Dreams Unbroken Dreams Unbroken
Chapter Three
"So, when will everyone show up?" Niji asked as Eneko pulled her hood up once again, covering all but her mouth and chin. Naruto looked at the clock on the wall and grimaced.
"Considering that it's only five in the morning? It may take an hour for everyone to get here, or it may take five minutes. It all depends on how people slept." He replied. Niji laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head.
"Grandpa will be here early then…I kind of went to mom's memorial statue and he found me there at like…four this morning?" She thought. Naruto chuckled quietly and nodded and Eneko made a surprised noise.
"There's a memorial statue of me?" She asked, surprised. Naruto and Niji both looked over at her and nodded.
"Yeah. In the field where you killed Pein." Niji replied, as if it were no big deal. Eneko stared at her and Naruto looked over at her, smiling.
"When you're ready, I need to hear what happened after you teleported away from the field. All right, Eneko-chan?" Eneko nodded, waving her hand to dismiss the matter.
"I'll be ready when everyone gets here." She replied, a small smile on her face. Naruto nodded and Niji looked excited. She wanted to hear what her mother had been doing the past ten years and why she seemed so weak at times. Suddenly, the smell of smoke alerted them to someone coming in the room. Sasuke stood there. He had let his hair grow out of it's bird-like hairstyle and now it was in a short ponytail at the base of his neck. His dark eyes glinted in annoyance and amusement.
"What's this I hear about some sort of special meeting, dobe?" he asked playfully. "I was supposed to report for work in five minutes and Konohamaru suddenly tells me that I have to go to your office andI have the day off? Did I do something right or wrong?" He chuckled. Naruto shook his head, smiling.
"You didn't do anything, Sasuke. I just need you and a few more people to come to my office because I have to tell you all something." Sasuke stared at him, confused, not even noticing his niece or sister-in-law standing on the other side of the room.
"Oh, wait, is Hinata pregnant again?" He guessed. Naruto's face went a bright red and he flailed his arms around.
"No, Hinata is not pregnant again, Sasuke! Gods…" The blonde muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. The smell of smoke announced the arrival of more people and Hinata, Sakura, Deidara, Fugaku, and Akari all appeared. Eneko sighed, the one person she wanted to see the most had yet to arrive.
"What's with this meeting at five o'clock in the morning, Naruto?" Sakura growled. "I dohave kids that I need to get to the academy or they'll skip…like usual." She sighed. Hinata chuckled softly.
"Me too, Naruto-kun. Koro and Tami need to go to the academy. Tami will want to go but unfortunately, Koro will not." She warned. Fugaku and Akari smiled slightly.
"We're just glad that Niji-chan is out of the academy. That was so troublesome." Niji let out an indignant noise and Eneko covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. Everyone looked over at them in surprise. Niji waved.
"Hi…everyone? Are we waiting for father?" She asked as if she were part of the fun. Deidara stared at her and pointed.
"When did youget here, yeah?" He asked, surprised that he hadn't noticed her. And now everyone was wondering who the hooded woman was. Eneko had to try really hard not to laugh because it would give her away, but everyone's expressions were so funny.
"Well, I've been here for nearly thirteen years now! I put bowsin your hair, Deidara, you should remember." She scolded. Deidara gave her a look and blushed. Eneko clasped a hand over her mouth to keep her laughter in and Niji grinned at her. Suddenly, a final smoke smell entered the office and everyone sighed. If there was a smoke detector in here, it would have gone off and everyone would be soaked. Itachi then stood there, arms crossed, an annoyed gleam in his dark eyes. He looked worried about something and looked straight at Naruto, glaring.
"Can we get this over with quickly? My daughter disappeared again after I stopped talking last night." The raven-haired man sighed sadly. Naruto grinned at him and shook his head, crossing his own arms over his chest and looking very much like a mischievous imp.
"We could but I think our guest will die of lack of oxygen from holding in her laughter." Everyone looked over at Eneko, who was having to clasp her nose shut because it helped keep in the laughter. Niji started laughing and slapped her mother's back to get her breathing. Eneko took in a huge gasp of air and clasped her hand over her face again.
"Just get it over with, Naruto-sama! She's gonna die!" Niji laughed. Naruto started laughing and everyone else looked confused.
"Never mind…she's here." Itachi sighed. Niji grinned apologetically at him. He glared at her.
"I promise, Daddy, this will make up for everything." She vowed. Itachi looked at her disbelievingly before turning his attention back to the hokage. Naruto clasped his hands together and smiled at them all.
