The Boy in the Park
Chapter Fifty-Three
He awkwardly entered the kitchen to the smell of breakfast cooking. True to Naruko's 'Master Plan' his mother had indeed begun preparing food for the morning. Coffee was brewing, water was boiling for the tea, and rice was in the rice cooker. Pots and pans were in full work mode, and as he casually walked next to her, he did something he hadn't done in more than three years.
"Naruko likes her eggs fluffy," he began as he took out a frying pan and placed it on the open flame of a free gas outlet. "Hinata eats her toasts crunchy with honey," he calmly cracked two eggs. "And I started drinking coffee rather than tea in the mornings."
"Ah," Mebuki said, exhaling slowly. "I see." She gave a hesitant look to his side of the 'breakfast preparation'. "Preparing an omelette with only two eggs?"
"I know the girl snacks away even before she eats it," Shinku rolled his eyes. "Too many eggs are bad anyway for her. I add a slice of butter and a touch of salt."
"You don't fry them?"
"Never really got the hang of avoiding the oil flying everywhere."
"That's because you probably keep the flame too high," Mebuki snorted. "It's not 'high flame equals speed' in the kitchen, you know?"
"But if it isn't hot how can I jacket it to begin with?"
"You need a calm hand and…"
Naruko smiled from her spot to the side of the kitchen's door, holding a hand to the centre of her chest as she gave a brief 'sigh' of relief. Everything was going well. Her Aniki would make peace with his family, and then…
Her heart thumped painfully once.
Nah, that was a stupid thought. Her Aniki wouldn't leave her only because he got back in good graces with his family, right?
Her Aniki was better than that. She was better than that.
She was happy, truly, for her Aniki.
Breakfast came by quickly, as both Sakura and her father descended from the stairs. Hinata came last, and in the end as they all sat at the table to eat, she couldn't help but feel overly conscious of the random stares she received from Sakura's mother and the casual glances from his father.
It just felt strange, to be more than two people at breakfast.
Sometimes, Anko would remain after a drunken day of hers and they'd have breakfast in three, but generally it always was her and Aniki.
It felt…awkward, to have others intrude on that.
She knew she was feeling possessive, but…but Aniki was hers. And she hadn't seen him for years and just so suddenly, after barely a single day, she had to share him.
She felt jealous, if a tiny bit.
Sakura had three years with Aniki. Hinata had three years with Aniki. She wanted her own three years too, 'ttebayo!
"So you're a Chuunin now?" the question came from Sakura's mother, and she meekly nodded.
"Y-yeah 'ttebayo."
"You earned it, I'm sure," the woman said with a small smile on her lips.
There, her jealous feelings for people intruding flew away. Aniki's mother recognized her for her merits —that was always something good in her opinion.
"You'll soon find it boring though," the woman added. "I remember those long patrol missions. I think I'll remember them until the day I die."
"Knowing Naruko's luck, her 'boring patrols' would probably turn into 'save the Elemental Countries' type of missions," Shinku replied chuckling.
"Aniki! It's not my fault bad stuff keeps ta happen—"
"Happens, not 'keeps ta happen', Naruko," he corrected her once more.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruko grumbled, before returning to her own breakfast.
When it was time for her, Sakura and Hinata to go, Shinku carefully dropped in Naruko's hands her own Bento. "There you go for the day, Naruko. No leaving the side dishes behind like last time."
"But I don't like the—"
"You will eat your vegetables young miss, or I will force them down your throat, understood?"
"H-Hai!" she made an awkward military salute before scampering off as fast as she could with Sakura in tow. Shinku sighed in mock exasperation, before taking out a copy of the house's keys and handing it over to his parents.
"I have a feeling you will need these eventually."
His mother raised an eyebrow. "We weren't planning on staying more than one night and…"
"Yes, unfortunately we both have our own little rascals who have their own ways of making simple things turn out nigh impossible. Trust me…I'm off to work and won't be back until late tonight so…just in case, a copy of the keys."
"Thanks son," Kizashi said beaming a smile. "Appreciate your trust."
"Not a problem," he then scratched his chin awkwardly. "Well…I'm off to work."
He was out in the next minute.
"Ehi," Mebuki muttered then, looking towards her husband. "Do you think…I was a bad mother?"
"Nah," Kizashi shrugged back. "You brought up two nice kids after all. Some bumps along the road aren't anything to get worried about."
"Still," Mebuki bit her lips. "I didn't even tell him I was sorry."
"Ah, for some things…I suppose you don't need to say it," Kizashi shrugged again. "Being sorry is generally enough to get the point across after all, isn't it?"
"Since when are you so high-strung?"
"Hey woman! I'll let you know I've got a brain behind this hairstyle of mine!"
"For a moment I was fooled into believing I married a smart guy."
As the couple bickered amiably, and Shinku approached his job with the same practiced ease of the years of experience he now had, Naruko and Sakura stood in front of the Godaime Hokage.
"It is clear the Akatsuki has started to move," the Godaime said then firmly. She flicked away some sand from her hair, "They have successfully kidnapped the Kazekage, and they will proceed to extract his Bijuu without fail."
Naruko's bile reached the girl's throat. "You two and Kakashi will be heading off immediately towards Sunagakure, and from there mount a rescue of our allies' leader…understood?"
Naruko grimaced, but nodded.
She created a Shadow Clone just for good measure the moment they left to prepare for the mission, and within a mere dozen of minutes she was already leaving with Sakura and Kakashi the village —without even waving goodbye to Aniki in person.
It was so unfair.
She shook the feelings bubbling in her chest down. She'd do this mission in a split-second and be back before her Aniki even realized it.
Yeah…she was a Chuunin now, going for Hokage…
There was no way someone as stupid as Akatsuki would ever stop her.
No way at all.