Two Scarred Souls Heal Each Other
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. They belong to their respective authors and publishing/media companies.
Warning: Yaoi/Slash. Harry/Ibiki. Please don't read if its not your cup of tea.
Big Thank You to my wonderful beta: latte2. Her patience knows no bounds. Even when arguing over 'showed' versus 'shone'. She won!
Author's Notes: Thank you for voting in Hermione's Poll. The winner is…..Iruka! Latte2 was so happy.
An ecstatic round of applause for all my readers who has read, reviewed, and/or add this story to their favorite's list. I love you all!
Story warning: This story is AUish. It takes place a few months after the Sandaime's death. And Sasuke has not defected from the village. In my little world, Jiraiya placed a stronger seal on the Curse Seal and Tsunade had increased the security around the village to prevent the notion that Konoha was weak from the Invasion. Thus, Sasuke doesn't have the motivation or opportunity to leave Konoha.
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Chapter 4: Enter Blonde Sunshine
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Friday after the Grand Opening
Harry walked down a street, carrying multiple bags of groceries that he had just purchased to make some easy and delicious meals for the café. He wanted to shrink the bags but could not due to the witnesses who saw him purchase the supplies. Harry did not want to arouse questions regarding the 'missing' bags should anyone be paying attentions. The resounding success of Apothecary Café meant a desired need to slightly expand the lunch menu. In the past two days, the café had garnered some dedicated followers due to its exotic teas and scrumptious pastries. Hermione and Harry firmly believed a menu featuring the cuisine from the West would be very popular with their customers. Currently, the wizard was struggling to keep up with the bread baking in order to meet the demands for the simple sandwiches and wraps. He sincerely hoped a small expanded menu would allow him to focus the ovens more on the pastries and less on bread raising and baking.
Turning around a corner, he was surprised by a sudden collision with another person. Stifling curses, Harry quickly casted a few silent and invisible spells to cushion the fall of the grocery bags. After taking a few seconds to regain his balance, he looked up to locate the individual that he jarred into. Quickly his emerald gaze locked into sapphire orbs that radiated apprehension from a whiskered face and wildly spiked blonde hair. The boy was hard to miss in his vividly orange jumpsuit. Another important aspect that Harry saw was the Konoha headband that was proudly placed on his head. However, it was the apprehensive and nervous aura surrounding the young teen that caused the wizard to adapt a serene and non-threatening approach.
"Hi there! Sorry for the little mishap. I didn't see you when I came around the corner. Must have been distracted by all these bags." Harry smiled sheepishly and pointed to the bags on the ground. "If you can help me pick them up, I would greatly appreciate it."
Blue eyes regarded him in suspicion before widening in shock at the realization that the strange man really didn't know who he was!
"Ummm…..Sure I can help pick up your bags. As future hokage, I will gladly help citizens when they need it. Believe it!" the blond genin chirped energetically.
"So you are going to be the hokage one day? Excellent goal. Well, Mr. Future Hokage, my name is Hadrian Potter-Black. Pleased to meet you." replied Harry with an honest smile.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you too!" Naruto beamed with happiness. The nice onii-san had complimented his goal. No insults or distain at all. Pure awesomeness!
"Ne, ne, Black-san. Where are we going?" he asked as he walked beside Harry.
"We are going to Apothecary Café. These are groceries to help cook a trial lunch menu for lunch in a few hours." he explained patiently.
"Wow! You work there! Iruka-sensei gave me some fruit tarts from there when he visited my place the other day. They were really delicious!" proclaimed the blonde.
"Why thank you, Naruto. My sister and I own the café. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the pastries from there." Harry smiled happily at the blonde. However, he was mentally examining the boy's short stature and body proportions. Naruto was very skinny and petite for his age, being a genin meant he was around 12 to 13 years old. Harry had to push back dark memories that surged forward with the suspicions of malnutrition and abuse.
