Umm…(hiding behind desk chair) Long time no see… Sorry for the extremely long wait. I won't pile up the excuses, but I hope you'll all forgive me with this update. Good news is that I actually have an idea on what to write for the next chapter and will be working on it when I can.
Anyway, here is the long awaited update!
Disclaimer: Same as chapters before.
Chapter Seven: Influence
"Is there a reason that you're still here Itachi-kun?" Kumiko asked her assistant as they both cleaned up after the last class of the day.
All day the art/music teacher had sensed very strong dark vibes radiating off the male. They had eased up once they were with the advanced class, which she found rather interesting. However, they had yet to disappear all together and she wondered what the cause of it was.
A few minutes passed in silence, signaling that she would not easily get an answer from the Uchiha. She let out a small sigh as she prepared an easel and placed a blank canvas on it. In quick strides, Kumiko was next to Itachi, whose mind of elsewhere, and placed a hand on his arm. Itachi stopped what he was doing and turned toward the older female. He looked toward where she was gesturing and he made his way to the easel and sat down on the stool. Within seconds he was working at a quick pace, his brush strokes going over the entire canvas. As she did that, Kumiko continued in cleaning up the rest of the room.
Time passed by quickly with Itachi still painting and Kumiko taking the time to do some paperwork once the room was finished. Only when she heard the palette and paintbrush being placed onto the table near the easel did she look up. Putting her work aside, she stood to look at the finished product.
With a neutral face, Kumiko stepped into her art observation mode and began examining the painting with a critical eye. Anger and irritation were a given with the color scheme Itachi used. However the image itself is what intrigued her. Everything was just a silhouette with a thin white outline that was hardly there. All of them overlapped so it was a bit difficult to distinguish all of the images individually. It didn't matter though. Everything spoke for itself.
"Family again, huh?" Kumiko stated simply. She let out another sigh as she pulled up a stool next to the easel and sat down. "What is it this time?"
"Nothing new, except father was wondering how I had gotten into art," Itachi stated indifferently, his eyes showing his annoyance, the only factor telling her what he was feeling at the moment. However his annoyance turned into curiosity, which earned him a questioning look from Kumiko. "In all honesty, I was wondering the same thing."
Kumiko widened her eyes in slight surprise before her expression turned gentle with an amused smile. "So you don't remember?"
"Remember what?" Itachi questioned, the slightest bit of confusion on his usually blank face.
Keeping her amused smile, Kumiko got up to retrieve a blank canvas from storage. Taking Itachi's painting and placing on the table, she placed the blank one on the easel and gestured for the Uchiha to move aside. Doing as silently requested, Itachi stood by and watched as Kumiko mixed together some colors and began painting. As the brush strokes began taking shape, a feeling of déjà vu overcame him, as if he was in this situation once before. Images flashed through his mind as he watched on, realization slowly dawning on him.
FlashbackLight chatter filled the area as people lingered around in small groups and talked among themselves, some for business and others for the latest gossip within their circle in society. However, there was one exception to all the talking around him. At the tender age of five, Uchiha Itachi was wandering the halls of the large mansion that his parents had brought him to for the social/ business party that was being held there. Easily bored of all the talking the adults were doing, he took off on his own with his curiosity as his guide as he explored the unknown territory.
His young eyes took everything in as he continued on, only stopping for a second if something in particular caught his interest. It was only when he saw a stream of light coming from a partially ajar door that he stopped in his trek fully. Quietly making his way to the door, Itachi peeked inside to see if someone was there. His ebony eyes widened when he saw what was exactly inside. Silently opening the door, he stepped into the well-lighted room.
Everywhere he looked, there were paintings all around him. Either they were on the walls or on stands, not space was left unoccupied for the exception of the walkway that he was currently on. Evident awe appeared on his face as he took in all the great paintings that were on display for anyone to see. As he went further into the room, he noticed that there were beginning to have less paintings around and more cabinets and such that probably held supplies.
Once he went as far as he could, he stopped because of the person that was diligently working on another painting to no doubt add to the collection that was already there. He quietly walked up behind the person and just stood there and watched as the person stroked the brush across the canvas with practiced ease. It seemed the painting was almost finished and the person was just adding the finishing touches to it.
