Please use youtube and listen to I saw daddy today – Yann Tiersen
watch?v=DfWA4A39vAc
Books.
A hand slowly placed itself over the cover a random book in the bookcase. It traced the name inprinted on its side and continued on its path after a short delay.
Accumulated knowledge, fantasy, experience, accumulated hopes and dreams of a better world, always with a spark of hope that did not exist in their mundane lives.
Another book was studied- but the owner of the hand was not satisfied yet.
The meaning of dreams compressed into a code to be analized and lived by those careful enough to read between the lines.
Hopes that stay fiction until the end.
A red book named „The life of Sasaki Kojirou". The story about a master of the nodachi, deadly and beautiful. His entire life had been dedicated to battle and the perfection of the body through combat. A beacon of light between the intrigue of the first ninja war, the time the book had been written in. Between all the corpses and the trauma, that death tolls in such high numbers were possible at all broke more survivors than the fighting itself had. The hand lingered a little longer over that one before it resumed its examination.
Another book called „The white Kunoichi". A small smile played about on the lips of the man. A female ninja who united her clan, which had been broken from inner strife- only to proceed and create a ninja village where nobody may be sad or hungry. A true princess and the reason why many young girls wished to become ninja. Most of those either dropped out of the academy or died before they left puberty- that train of thought was halted. There was no need to think about the hypocrisy of the world at present time.
The hand stopped on the cover of a particular trilogy and finally found what it had sought.
Please use youtube and listen to Bob James – In the Garden
watch?v=RzTgfqTLWPI
„Naruto? I've brought you food."
„Come in. The door isn't locked."
A girl entered the room and put a tray on the desk next to him.
„Thank you, Tamaki."
The girl's smile widened just a little.
„You say that without even looking."
Naruto grunted before placing a book mark on the page he was reading and putting the book away.
„Mhm- It smells delicious."
„Only the best for our best!" She cheered.
Naruto glanced at her face and put on a deadpan expression.
„I can smell your mocking tone."
Tamaki huffed and sat on a cushioned chair next to his.
„So, what were you reading?"
A slurping noise answered her. She pouted.
For a few minutes the girl waited for him to make a break in his food consumption, simply watching him out of the corner of her eyes. After a full minute that activity became boring, however, and she picked up the book her friend had been reading. She read the title.
„Hmmmmm."
Tamaki opened the first page and glanced at it.
„I thought you liked fiction?"
She closed the book and placed it back. Just five seconds later, when she almost gave up the hope of him answering her latest question, he put the chopsticks on the tray and picked the book up himself.
„Books like these-" He put a hand on it and stopped, as if reminiscing. Letting out an almost inaudible sigh, Naruto lifted the book to his face and took in the books smell- it smelled clean and well kept.
„Books like these give me hope. Hope that through all our pain, in the end, we might make a difference-" He put the book back on the desk and smiled at her interested expression. The title of the book was The foundation of Kumogakure. The boy tapped it.
„The foundation of Kumogakure was filled with strife more than that of any other hidden village." He leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. „The bad blood between the factions up there had been far worse than, for example, the Senju-Uchiha situation." Naruto lifted his right hand as if to underline the next sentence. „The only reason they were ready to assemble at the bargaining table was because they knew, they knew that if they don't become a superpower with their combined armies, they would be trampled over and assimilated by the newly formed hidden villages of Earth and Fire. But still- they couldn't come to an agreement. The hatred simply ran too deep. Some of them would rather lose their independence to already formed countries, just so they wouldn't have to fight shoulder to shoulder with the sons of the killers of their ancestors. But then-" He snapped his fingers. „Just like that, the man who would proceed to become the first Raikage appeared out of nowhere and talked or beat each one of them into the ground. A mere week later, Kumogakure was found." Naruto sighed. „Almost like a superhero, don't you think?"
He glanced at her when she didn't answer. Tamaki had a sad far-away look on her face. Naruto closed his eyes.
„Yes, I know- the bloodbath he had to orchestrate in order to become feared and then how he proceeded to take charge with intimidation. I know that."
He leaned forward with a hiss.
„But no politician of this day and age has zero skeletons in his closet. He did what had to be done in order to achieve sovereignity for the people he loved-" Unsaid were the words power hungry and murderer. „In the end, he snuffed out more hatred than most have ever felt."
When no answer came, Naruto opened his eyes and tried to resume his meal, but two hands stopped him. They came around his head and softly pressed him into her bosom in a warm hug. She buried her face in his hair.
„No more. Please, stop thinking about hatred." Her voice was a whisper. „There will be no hatred directed at you anymore.", Takami breathed.
An unconscious tremble went through his body, but was quickly dismissed. He didn't answer.
Almost ten seconds later, she let him go and stepped away. The girl bit her lip.
„Grandmother wanted to talk to you after you are done eating. Please heed her call.", she said, averting her eyes. A moment later she left the room.
His sigh went unheard when he placed his hand on the chopsticks.
Accumulated hopes and dreams indeed.
Naruto threw a look at the window when the rest of the sunlight vanished.
A storm is coming.