"We have a very special guest, everyone. Someone that nobody has seen for a long time and I will say this, I thought it was a trick until I almost lost my head, so nobodycall her a wench or you'll regret it!" He exclaimed. Eneko nearly lost it laughing but she kept it in, her face turning blue. Niji groaned at her mother's attempts to keep her identity a secret.
"Can we just get this over with, Naruto? I have kids and patientsthat act like little kids that I have to take care of." Sakura scolded him. Naruto glared at her before nodding and sighing.
"Take your hood off, Eneko, game over." Eneko finally let out her laughter and pulled her hood down. The air suddenly decreased in the room when everyone gasped. Itachi stared and he looked like he was about to pass out.
"How do we know it's you and not some trick done by Naruto?" Fugaku asked. Eneko blinked and shrugged.
"What if I did this?" She asked, putting her hands in front of her in a hand sign. She closed her eyes, summoning her chakra. "Wings of the Feathered Dragon." She called. Blood spurted out of two vertical cuts in her back. Niji leapt backwards, surprised. She never remembered this in her uncle's stories about her mother. The bloodstained wings unfurled from her back and she was immediately tackle-hugged by half the people in the room and approached by the others. Only Itachi stayed back and Niji went over to him.
"She's home, Daddy. I told you that she would come home." Itachi closed his eyes, smiling, and a tear fell down his face. Eneko looked over at him and frowned, and everyone parted ways to let her through. She stumbled over to Itachi, now crying, and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. He gently pet her hair and Niji smiled softly. Nearly everyone else looked like they were about to cry, though some of the men were trying to hide it.
"You've come back to us…" Itachi whispered softly. Eneko shook her head and wiped the tears off her face.
"I came back to you." She replied. He smiled and more tears fell down his face as he held her gently. Niji then began to cry, feeling the intensity of the moment. Eneko sobbed softly and shook her head again, wiping the tears off her face and then off of Itachi's.
"I'm home now, so no more acting like I've heard you acting, got it, mister? I want you to be exactly how I left you, got it?" She demanded. Itachi smiled and nodded, then kissed her softly. Niji's face then recoiled in disgust.
"Hey, Itachi!" Sasuke yelled from across the room. "Get a room!" Itachi's eyes glinted playfully as he looked over at his younger brother.
"We still haveone, little brother! And I think we may use it!" Niji made noises like she was going to throw up and her face turned bright red.
"Daddy, that's gross!!" She yelled. Everyone started laughing. She suddenly stopped and cocked her head, interested. "Wait…does this mean I get a little brother or sister?" Itachi and Eneko's faces then turned red. Naruto then pointed at Sasuke, laughing.
"Ha! I think it'll be Enekowho's the next one pregnant, teme, not Hinata!" Hinata burst up laughing after letting her face turn red and Eneko's face turned a brighter red and she buried her face into Itachi's shirt. He leaned down and whispered something into her ear that caused her to blush even worse and fall over. He caught her, grinning.
"You're not getting away from me that easily, Eneko-chan. I just got you back and I am neverletting go again." He vowed. Eneko grinned at him and pressed her lips against his.
"You won't have to, Itachi." She promised. He grinned at her and Niji made a disgusted noise.
"Hello? Nearly teenage daughter standing right here! I do notneed to hear about my parent's sex lives, thank you very much." Everyone again burst out laughing, even Eneko and Itachi this time. Eneko then grinned at Itachi.
"So, have yougiven her the talk yet, or is that my privilege?" She asked. Itachi made a choking noise, as did Niji. "My job!" She laughed. Naruto cleared his throat and everyone looked at him.
"So, Eneko…" He began slowly. "About that ramen…" Eneko laughed and nodded, motioning him over.
"I'll treat you right now if you have time. I came across a lotof money when I was journeying." She grinned. Naruto snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering the ten-year journey.
"You need to explain why it took you so long to get back here, Eneko-chan." Naruto cried at her. She stopped and sighed, nodding. Itachi held her close and sat in a chair, causing her to sit in his lap. She giggled quietly before looking up at everyone else.
"All right, I'll tell you, but sit down, because you're in for a long tale. And all of it is, unfortunately, true. Where do you want me to start?" She asked. Sasuke blinked at her.
"Start from the beginning, nee-chan." He told her, as if it were normal. Eneko grinned at him and put a hand to her chest.
"It's been so long since I've been called 'Mommy' or 'nee-chan'…it's actually been a long time since I've been called 'Eneko' at all."
"Don't worry, Eneko. We're here now, and you don't have to worry any more…" Itachi whispered into her hair.
"All right, it all started like this…"