As they continued to walk towards Apothecary Café, the wizard and genin chatted about a wide array of subjects ranging from the Ninja Academy to Naruto's obsessive love of ramen. They entered through the backdoor in order to go directly into the kitchen. Within five minutes, the majority of the groceries were stored in the refrigerator or pantry. Harry left the ingredient to make chicken dumplings and pot pies out on the counter. He was determined to whip up a healthy and nutritious meal for Naruto. He cajoled Naruto to stay in the back and keep him company while he made and cooked the food. Despite the meal being offered as a 'thank you' gesture, Naruto insisted on being helpful and happily washed the dishes that Harry neglected this morning.
Less than an hour later, Harry was pulling out hot and bubbly chicken pot pies from the ovens. He place 20 pies in the warming oven to keep them hot and fresh (courtesy of several charms and two runic arrays). Another 10 pies to be served to customers, with an extra one for Hermione, were arranged in the serving window. In addition, the green eyed cook informed his sister that there were 20 more pies and the chicken and dumplings would be ready in 20 more minutes. Hermione quickly set aside her tasty lunch while she grabbed the pies to serve to their eager customers who were waiting patiently ever since the delicious aroma waffled through the café. After another quick glance at the stove, Harry sat down at the long table in the kitchen to serve lunch to Naruto and himself.
"Here you go, Naruto. One delicious, hot, and bubbly pot pie for lunch with tea to drink. Enjoy!" he called out cheerfully while serving the enthusiastic genin.
"Hmmm, this is really good Black-san." complimented Naruto after taking a careful bite of the hot pot pie. "Even the vegetables taste good, and I hate vegetables!"
"Well that's good to hear!" laughed Harry. "You should come by more often. I'll serve some wonderful food that will have you liking vegetables in no time."
"Ummm….I'll stop by when I can. I don't really eat out often due to being on a genin salary." stated the slightly downcast blonde.
"Ah. I get it. How about a deal? You stop by and help with the dishes and I will provide an hourly wage of 100 ryos an hour and free meals at the Café. Plus, you can even take home any leftovers if you want to." bargained the wizard. Harry really wanted to help the young genin. Talking with him for the past two hours was like looking into a mirror image of himself when he still lived at the Dursleys: malnutrition, low self esteem, unhealthy diet, and overwhelming hostility from people. Harry saw the looks glared at Naruto's direction during the walk to the café and he paid attention to the way Naruto avoided being seen through the serving window. If a job with meals was the first step to helping Naruto, then a job with meals would be provided!
The two males argued over the wage for a while before settling to a salary of 80 ryos an hour. Both of them were very pleased over the agreement. Naruto was happy to be able to eat fresh and delicious meals every day and not having to waste precious money on spoilt or nearly inedible food from the stores. The extra money from the salary was just an added bonus. Harry was pleased to be able to feed the orphan and he planned on slipping nutrient potions into Naruto's teas during meal times. A little extra boost wouldn't go amiss, anyways.
Tsunade was reading paperwork at her desk with a small tin of biscotti to accompany her Darjeeling tea. For once, she wasn't diligently praying for sake or trying to escape her office. The initial reports from Konoha Hospital regarding the new shipment of medical supplies were just too fascinating. The Potter-Blacks were true to their word and delivered the products in a quick and timely fashion. Naturally she ordered trial tests before the products could be made available to the shinobi corps. Not surprisingly, the medical staff was excited about the new products and they had written glowing reports about the first and second round of testing. The only downside was the medicinal teas and herbs were less effectiveness if used too frequently in a short about of time. Hermione revealed that many of the liquid medication tasted absolutely foul in order to ensure the consumers did not build a dependence or tolerance of them over prolong usage
Coincidentally, the energizing tea was the first product tested. It seems to be a wonderful alternative for soldier pills. The energizing tea unfortunately lost its effect if consumed to often in a short about of time. However, it wasn't fatal unlike over usage of soldier pills. Tsunade made a note to have the energizing tea come with a recommendation for a three times daily maximum usage. The siblings mentioned it could be consumed as a liquid medication with some adjustment to its recipe. However, they were adamant that it could never be produced as a pill due to the herbs becoming null from being too finely grounded and compressed into pill format.
