All Good Things Come To An End
Haru stood over his friend's bed,
not knowing which he was angrier with, Ichiru himself, or his
sister.
He'd only come in to see if Ichiru wanted to go for
breakfast in the village, and he had stumbled upon his own little
sister in bed with his new friend. Well, not exactly in bed,
but it was close. The two were snuggled up to each other, hands and
legs entangled, both looking serene. If Kiba were to find out about
this, Ichiru would be cast onto the streets faster than you could say
"Mad Dog".
Haru coughed loudly, deciding it was best to at
least wake them and give them a telling off. Akane opened her eyes
slowly, and then upon seeing her brother, jumped from the bed, almost
crying with shame. Caught in a boy's bedroom. What if her father
found out? He'd kill Ichiru and throw Akane out of the house for
sure.
Ichiru sheepishly got up from the bed, his hand raking
through his hair as he blushed slightly.
"Nothing happened."
He said simply, turning away from Haru.
"Okay." Haru said,
leaving the room, and pulling Akane with him.
Ichiru cursed
loudly, quickly stepping into the shower. How had that happened? It
only seemed a few minutes ago that they'd been having a pillow
fight, and now all of a sudden Haru's standing over him with a face
like thunder, shooting accusing looks at him. well I suppose it
looked quite bad… he thought, standing stock still under the
steady stream of water. After a while, he left the bathroom, dropped
his towel and began to get dressed, humming to himself as he did so.
Today he had training with Shikamaru-sensei again, and this time,
Kiba-sensei would be joining them. How could he look Kiba in the eye
when he'd just spent a night in bed with his daughter? Ichiru shook
his head angrily, Nothing happened! he told himself. But a
voice in the back of his mind grew louder as he gathered his things
and headed for the training grounds.
Did you want something to happen, Ichiru?
Akane sat at her
dressing table as her sister Aiko brushed her hair. She gazed into
the mirror, not really seeing anything, and thinking only of Ichiru,
and the disappointment on her brother's face. She loved her brother
more than anyone; he'd always been there for her. Aiko had excelled
as a ninja at a young age, and was already applying to become a
jounin. Haru and Akane had been a little slower, and so had trained
together.
A sharp tug on her hair made her jolt from her
imaginings.
"So I know you were in Ichiru's room last night.
Care to tell me why?" her sister asked, pulling her hair lightly
again.
Akane stood up and swiftly left the room, Akako following.
She was in no mood to explain herself to Aiko, not that there was
anything to explain anyway.
Haru glanced back
towards the village as he left on his first mission in weeks. He'd
been put with Dai and Yukio for this one, and was thankful as they
made a good team. Kibou yapped loudly, happy to be free, even if the
mission was only a parcel delivery.
All Haru could think about
was his little sister. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but it was
for her own good. If Kiba found out…
Haru grimaced, and carried
on running, recalling a time when he was younger, and had been on the
receiving end of Kiba's annoyance.
*
Ichiru stood
panting by the lake. His forehead was beaded in sweat, and he'd had
to take off his top. Already, cuts had appeared on his chest and
back. A noise behind him made him jump upwards into a nearby tree. It
was Kin. They'd been set against each other in today's training,
as the two senseis marked them out of 10 for their tracking, ambush,
and taijutsu skills.
Ichiru smiled to himself. He'd recently
perfected the Kage Bunshin, a favourite jutsu of Hokage-sama. Now was
the perfect time to try it out.
*
"I don't care
what you say, Ichiru-niisan! There was no need to pummel me like
that. How come you got so good so fast anyway?" Kin was almost
shouting at his brother over the dinner table.
Their father had
given them some money, and told them they may go out for a meal in
the village, as a reward for their hard work, and now they sat in
Ichiraku ramen, a small stand located on a bustling side
street.
Ichiru couldn't suppress his grin as his little brother
complained.
"Poor oto-to! I can't help being so
brilliant."
This comment was met with a death glare, as Kin
continued to devour his ramen in silence. Ichiru chuckled, but this
time inwardly. He concentrated on his own food now, not noticing who
had just walked into the noodle place.
Naruto was disgruntled
to see his usual spot taken up by two dark haired boys, but let it
go. As long as his ramen was freshly cooked and steaming, he was
happy. As he dug into his bowl of noodles, he thought he recognised
one of the boys. Turning slightly, his mouth hit the floor. This boy
must be Sasuke's son. How else could it be like looking into
the past?
Ichiru seemed to suddenly become aware of who was
staring at him, and immediately touched his forehead politely, bowing
slightly.
"Hokage-sama. I have been hoping to meet you for some
time, to thank you for allowing my brother and I to train. It's an
amazing experience." Ichiru smiled.
Naruto was taken aback. He'd
never expected Sasuke's child to be so…well, so warm! The Hokage
smiled at the boy, and asked if their meal had been paid for, and
upon hearing it had not yet, he insisted on paying for it
himself.
*
Tsunade waited in the relative dark of the
Hokage office. She has sent out a messenger for him a while ago, and
still he had not arrived. Finally, after what seemed an eternity,
Naruto showed up, but with the two Uchiha boys in tow. Tsunade arched
an eyebrow, but decided not to comment. Naruto seemed to be quite
inebriated, and maybe now was not the best time. But he had to be
told.
She watched as the dark, handsome Uchihas helped the Hokage
into his chair, and sighed.
How complacent Naruto has become,
how relaxed this village is. she thought, They won't know
what's hit them. Peace time is over for Konoha.