"What do you think?"
Itachi jumped slightly when that question was directed toward him. Not only that, but it was only then that he realized that the person was a girl. Remembering that she had asked him a question, he looked at the painting once more before replying. "It's pretty."
The painting was that of a nighttime scene of what looked like the middle of a forest. However, isolated in the center was a plum blossom tree that seemed to be illuminated by the moon that was in the sky. The only indication that time was still flowing within the painting was the slight breeze that was dislodging the blossoms from the tree.
"Is that all?" The girl questioned with a hint of disappointment in her tone. She finished it off with her signature in kanji near the base of the plum blossom tree. Standing from her stool, she carried her palette and paintbrush to one of the tables off to the side. As she placed the palette and paintbrush into separate buckets of water to be cleaned later, Itachi continued to look at the painting.
"It looks lonely," Itachi said after a few seconds of staring at the single blossom tree in the midst of green foliage. "It's in the light of the moon but it looks lonely because it's by itself."
The girl stopped what she was doing when she heard the young boy talk. Since her back was turned, he couldn't see the sad look on her face from what he had said. She then let out a small smile as she turned to her unexpected guest. "What's your name?"
"Itachi. Uchiha Itachi."
"Nice to meet you Itachi-kun. I'm Haraguchi Kumiko," Kumiko greeted the younger boy. "Do you like art?"
"Art?" Itachi questioned with a slight tilt of his head.
An amused smile emerged from Kumiko's face at the cute expression on Itachi's face. "Do you like things like this?" She asked, gesturing toward the things around her.
"I don't know. I never tried," Itachi replied with a small frown.
"Then do you want to try it to see if you like it or not?" Kumiko offered.
"Can I?" Ebony eyes lighted with anxiousness at the prospect of doing something like what she had done. Itachi watched as she stood up and got a blank canvas and set it onto the easel after carefully putting her finished painting aside to dry. She then gathered a simple watercolor paint set and a brush and handed them to Itachi who eagerly took them. Sitting on the stool and following Kumiko's simple instructions, Itachi began painting on the paper that was placed on top of the canvas.
At first Itachi was unsure of what to paint, but then decided to just do whatever came to mind first. And then as if on automatic, whatever was on the watercolor paper began to take shape as he stroked his brush on the paper. Kumiko just stood by and watched with a smile on her face. She could see that he definitely had potential with the way he was letting his imagination take over the paintbrush. She could also see that he enjoyed what he was doing if the smile and happiness in his eyes was any indication.
End Flashback
"How nostalgic," Kumiko muttered when she finished. She had just finished painting the very picture that she had done when Itachi had stepped into her art room so many years ago. The art teacher had a faraway smile on her face as she looked at the finished product.
"That's right," Itachi said, breaking the silence. "It was after I met you that I became interested in art. The next day while father was finishing up a business deal, I drew doodles over the documents that were supposed to be signed to seal the deal."
"Looks like I'm to blame for you to get into art," Kumiko stated with a grin.
"True, but if it weren't for you then I would have probably ended up being a puppet for my father," Itachi remarked with a slight scoff. "It was because of the influence of art that I was able to be the person I am today."
"That's awfully sentimental of you Itachi-kun," Kumiko mused as she stood from her seat. "How about we clean this up and get out of here," she suggested, taking up the paintbrushes and palettes used. Itachi fell in step and began to clean up along with the person that had saved him before the both of them even knew he would need it.
"I loved all of the manga projects that you all turned in," Kumiko said to her advanced class near the end of class. "Most of you met my expectations and some even exceeding them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them all."
"Did you have a particular favorite Haraguchi-sensei?" Sakura asked the teacher, obviously hoping to hear that her group's manga became favored.
"Hmm, well I'd rather not choose since it wouldn't be fair to the others," Kumiko responded hesitantly with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Come on sensei. We won't get offended," a student insisted as they finished putting away their things. All of the students returned to their seats since there was still a good bit of time left and their teacher had said she wanted to announce something to them anyway.