The bruise treatment cream and the burn removal ointment performed perfectly in the test runs. The doctors were ecstatic to realize the burn removal salve helped minimize nerve damage if applied quickly to a new burn wound and reduced scarring for all burn injuries. Likewise, the bruise treatment worked best on fresh wounds but still helped heal all types of bruises from minor to deep tissue. The most surprising product was the small white pills that were an allergic reaction/venom/common poison cure. Harry explained that it was a common product in their homeland due to snake bites and allergic reactions being frightening but normal occurrences. Therefore, most families stocked the preventive medicine in their homes or on their persons. The fact that it helped with common poisons was an additional benefit. The young man bluntly reminded the Hokage that his family's wealth meant that they were possible targets of greedy opportunists so a poison cure was a necessity and not a luxury. They merely extended the courtesy of selling the small white pills to their new home.
The medical staff was happy with the test results but was vaguely disappointed that the products only helped while major injuries still required medical assistance from trained personnel. Once again, it only confirmed the Potter-Blacks' claim that they only sold helpful medical products not miracle cures. However, Tsunade and Inoichi firmly believed the Potter-Blacks had more medical secrets but they refused to push the siblings further in fear of them leaving Konoha completely. Apparently, the Daimyo was aware of the duo and had granted them asylum in Fire Country. Barring criminal charges, overt harassment and interference with the brother and sister could result in a political nightmare when such news reached the Daimyo's court.
Speaking of harassment and interference it was almost time for the requested meeting with some civilian council members. Tsunade could feel her future headache strumming in her head as she mentally prepared herself for the ridiculous demands/complaints of the civilian council.
'Why? Oh why did the Sandaime believe having a civilian council was a good idea? This is a ninja village. It should be run by the ninjas! If civilians don't like it, they could always move out!' Tsunade bemoaned to herself.
Staring at the door, she could hear the shrill tones of Councilwoman Meibuki Haruno as she demanded to see the Hokage as it was the scheduled time of their meeting. Well, no point in running away since they were already here. 'Maybe an emergency would crop up?' pined the Hokage as her office door opened to reveal her unwanted and pesky guests. Give her unpaid creditors any day over brazen and audacious council member.
"Good afternoon, Lady Tsunade. We are here as the representatives of the concerned citizens of Konoha regarding the latest actions of Genin Naruto Uzumaki." announced Councilwoman Haruno in loud and snotty tones.
Tsunade barely resisted her urge to sneer at the four council members. Any mentions of her favorite blonde from these people always put her in a foul mood.
"What seems to be the problem now, council members?" she queried as her eyes flashed warnings. Every other week, it seemed like they had another complaint and frankly she was getting quite sick of them.
"We had received alarming news that he has become a perpetual nuisance to the poor owners of Apothecary Café. You do know of Apothecary Café, right Lady Tsunade? It is such a delightful tea house and has become very popular with Madame Shijime. Therefore, it is distressing to hear that such a new and illustrious restaurant is being sullied in such a manner." reported Masato Ishikawa, a rich merchant councilman.
"Indeed. We demand that you reprimand Genin Uzumaki and order him to keep his distance away from Apothecary Café. It is very unfortunate that the poor owners do not realize the repercussions that could come from such an association. As a young gentleman and lady of elite peerage, they unknowingly court social disaster from such patronage in their fine establishment." Councilwoman Haruno punctuated her statement with a disapproving sniff of distain.
In her head, Tsunade chanted the mantra that had become almost a prayer in the past three months since becoming Hokage. 'Must not kill idiotic civilians. Must not kill idiotic civilians.' The rampant discrimination against the innocent blonde who only wanted protect his precious people always provoked Tsunade's legendary temper. The urge to punch them into a wall grew stronger every day.
Taking a slow slip of her tea, the Hokage valiantly tried to stem her anger and projected a emotionless facade. Years of being a kunoichi came in handle for situation like this.
