Matsuda Soshi was twenty years old when his wife smiled meekly at him, so unlike her usual fiery smile, and sat him on the kamiza, with a hot cup of tea, before she knelt beside him, still smiling.
Still unsure of what she could be planning, Soshi sipped slowly from the tea, waiting for an explanation. "I invited my mother and father to dinner, tonight." she said softly, and Soshi nodded, still not seeing reason for such a sitting for such simple information.
"Soshi?" turning toward Kaela Soshi couldn't help but smile, he loved her possibly more then anyone else in the world, and probably always would. "I'm pregnant." Soshi blinked slowly, almost unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Really?" her fiery smile returned as she nodded. Pregnant! Soshi couldn't believe it!
He'd never been happier.
Soshi was twenty one when the doctor told him that his wife had brought a beautiful son into this world. He felt as if he had wings. A son! His own son! He turned to Mingyu, his old cellmate who happened to have a doctors appointment today, "A son! I have a son!" Mingyu embraced him, and they both felt like crying from happiness, for it was common knowledge that Mingyu was thought to be unable to have children for an injury he'd received in the war during his younger years.
The doctor allowed Mingyu to enter the room with Soshi, when the man rushed to the side of his wife's bed grinning, expecting to love his child with all of his heart, to be willing to give his life for the boy (though secretly he'd wanted a daughter), he looked down into the face of his newborn son.
But Soshi didn't see the beautiful baby Mingyu and Kaela saw.
He saw a demon.
Soshi was twenty three when Hiroki, already walking and running, but not talking, committed his first demonic act. Sakumo, who lived down the street, had a newborn at the time, and Mingyu despite the doctors conclusions, had a one year old son.
Kaela had invited Mingyu and his wife, Sakumo and his wife, to dinner. While the adults were eating Hiroki, Gai, and Kakashi were placed in the next room, though Sakumo seemed worried to leave Kakashi (even in a playpen) in the room with the older, rougher boys, Kaela assured him that Hiroki was a good boy.
Soshi remained silent.
The boys had been playing, Soshi speculates, when suddenly the adults, all laughing at this point, heard young Gai wailing, and the infant Kakashi screaming. Soshi was the first one in the room, and though Hiroki was sitting silently at the small play table across the room, Soshi instantly knew he had done it.
Mingyu rushed into the room and scooped Gai into his arms, cradling the bleeding boy to his chest, and glaring at Soshi, who stayed silent, turned and left, quickly followed by his silent wife. Sakumo's wife rushed into the room, and began crying when she saw her baby bleeding, taking him she ran from the room, and house in the direction of the hospital, followed by Sakumo who didn't even bother to look at them.
Soshi stood rooted in the spot, and turned slowly toward his son. Hiroki looked up at him, and showed no emotion.
Kaela cried that night, unable to understand what had happened, how she had raised such a violent boy. Soshi remained silent as he donned his ANBU uniform, and suddenly she wheeled around to look at him, "This is your fault, Soshi!" she snapped, and he looked up at her slowly, carefully avoiding her eyes.
"What do you mean?" he half whispered, trying not to give way to the fact that he'd already been considering such an option. He had been told as a child, after all, that he had a mental illness, which caused madness, and could be passed onto his children, should he have any.
"You and your stupid ANBU!" she shrieked, stomping her foot, "You bring violence into this house, and you teach our child that such actions are permissible!" Soshi wanted to point out that they were both Shinobi. Such actions, he thought, kept them in a home.
Soshi looked at her blankly, tiredly, and slowly put his mask on. He wouldn't have to think about it now, slipping out the window he felt better.
Hiroki was six years old, when he finally made his father proud. Graduating in the middle of his class was a little disappointing, but Kaela quickly pointed out that Soshi himself had done worse then that when he graduated.
Hiroki seemed proud as he held the headband up to show his father, Soshi smiled back as he knelt before his son, taking the headband he tied it around his sons head slowly, smiling softly, "Congratulations, Hiroki."
Though he'd never changed his view that Hiroki was a demon, the child seemed to be growing into a splendid young man.
"Hiro." his son said softly, and Soshi furrowed his brow slightly. It was his sons choice, as an adult now, however, so he nodded.
"Hiro." he said as he pulled the boy into a hug.
Soshi rather liked Hiro's teacher, Iwate Kisho. He seemed rather talented in Ninjutsu, which was Hiro's best area.
Hiro, however, didn't seem to care for the man. He was insubordinate, and rude. He also seemed to hold a great dislike for his cellmates.
Soshi worried for their safety.
Soshi was proud when his son was sent into the fields of the war. It was good he would be protecting his country. Soshi was sure that Hiro, who'd stopped him on his way in while the boy was on his way out, would change his view.
The war would change Hiro, Soshi was sure.