"Well, if you really insist. The one that I thought was particularly well done was the one that Sasuke, Haku, and Naruto did," Kumiko replied. "Not only did they apply all the components that we went over in class but also had a very interesting storyline to go with it. Isn't that right Itachi-kun?"
"Hai," Itachi responded and said nothing else. In actuality, he too liked his younger brother's group's manga. It was rather amusing that they had portrayed themselves as ninjas, but the art was well done.
"Well, onto serious business. I've been told that Sanshou-san had brought the class on a trip every year for educational learning and so I've decided to continue that tradition," Kumiko started, looking over the class. She noticed the attentive looks on all of her students and couldn't wait to tell them where she had planned on taking them.
"I've put a lot of thought into where I wanted to take the two art classes and with a lot of debates with the school board, I was finally able to get approval of where I wanted to take all of you." Kumiko paused here to pick up the stack of papers that was on her desk and handed them to Itachi who began to pass them out to the students. She smirked when she saw the students reading over the paper given to them.
"Ehh?!"
"Kumiko-sensei, are you serious?" A student questioned incredulously. The rest of the class had similar looks of disbelief on their faces. Itachi didn't blame them. He had a similar reaction when she had told him of where they were going.
"I'm very serious. I had thought that what better place to learn about art than the Louvre Museum in France," Kumiko confirmed everyone's thoughts and destination that was on the paper in front of them. It took a minute longer for the seniors to really process what was going on before excited cheers and chatter erupted from them. Both Kumiko and Itachi were particularly glad that they had put in earplugs because of the loud squeals coming from none other than Haruno and Yamanaka.
However, there was one person that wasn't celebrating as much as the others in the class. Although doing his best to cover it up, Naruto had a melancholy look in his eyes that both Kumiko and Itachi noticed instantly. Sending a silent message to her assistant to discuss it later, Kumiko resumed explaining the details entailing the trip all the while keeping an eye on the blond male whose eyes became even sadder as she continued to talk about it. Once the bell rang, she sent them off with permission forms for them to return within the month. When all of them left, Kumiko turned to Itachi to hear what he had to say.
"Sasuke's told me that Naruto doesn't live as comfortably as others do," Itachi informed. "His father's an artist as well but it seems that he doesn't have anyone sponsoring his work into a gallery."
"Is that so?" Kumiko muttered, a thoughtful look on her face. A slow smile began to appear on her face. Itachi wondered what was going through her mind at the moment. Then again, he wondered if he really did want to know what she was thinking.
"Tadaima," Naruto called out when he entered his home after school. In the process of taking off his shoes, Arashi popped his head from the kitchen area and greeted his son.
"Okaeri Naruto. How was your day?"
"It was fine. Kumiko-sensei had said that she liked our manga the best out of the others," Naruto informed as he stepped into the kitchen. He rolled up the sleeves of his uniform shirt before preparing to help out his father with dinner. "She also told us of where we are going for our class trip."
"Really? Where is it this year?" Arashi asked as he chopped up some carrots. It was a good thing that Naruto waited for him to finish before telling him or else Arashi would have been missing a few fingers.
"We're going to the Lourve."
"Seriously?! How did she manage that?" Arashi asked incredulously.
"It seems that she was somehow able to convince the school board to let her take us. Apparently she has an estate in France that we can stay at and has a private jet that would be able to transport us there," Naruto informed as he robotically began washing the vegetables. "Although she had said that she didn't mind about using her resources, the board had insisted that the students had to pay a certain amount so as to not take advantage of her."
"So how much do the students have to pay?" Arashi asked tentatively, readying himself for the amount.
"A thousand dollars," Naruto said, putting the vegetables into the boiling pot.
"Really? That's not so bad," Arashi said light heartedly, although inwardly he winced, knowing that he wouldn't be able to afford to let Naruto go on the trip this year. He began mentally beating himself up for not being able to give his son this chance of a lifetime because of their financial situation. He could easily get money from his family but he rather not go to them if he could help it.
"Don't worry about it otou-san. I don't have to go this year," Naruto said, brushing it off as if it didn't bother him. He continued to stir the pot of curry while his father did not pursue the subject further. However, both blonds knew that the younger wished to go more than anything.