"I understand your issue of unhappiness. However, without a complaint from the owners themselves, I cannot reprimand a shinobi based upon the uneasy feelings of a selected few of the population." she impassively stated while giving them a predatory stare, silently daring them to disagree. There's always one…
"That's not reasonable, Lady Hokage. The owners are new citizens of Konoha. Obviously, they are not aware of the delicacy of this situation or the steps they should take to resolve this unwanted issue. Therefore as the civilian leaders, we beseech you to perform your duties without bias. We are well aware that you …..like the young genin, but you must conduct your responsibilities with impartiality." dictated Councilwoman Jun Nishimaru, whose family owned several businesses in Konoha. Incidentally, those businesses have always firmly refused service to Naruto and had helped promote that boycott to other businesses for years.
'No that woman did not just tell me how to do my damn job! Impartiality my ass! Her precious stores cannot be tainted by the Kyuubi brat! As a business owner you should impartially sell your products regardless of your personal prejudices. Hypocritical bitch!' ranted Tsunade in her mind.
While she would love to say that out loud, the Slug Sannin was aware of the political clout of the civilian council and anything she said couldn't change their minds anyways. Tch! However, that didn't stop her from throwing some sly verbal barbs.
Nodding her head regally, she said, "As a Hokage, I do listen carefully to the advice of my council. I firmly believe that I diligently conduct myself in the appropriate manner and try to never let my personal feelings lead to an abuse of power. After all, it wouldn't do to use my power to meddle unnecessarily into the affairs of our citizens. Why, just image what I could learn if I employed the ANBU to closely monitor the actions inside the village. All the dirty, dark secrets that would be exposed, just like that!" She snapped her fingers and watched as the civilians jumped in surprise.
She looked at the council members "Tell you what, I will personally speak to Hadrian and Hermione Potter-Black. If in any way they are uncomfortable with Genin Uzumaki's presence, I will ensure he will not bother them anymore." Her smile was almost shark like as she gazed upon the council members whose spines had become rigidly straight with the unspoken threat of being closely monitored by shinobi.
"Yes, please see that you do that." With one last formal nod, Councilwoman Haruno walked stiffly out the office and was hastily followed by her peers.
Lady Tsunade gave a tired sigh and stared disgustedly at her tea cup. Now would be a good time to try that headache remedy that she had discussed with Hermione during her last visit. The Hokage had a feeling she would be drinking a lot of it during the oncoming days as the Civilian Council inevitably fussed and complained about everything.
"Shizune! We're going back to the Café!"
Hermione looked up from her daily inventory record when she heard the sounds of the door chimes. The appearance of the Hokage and her apprentice was a common sight these days. She hurriedly laid the record under the counter and greeted the approaching two women.
"Good afternoon! Welcome back to the Apothecary Café. I am pleased to announce we are serving Paella and Gumbo for lunch along with our usual sandwiches and wraps. How may I help you today?" she asked with a smile.
"Paella? Gumbo? What are those?" Shizune questioned, always eager to try something new.
"Paella is a wonderful saffron flavored dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, and seafood. Gumbo is a soup with a strongly flavored stock and a mixture of rice, vegetables, meats, and shrimp. As you can guess, Harry is favoring rice and shrimp as his main ingredients today." explained Hermione.
Both the women could feel their mouths water from the food's description and the delicious smells in the air.
"Will you serve these meals all the time?" inquired the Hokage.
"Unfortunately no. We will not serve the same dishes consecutively due to Harry's decision to have a permanently revolving menu. He cooks what he is inspired to cook that day and uses the locally available ingredients that are in season." informed the curly haired brunet.
After a quick exchange of looks between the mentor and her apprentice, Tsunade asked if they could order one of each dish and share. Hermione easily obliged the request and said she would inform Harry to serve each dish evenly split into two portions. Happy with the outcome, they ordered a pot of fruit tea to drink while they waited and Tsunade got one teacup with mild pain relief herbs for her headache. Before turning to sit at a table, the Hokage asked to speak with both siblings when they had a free moment.
