on the head with her left index finger and he nuzzled back. "Well, it's getting late. Why don't we head off to bed, k?"
"Chirp chirp!" agreed Piyo-kun. He flew off to the bedroom to get ready for bed while Tsubame heard a "coded knock" at the door. Opening the door, she found it was Sensei in his shadow-like glory.
"Hello Sensei-san. What's up? Did you get caught peeping into the women's hot springs again? Ha ha!" she said with a chuckle. Sensei, on the other hand, kept his serious composure.
".....Very funny. I need to talk to you in private. May I come in?"
"Sure, if you're not uncomfortable to look at a little girl in her pj's?" Sensei yet again struggled to keep his composure in check.
"...Don't push your luck..." he gritted out.
"Alright, alright, come on in," she said, feeling defeated when she got no laughs. She stepped aside enough for Sensei to walk on by. "Can you wait in the kitchen until I get changed?"
"What do you take me for? I'm not a pervert." She giggled upon hearing that. She remembered to all the times she caught Sensei reading porn when he thought she wasn't in the area. After changing into a t-shirt and some flannel shorts, she returned to the kitchen to sit down at the table.
"Ok, I'm listening, " she said, waiting for his message with a serious face.
"The Anbu have been looking for you all day. I've had to cover your tracks ever since this morning. I have a feeling they know what your up to. I'm sure you haven't forgotten your contract with them right?"
"Sigh. Yes I remember..." she drawled, propping her slipper covered feet on the table and crossing her arms behind her head. 'How could I forget...' She recited, "As soon as I reach the rank of a Jonin, I must join the Anbu. If I make contact with any one other than Sensei, the Hokage, or the Anbu, then I will be forced to join, regardless my rank, at that time. Those I have made contact with will have their memories erased. If they refuse, they will be executed on the spot. No 'ifs, ands, or buts'."
"Correct. Tsubame, you must stop this habit of yours right now. Think about what could happen to that friend of yours. You'll be forced to live your life knowing them as your friend but they will see you as nothing more than a stranger. The fate will be the same for anymore friends you make. As both your foster father and mother, I care for you and know you don't want to live this way."
"Sensei... I can't believe you have forgotten your promise," she replied, turning her eyes to the floor and moving her crossed arms to her chest. He gazed at her with frustration and disappointment raging through his body.
"What promise would that be?" he demanded in a growl.
"You swore to never talk about themagain. My real.... You know how precious they were to me...." she muttered with tears forming for the second time that day. Her hands clenched her upper arms with the anger that Sensei would say such harmful words about their promise.
Sensei noticed her body tense and felt guilty behind his Anbu mask. "I'm sorry. I suppose I did forget. On my honor as an Anbu, I promise to never forget again." He then pressed his right hand to his chest, in a gesture of trust. She tried to overlook his vow.
"Heh... that's what you said last time," she replied with a roll of her eyes. He decided it was time to leave before things got ugly, since now probably wasn't the best time to talk about this.
"Listen, I should go for now. I'll talk to you more after you get a good night's rest. Tomorrow, the Anbu will want to check up on your progress."
"Alright, have a goodnight Sensei-san. See you in the morning." Sensei bid her the same and disappeared out the door. As for Tsubame, she got up from the table, trying to dry up her tears, and retired to her bedroom. She had felt emotionally and physically drained. Upon entrance, she saw Piyo-kun already asleep on her pillow, wearing his white and blue star night cap. Smiling, she turned out the lights, laid on her back, and chanted, "Piyo-kun, Sensei-san, Orochi-kun, Minna-san, Oyasuminasai." She grabbed her patched up baby blanket and fell asleep.
Whew! I didn't think I would ever get this done. Please read and send some reviews if it's not too much trouble. See ya in Chapter 3. Ja ne!