"We just cleaned this place not too long ago, so how is it that it become so cluttered and messy again," Arashi muttered to himself as he looked around the studio. He noticed the vast amount of addictions that his son did and wondered what spurred the younger blond. Whatever it was, he hoped Naruto wouldn't lose it.
Just as he was about to set out to arrange everything properly, the doorbell rang throughout the house. Knowing that Naruto was out with friends for the day, Arashi quickly made his way to the door. His blue eyes widened upon opening the door.
"You are Uzumaki Arashi, am I right?"
"H-hai and you are…" Arashi trailed off, disbelief still on his face.
"I'm Haraguchi Kumiko. It's nice to meet you," Kumiko greeted with a smile.
"Ah iie! It's an honor to meet you," Arashi responded, giving a polite bow. Realizing that they were still in the doorway, he hastily gestured for her to enter. "Please do come in."
"Sorry for the intrusion," Kumiko said, stepping into the house and taking off her shoes before slipping on the house slippers provided for her.
"Not at all," Arashi insisted and leading her into the living area. "Have a seat. I'll prepare some tea." With that he went off into the kitchen to prepare some tea and sweets that he had available. Meanwhile, Kumiko sat down on the slightly worn couch, glancing around the room. It definitely had a homey feel to it, not like her home, which had a touch of coolness to it. Photographs littered almost every possible surface available, the only exception being the coffee table in front of her.
"Sorry for the wait," Arashi apologized as he came into the living room with a tray laden with a teapot, cups and a plate of cookies. He set it down onto the table and poured his unexpected guest a cup before pouring his own and settling down onto his chair across from her.
"Don't worry about it," Kumiko brushed off. She took a careful sip of the tea and gave a small smile. A few minutes passed in silence as both adults drank their tea. Not being able to understand why a famous international artist was visiting his home, he voiced out his confusion.
"Ano Haraguchi-san, is there a reason as to why you are here?" Arashi inquired hesitantly. It was then that he remembered that this woman was his son's art teacher as well and wondered if it had something to do with Naruto. "Did Naruto do something?"
"Nothing of the sort. Naruto-kun is a pleasure to have in class," Kumiko eased, placing her teacup onto the table. "The truth is I'm not here as an art teacher but as a business woman."
"Business woman?" Arashi repeated with a questioning look on his face.
"Hai. I have been looking for local artists so as to put their work into a gallery that I had built not too long ago. I met with many people but very few have what I have been looking for," Kumiko explained. "I had heard that you yourself was an artist and I decided to see what you had to offer."
"Really?" Arashi responded in astonishment. This was a definite turn of events, a chance he had been waiting for. "This is quite an honor."
"If it's all right with you, I'd like to see some of the art you've done," Kumiko requested of the older male.
"Sure. I'll take you to the small studio that we have here," Arashi agreed readily, standing up from his seat. Kumiko followed suit and fell into step behind the blond as he led the way to the back of the house. It didn't take longer than just a minute or two before they stopped at a door and the blond host opening the door. He gestured for her to enter first before following.
Kumiko raised an eyebrow at all the work around here. She could tell that some of the pieces were quite old, if the fading of the paint was any indication. As she walked in further, she noticed that there was a change in style in some of the pieces and figured that they were Naruto's. Completed works filled every possible area while other spaces were occupied with shelves that held various types of art supplies. In the far back, she saw that there were two easels, most likely one for both father and son and paintings that were made more recently compared to the ones from the front.
Behind Kumiko, Arashi quietly followed, wondering what was going through the female's head at the moment. He himself took a good look around and saw that his and Naruto's works were all mixed in together. He vaguely wondered if she could tell the difference between them, then remembered that she was a seasoned artist herself.
Minutes seemed to pass by, but for Arashi it seemed like an eternity had gone by for the final verdict from the possible sponsor for his work. He nearly jumped out of his skin when she raised a sudden question.
"What made you want to become an artist?" Kumiko asked, turning around to look at him for a response. Being who she was, she knew much about things going on in the business circle and she knew for a fact whom the man before her was. She wanted to hear what he had to say before she made a decision.
Arashi thought about the question for a second before giving her an answer. "Because I wanted to. To be honest, there were some things that pushed me further to pursue being an artist, but from the start I had always wanted to be an artist. Kind of like being a trapped bird, it gave me the doorway to fly freely with no restraints."