Change him for the better.
Soshi was standing out front of his house, bidding farewell to his wife when Kisho came up into the yard wearily. Soshi said hello, as he looked around, noting that the other man hadn't brought their son, both Soshi, and Kaela, turned toward Kisho.
Kisho softly told the tale of how he had split the cell, taking Jin with him, while the two boys Sato and Hiro went off together. Sato had met him on the other side of the bridge, but he had been alone. Hiro, he said, had insisted it would be easier to take an alternate route.
They never found the boy.
Kaela began sobbing as she collapsed in the doorway.
Soshi felt much older then his thirty years.
And then Soshi felt an odd sense of foreboding.
Soshi was thirty two, and it had been two years since he'd learned that his son was gone. Possibly dead.
He was standing in the hospital, waiting. The doctor came out grinning, "Twins," she said, and Soshi felt ecstatic, "A boy and a girl."
Finally a girl!
Soshi went into the room, feeling slightly apprehensive, and looked down at his daughter. She was beautiful, and so was his son.
Soshi wept for happiness.
Soshi was thirty two when Kakashi, whom he was fostering at the time, entered the house in a rush. "Soshi." he said bowing, "Minato-sensei wants you at the hospital." Kakashi was slipping his sandals off and Soshi scowled, as he placed Kunie, his daughter, on the cushion beside his before standing.
Kunie stood and followed Kakashi lazily as the boy made his way down the hall.
Soshi made his way to the hospital, sensing something he'd never wanted to sense again, and feeling apprehensive. He met a smiling Minato in the lobby, and they went to a room upstairs.
He was nine now, and a lot taller (and a little chubby), but Soshi could tell they wanted him to know this was his son. That this was Hiroki.
"Your son." Minato was smiling, and his teeth were blindingly white. Hiro smiled awkwardly as he slipped down from the bed, and took a hesitant step toward Soshi.
"That's not my son," Soshi said without thinking, "My son died years ago." it came out sounding harsher then he'd expected. But what he didn't mention was that he thought his son had died nine years ago, not two.
Hiro's blue eyes changed, they went from warm to icy in a matter of seconds, and again he was the only one who seemed to notice.
Soshi hated the monster.
Soshi was thirty six when he and his wife were called to the hospital.
Hiroki had been in an accident, they told them, he was the only survivor. Soshi felt a coldness set into his bones at the mention of the accident, a bomb they said. A bomb had gone off as Hiroki and his cell crossed over the bridge.
The only reason Hiroki survived, they told him, is because the boy had been ahead of his cell.
Kalea was weeping, but Soshi felt as if he had been doused with ice water. Visibly shivering the woman reassured him that they would save his son.
But Soshi knew that was too late.
His son was dead. His sons body, however, was possessed by a demon, and he was the only one who could see past those blue eyes into the dark soul.
Soshi knew that Hiroki had set that bomb off.
Soshi was forty six when he met Hiro, as he was heading to a vital mission. His son looked furious, but Soshi paid it no mind. Hiro was always mad.
"What do you want?" Soshi asked as he stopped on the tree branch.
"You told Sandaime I was unfit for duty!" Hiro snapped, it was an accusation. Not a question.
Kunie, however, had been the one to tell him that. "So what?" Soshi drawled slowly as he folded his arms over his chest, "You are."
Hiro seemed to become enraged over such a suggestion. "I'll kill you." Hiro hissed, and Soshi furrowed his brow, "With my bare hands!" Hiro snarled as he raised his hands, as if to emphasize the point.
Soshi wasn't sure if Hiro was just being angry, or if the man had finally snapped, and so he began to move, slowly leaping into another tree, but as he leaped he glanced toward Hiro, the other man was gone.
Soshi hit the tree branch, but just as his foot got purchase, the branch vanished. Along with the tree. And the forest.
They were in a world of blackness, and Soshi climbed to his feet slowly, looking around the area as his eyes adjusted.
Was this where Hiro went all the time?
"That was a promise, not a statement." Hiro hissed into the darkness, and Soshi whirled around looking for him.
For the first time he was afraid of his son.
He caught sight of Hiro's weapon, the small silver disks glowing with chakara. They illuminated his eyes.
The last thing Soshi saw was the icy glow of Hiro's eyes.
He'd known the boy was a demon...
A/N:
This is kinda... weird. Just a piece exploring Soshi, AKA, Hiro's dad. To show how evil Hiro actually is, and why he feels as if he'd taint Itachi, the only person he ever really cared about (except his mom).
Just to be clear Hiro is NOT a demon. He's just... crazy o.o.
By demon I mean mythological demon (I.E the Japanese used to believe that if you were born with blonde hair blue eyes, you were a demon), his father just thinks he is, because he was born with BLUE eyes, rather then brown like Soshi and his wife.