The Boy in the Park
Chapter Thirty-Two
Naruko grimaced. Anko had most valiantly knocked, bowed, and then said she was sorry and had left. She on the other hand, she was fidgeting.
"Well?" Mebuki said, with her eyebrow raised.
"I…" she just had to say three words, and then leave. It wasn't supposed to be that difficult! "Why did you hurt Aniki?" she blurted out.
The woman looked at her in silence for a moment, before snorting out. "Did he set you up for this?"
"No! Aniki would never do that!" Naruko clenched her fists. "Why do you hate him? He did nothing to you!"
"Nothing?" she replied, bringing up an eyebrow. "Really? You call sending you and that psycho to tear down my house nothing?"
"He didn't know what we were planning! And you deserved it anyway!"
"Maybe I did," Mebuki acquiesced, "But what you did was wrong."
"Why, you!" Naruko snarled. "Family should always stick together, and yet you just went and broke his arm! What did he do!?"
The woman crossed her arms over her chest, eying the girl in front of her with disdain. "It's not a matter of what he did, but of what he didn't do."
Naruko's gaze was murderous. "It's not his fault he can't be a shinobi for Kami's sake!"
"No, but it's his fault for choosing to get entangled with you!" Mebuki snarled back. Naruko took a step back, eying with wide eyes the woman. "You think I did it because I hate him? No! How could I? It's just his fault that he can't see what's right in front of him! I told him to take a job as an accountant, but did he do it? No! He refused, and I wouldn't have any of that! So maybe I yelled at him, but it was because I was worried for him!" Mebuki snapped with her eyes murderous.
"When he finally found something he wanted to do, it wasn't a nice and well paid job, but something that would keep on hurting him day after day! Why, you think he's happy teaching shinobi brats? Teaching students who will become something he dreamed to be and will never be? Which sort of masochistic freak would do that, uh!? And all of that…was because of you." She pointed an accusing finger at Naruko, who paled and trembled slightly.
"You took away my parents," Mebuki continued angrily, "And then you took away my son," she added. "Haven't you had enough?" there were tears in the woman's eyes now. "When are you going to stop taking things away from others? Can't you see it?"
"I…That's not…"
"My son is too kind for his own good," Mebuki muttered bitterly. "He'll never tell you what a bother you are to him, but if you keep this up…you'll end up killing him…then again, that's what you do, isn't it?"
"That's not true!" Naruko exclaimed back. "I'm sorry for the house! Really! But I'm not…I'm not…Aniki chose it!"
"Why don't you ask him then?" Mebuki replied. "Why don't you try and make him angry? See what he tells you, when he grows tired of you?"
"You're just a liar! Aniki isn't like that!" Naruko shook her head strongly.
"Then ask him," Mebuki said. "Ask him if he'd rather have you or his real sister back."
And then the woman closed the door in front of Naruko's face.
"I'll do that!" Naruko screamed to the door, "And you'll see 'ttebayo!"
Then she hurried off. She'd show her! Aniki had promised he'd never leave her, so really…the woman was just lying. She entered her apartment first however, carefully eying the 'hole' to reach her Aniki. She stopped and drew her breath. She wasn't scared of anything. She'd show that woman!
"Aniki," Naruko said hesitantly as she carefully brought her head through the 'hole', "are you mad?"
"Yes," he remarked. "Now come over here and we'll talk." He drummed his fingers on the surface of the table. Naruko swallowed nervously, and then wobbled past the 'hole' and into the house. She fidgeted for a moment, before taking a seat at the table.
"Naruko," he said, watching as the girl actually stood ramrod straight at being called, while visibly nervous. "What you did was wrong."
"B-But…"
"Naruko!" he snapped once more, making her quiet. "How would you feel, if what you did happened to you?"
"I'd feel…angry, and I'd prank them back!" she nodded. "I wouldn't go telling Jiji, you mean spying bully-lover!" she said the last part to the corner of the room, where he suspected she believed the Anbu guard was.
"Naruko, leave the Anbu in peace. She did her job."
"She?"
"I discovered it was a she," he nodded. "Because she gladly pointed out that no, she would not follow me in the bathroom."
He blinked then. "Don't change the discussion! I'm trying to be angry at you!"
"I'm sorry!" Naruko said then, her eyes watery…she wasn't using the puppy-eye technique, was she? "Please…Aniki, I promise…I won't do it again…"
"I'm sure you won't," he sighed. "No ramen for a month, Naruko."
Naruko blinked. "W-What?" she sputtered. "One month? N-No! It's…I mean, I was defending you Aniki! You can't be…"
"Naruko," he sharply replied. "I told you to let it be, didn't I? This is a soft punishment, Naruko…please understand I don't like doing this," he was actually uncomfortable. "But you need to learn when something is wrong."
"I understand," Naruko sniffled. She clenched her fists as tears menaced to come out of her eyes. "You're taking her side."
"What?"
"Sakura's or your mother's or whatever…why? You promised!"
"I promised I'd be there for you, Naruko. I didn't say I'd turn a blind eye to your misgivings!" he retorted.
"Yeah, right," Naruko sulked. "Well, guess what? I'm not going to stop eating ramen just because you said so!"