Kumiko's silver grey eyes widened at the answer, but then softened with understanding. I guess all of us business people aren't that much different, she thought to herself. She knew what her decision was. "Uzumaki-san, would you allow me to sponsor your work and put them into my gallery?"
"Really?" Kumiko nodded her head in confirmation with an earnest smile on her face. Not finding any reason to decline, Arashi agreed without hesitation. With this, Naruto can go to France and see the Louvre, he thought, an appreciative smile on his face.
"How did it go?" Itachi questioned the art/music teacher as they got ready for classes.
"Itachi-kun, this is me you're talking about. How do you think it went?" Kumiko responded haughtily, gathering her papers and began her trek towards the music room.
"A success then by that smug tone in your voice," Itachi stated, falling into step beside her.
"You'll be coming too right?" Kumiko questioned with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"I don't know," Itachi replied in earnest. He didn't know whether he wanted to go or not. Although an opportunity to get away from his father, it wasn't permanent. However, if he was able to get away from his father even just for a while, then he should take the chance. He would consider Naruto being able to go another plus for him.
So what did you guys think? A little insight on the past, but not much ItaNaru interaction. Don't worry… I'll be advancing things a bit more now… Leave a review if you want. They will be most appreciated.
Also I debated with myself whether I should put this here because it has absolutely nothing to do with this story at all. But I decided that it wouldn't hurt… Just a short one shot that I wrote a while back…
Sanctuary…
The sky was particularly breathtaking that night. A moonless night without a cloud in sight, it was perfect for stargazing. Millions of seemingly shattered glass sparkled across the expanse of midnight blue.
It was a beautiful night for the two figures atop the monumental mountain for the Hokages of Konoha. No noise could be heard and that added to the ambience of peace and quiet the two figures had greatly needed. For them, tranquility and relaxation were like drugs that they were in desperate need of, especially with their current lifestyles, and took the time off whenever they got the chance. However, it was rare that they were able to be together and they treasured their time spent greatly.
The Rokudaime Hokage released a gentle sigh as he relaxed completely into the arms of his lover. He had longed to be in this position again after so long, not seeing his lover in well over two months because of a S-class mission the Anbu captian was on. Not that he would have had the time to spend with him, what with all the work to be done but it would have been nice to take a break once in a while.
"I had heard that you have been overworking yourself these past few weeks."
The young Hokage tensed the slightest bit at the discovery his lover made. He would have denied the statement but he knew he wouldn't be able to with the Anbu captain. The seasoned platoon leader would know the instant he tried so there was really no point.
"How did you find out?"
"I ran into Haruno Sakura while turning in my report," the captain answered honestly. "Naruto, you should take better care of yourself while I'm gone."
"Itachi," Naruto whined softly with a small smile. He knew that Itachi meant well but there were times that the stoic captain worried too much. After all, the work he did was for the good of the village and it was mainly paperwork anyway.
"Don't give me that tone Naruto," Itachi reprimanded lightly.
"I'm sorry but I'm okay now. You needn't worry about me too much," Naruto assured gently, squeezing the hand that was resting on top of his waist.
"With you, I can't help but worry," Itachi teased lightly, slight amusement coloring his voice.
"Itachi!" Naruto said with a small pout. Although Itachi couldn't see it, he knew it was there by the tone in his lover's voice. He let a small gentle smile surface on his usually blank face.
"Really it's okay. It was all for the good of the village which has top priority for a Kage," Naruto dictated responsibly but seemed to lose its edge when recited in an almost inaudible voice. Eyes there were only a few shades lighter than the night sky above them were drooping the slightest bit. "Besides you're here now. I feel most comfortable and safest with you around."
"Aa, as do I saiai," Itachi muttered softly, knowing that his kitsune would be able to hear him.
Whether known to the other or not, both shared a single thought at the same time…
…My sanctuary…
There you have it. Inspired by the Kingdom Hearts 2 Song Passion or Sanctuary, whichever one you know it by. Call it a gift for waiting so long for this update.
Thanks for reading! Kurai hoshi