Within eight minutes, the siblings walked towards their table with Harry carrying a wooden tray containing their lunch and desert of fruit tarts. He effortlessly served the food and stood back to stand besides his sister as they waited to hear what the Hokage wanted to talk to them about.
Shizune gleefully began eating lunch while Tsunade shot reproachful looks at her assistant. She turned her head to avoid looking at the delicious spread of food and regarded the brunets intensely.
"To speak frankly, I was just paid a visit by some members of Konoha's Civilian Council. They are quite indignant about the presence of a young genin in your café. He was seen here last night and they believe he may be a nuisance to you. So, is Naruto bothering you two in any way, form, or fashion?" she bluntly questioned.
Harry tensed and hostilely looked at the blonde leader. "Naruto Uzumaki is certainly not a problem in this Café. In fact, he has just been hired to help with kitchen duties and has performed wonderfully as of now. If certain individuals do not like his presence here, they can kindly take their business elsewhere!" he declared firmly. Besides him, Hermione nodded her head in agreement and conveyed her support with a determined gleam in her eyes.
They were both surprised when the Hokage smiled in response to their hostile statement.
"Excellent! I was hoping you would feel the same way. That little bundle of sunshine needs all the allies he can get. You do realize public support of the village pariah may lead to backlash and a boycott of your café?" she said while taking a enthusiastic bit of her paella. A small hum of appreciation escaped her lips once she tasted the richly flavored dish. The shrimp was cooked to perfection and the crispness of the bottom layer of rice was simply delicious.
Harry snorted in retort to Tsunade's query. "It doesn't matter. Not to brag, but we are quite financially secure. This café is more of an entertaining business venture and not a source of livelihood. If they refuse to patron our café, bully for them. We could care less."
"Exactly. Good riddance to bad rubbish!" declared Hermione. "We wouldn't want them as customers anyways."
The fact that the conversation wasn't quiet did not escape the notice of the party of four. Each duo knew the gossip mills would soon be rampant with the news of the Potter-Blacks' stance of Naruto Uzumaki. The repercussions of their bold statements would soon be visible in the forthcoming days.
Tsunade angled her food away from the predatory stare of Shizune. She knew the bob haired woman would not hesitate to poach her food.
"Huh, I wonder what the civilians will think of your perspective. Mark my words, the rumor mills will be burning in minutes. But speaking of rumors," Tsunade locked eyes with Harry and smirked knowingly "I heard you have a hot date with one of my reclusive jounins this Saturday. Good job!" The short round of applause from Tsunade, which was joined by Shizune, was definitely not appreciated by the embarrassed chef.
Immediately, a rapid blush appeared on the cheeks of a horrified wizard. He whipped his head to the side when he heard the jovial chortles of his sister. Harry stared accusingly at her until he suddenly realized the other customers were giving him inquisitive looks too. Immediately, the notes of the horn of retreat sounded throughout his mind. 'Run away! Run away I say! Screw your pride and dignity as a man. Danger! Danger! You're surrounded by matchmakers. Scream like a little girl and flee!' yelled his survival instincts.
Being the most eligible bachelor of the Wizarding World meant his instincts were finely honed from navigating the traps and pitfalls of women, and the occasional man, on a mission. Thus, he had learned to trust and heed those warning bells. Harry promptly turned on his heels and hurried back into the kitchen. 'It's a strategic retreat! I'm not running away.' he fervently thought as he tried to comfort himself. The peals of laughter at his back did not lend much credibility to his wishful denial.
Harry signed tiredly as he leaned into the table in the kitchen. The entire day was full of madness ever since the Hokage came for a visit. 'Damn her and her speculations.' he thought viciously. Since her public inquisition, the wizard noticed a dramatic increase of people who peered at him through the service window as if expecting his mystery date to appear at any minute. 'I thought they would go away not come in droves!'
Hedwig stirred slightly on her large wooden perch. She had shown up at work a few hours ago and enjoyed a delightful feast of chopped seafood and meat from her adoring wizard. Such a good hatchling she thought as she watched him paced and clang pots together. If only a little bit more quieter….