He stared at Naruko in surprise. Was…
Was she going through puberty?
"Naruko! I'm your guardian!"
"I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO BE MY GUARDIAN!" Naruko screamed back. "I didn't ask you to take the blame for me! I didn't ask you to—"
That was when he slammed his fist on the table —his intact one, if he did that with the broken arm he'd curse himself.
"I…I should have asked you first, right?" he muttered. "Is that why you're angry? You'd rather have your sensei or someone else as your guardian?"
Naruko felt the tears menacing to burn through her eyes. Why couldn't her Aniki understand it wasn't that the problem!?
"Stop it," Naruko muttered.
"Uh?"
She clenched her fists. "Stop doing that."
"Naruko? I'm afraid I don't under—"
"STOP LYING THROUGH YOUR TEETH! YOU'RE ANGRY AT ME SO BE ANGRY!" she screamed to the top of her lungs, tears falling down her cheeks.
"I'm mad at you, not ang—"
"Why can't you just stop?" Naruko mumbled. "Why do you have to keep on trying? Aniki…when I threw chalk at Iruka, he'd be mad. You'd just laugh it off. When I painted him orange, he'd pursue me…you'd just laugh it off…" she clenched her fists. "Why can't you be angry? I'm…I'm not…" she swallowed. "I'm still going to be here. You can be angry with me."
"Naruko? I'm really not following you any longer," Shinku muttered. "Really, I'm slightly peeved you didn't listen to me, but you were roped in it by Anko. It's more of her fault than yours and she's already getting punished. I don't understand what you're angry about."
"You paid for my side of the damages," Naruko accused him. "You took the blame. Your mom…she hates me and she doesn't talk to you because of me. I'm…I'm hated and everyone glares at you and you're still here anyway! Why don't you just leave!?"
"Because I know how much it hurts," he whispered back. "To be abandoned, to be left alone…to feel as if nobody wants you and everyone just pities or mocks you for what you are. You think I'd let anyone else suffer through that?"
"You're talking about Kurenai-sensei?"
He blinked. "How do you know that?"
She blushed slightly, looking sideways. "I…I sort of kicked at her door until I got her to tell me the story."
He hung his head. "Naruko…"
"B-But!" Naruko stammered, "I was worried about you Aniki! I knew you were lying about it! I mean, you never fall!"
He chuckled. "Oh, I fall too Naruko. I just make sure you're not there to see it when I do," he added. "And now, are you done crying?"
Naruko shook her head. "I'm not crying."
"Oh, my mistake then," he replied standing up. "How about you help me with the cooking? I've only got one arm and fried rice is starting to bore me to death."
"All right! How about we make Ramen to start, Aniki!?"
Naruko fist-pumped in the air.
"The punishment still stands, Naruko."
She deflated visibly.
"Come on, you'll need to know how to cook for when you'll marry."
"That's sexism." Shinku nearly choked. The Anbu had actually spoken!
"Would Anbu-san like to remain for dinner?" he asked back.
There was no reply.
He sighed. Well, one drop at the time…can chip away even stone.
That's when they knocked at the door, and he carefully went to open it.
In front of him stood a broad shouldered white haired shinobi, wearing…well, bizarre clothes.
"Heya! Is this the brat's house?"
"Aniki! It's the pervert!"
"It's Super Pervert to you, brat!" the man…probably Jiraiya, said once more.
"Jiraiya-sama?" Shinku said in disbelief.
"The one and only!" the other shinobi made a bright smile. "You've got a spot at the table for one more? I brought sake and porn!"
Oh well, if he brought sake and…
"Wait. What was that last part?"
"Porn! Every healthy male should have some porn stashed somewhere! Oh, and red-laced girl can go with ease! I'll take care of everything for the moment."
"Red laced?" Shinku had no idea what…
"Jiraiya-sama," the Anbu said then, "Please die." The Anbu disappeared the next moment as the man chuckled.
"Red Laced?"
"The underwear of course! Ah," Jiraiya sighed. "A classic, like Black lingerie or a babydoll…"
"What's a babydoll, Aniki?" Naruko asked with interest as he sputtered. The sannin 'let himself in' and began to saunter off towards the nearby chair. Shinku sighed and closed the door. He should get accustomed to it but really…
He just hoped he wouldn't end up roped in Kami knew what.
"So, Aniki! What's a Babydoll!?" Naruko whined.
"Peel the onions carefully," he said, changing the argument.
"Muh…it's hard."
He chuckled. "Come on, I can do it. I'd show you, but with my arm as it is…"
Naruko pouted a few more minutes, but then simply went on to follow his instructions. He turned to ask if Jiraiya wanted something to drink, only to find an enormous stash of Icha-Icha and various porns on the table. He opened his mouth and then closed it. "Jiraiya-sama?"
"I find your lack of porn…disturbing," Jiraiya said darkly.
"Jiraiya-sama," Shinku replied calmly, grabbing the frying pan. "I have no regrets," he made it twirl. "This is the only path."
There was a moment of quiet silence between the two.
Then Jiraiya chuckled and in an instant, the porn disappeared. "Fine, this changes nothing though."
Why did it feel…as if he was about to be tested on something?
Author's notes
Couldn't help the references.