Suddenly the back door opened and both occupants turned to face the new arrival. Standing in the door was a bemused blonde genin who was peering earnestly at Hedwig.
"Ah, Black-san? Is that the owl that Kiba is afraid of? He's been ranting about a white owl for the past few weeks. I thought he was crazy because I had never seen an owl, much less a white one!" exclaimed Naruto as he moved into the kitchen.
Harry look accusingly at Hedwig only to watch as she cocked her head to the side and release an innocent sounding "Hoot?"
Her…. Terrorizing an innocent child? Why she would never do such an impudent thing!
"Hoot?" she repeated again, swiveling her head from side to side. The perfect picture of owl innocence.
"Who indeed?" Harry muttered darkly as he continued to stare suspiciously at his chuffing familiar. "I don't know about any actions regarding Kiba, but Hedwig here is a snowy white owl who is very mischievous," He waved Naruto to the table to serve him dinner before he began washing dishes.
"And Hedwig, this is Naruto. He will be working here as a dishwasher. Please treat him kindly." introduced a wizard to his familiar.
Hedwig examined the young blond teen and bobbed her head in a greeting as he sat down at the table to begin eating the shrimp scampi with fresh bread. As the mother owl of an abused chick, she could spot the similarities between this boy and her own. It was very good of her hatchling to help take care of another. However, it would be her wizard to find another fledging with hair just as bizarre as his! Oh, well. 'Only one thing left to do.' she determined as she spread her wing in preparation for a short glide.
"Oi, Hedwig-san! What are you doing to my hair?" yelped a startled genin when a large owl landed on his shoulder and started preening his hair with gentle tugs of her beak.
Harry stared in astonishment at his beloved owl. She rarely took it upon herself to groom another person besides himself. He gave a gentle smile and a nod of gratitude to his motherly familiar.
"Don't worry Naruto. That's actually a sign that she likes you!"
Thank you for reading my story. Please review!
Posted: 02/10/13 Word Count: over 4,800
Author's Notes:
Money exchange rate: From internet research, 1 ryo equals 10 yens, 100 yens equals roughly 1 dollar, 1.5 dollars equals 1 pound, and 5 pounds equals one gallon. Ergo, Naruto's hourly wage of 80 ryos equals 800 yens, 8 dollars, 5.33 pounds, and 1 gallon per hour. Not so bad when that includes meals, drinks, and free leftovers.
Madame Shijime: the Daimyo's wife and proud owner of Tora the Cat.
Food Menu: Yes it is very diverse. It should smell weird with the pastries but the all the pastries are cooked very early in the morning while bread starts cooking at 10 am to 3 pm. The smell of bread goes with absolutely everything. Thus, the Café smells delicious all the time.
Below are some responses to some readers' reviews. I wish to clarify some aspects of the story that I have yet to address in a pm. Please read if interested!
Stahchild: the story takes place after the invasion of Sound and Suna. Tsunade is Hokage due to the Sandaime's death. However, Harry will still be very protective of Naruto though. Expect fireworks in the future!
Dark Neko 4000: Harry is currently slated to be an overprotective older brother to Naruto. No blood adoptions though.
Silvermane1: Thanks for spotting where this story verges into AU land. If anybody can understand the overwhelming burden of public pressure and the desire for revenge, it would be Harry. He could have easily been a power hungry avenger too.
Snarryadict123: I love uke Harry too! As for the reactions to the house, the only person who knew of the house's previous condition was the realtor who was aware of the wealth of the Potter-Blacks. The quick renovations can easily be explained by hefty paychecks for speed and efficiency.
Grey-Shadow-Horse: Ibiki is currently 27 (according to Narutowiki, he was a genin at 10 and a chunin by 15). Harry is 20 in the story (hunted horcruxes at 18, the war and trials at 19, left at 20).
Wandering Crimson Sage: the plot is definitely moving quickly. However, both Harry and Ibiki had experienced wars and deaths of close friends. They have good instincts and understand the value to grabbing onto fortune's blessing with both hands. Plus, I am impatient too! I couldn't bear to have them dancing around each other for months.