The Boy in the Park

Chapter Sixty

Naruko fidgeted in front of the door. She clenched her hand, before opening and moving it quietly towards the doorknob. She could do this. She entered the house, and croaked out.

"I'm home."

No one answered her.

She froze. She took more steps forward. It was late, Aniki was supposed to already be finished with work. She cautiously sniffed the air. There was nothing cooking. The house felt…quiet, empty even.

Her feet brought her to the kitchen where everything seemed…quiet? There was no frying, no cooking, no boiling or whatever. It was dinnertime, wasn't it? Aniki never was one for missing dinner.

She ran upstairs, barging in Shinku's room with her breathing short.

The room was tidy. There was nothing amiss except the open window.

The open window and kunais slammed on the wooden pavement of the room that is. She felt her throat dry up. Her hands began to sweat as whatever words dislodged from her brain clammed up in her mouth. Had…had they taken him?

Had Akatsuki taken him?

She gritted her teeth furiously; her eyes narrowed to fissures while her hands clenched so tightly blood began to drip from where her nails dug in the skin.

She was going to kill them all. She was going to butcher them all so slowly they would think twice before even trying something like this again, and she would ask Aniki to forgive her even if it was impossible, because she really had no other way to…

She crumbled down on the ground, her knees giving in as her entire frame began to tremble.

Whom was she kidding? They had taken him from Konoha, even though he was supposed to have a guard! How was she going to defeat them? What if he was already dead? What then? How could she face him? Nice way of being a sister, insulting him and all that. What if she didn't even get the chance of saying she was sorry? He'd die believing she hated him.

She shook her head firmly. She had to calm down. Maybe there was still time to find him.

She wobbled back on her feet and breathed deeply, before exhaling.

"I'm coming to find you, Aniki," she swore. The next instant, she was out of the window.

She'd start by asking Baa-chan.

The moment she barrelled in the office, she found herself staring at Shizune crying her eyes out in the place of the Hokage.

"Shizune-neechan!"

"Naruko!" Shizune bawled. "Your team came back to report, why weren't you with them?"

"Ah! I went…home," she hazarded. "Never mind that! Where is Shinku-Aniki!? Did someone kidnap him!?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Shizune said, blinking.

"Ehm…no," she nervously looked sideways.

"Well, then I can't tell you Naruko. I'm sorry," Shizune muttered.

"So you know where he is, Shizune-neechan?" Naruko pried then, staring at her. Shizune took a step back, why was Naruko smiling like that? Had Shinku taught the technique of the Smiling Demon to someone else!?

"H-Hai! But I can't tell you."

Naruko cracked her knuckles, before growling softly. "How about I set you a date with someone I know who'd like to find someone to marry and settle forever?"

Shizune stilled. Her brain tried to fight the logical part of the question. Her heart was trying to ignore the brain.

Her ovaries decided for her.

"The Nara Shrine, he's there for—"

She didn't get anything more as Naruko was gone in a flash.

"WAIT! WHAT ABOUT MY FUTURE HUBBY!?" Shizune wailed from the window.

Naruko created a clone.

"Go and call Maito Gai," she growled. "It will teach that skank to get close to Aniki." Her eyes shining darkly, Naruko dashed through the rooftops with as much speed as she could muster.

"Yoh Naruko, going some—" Kakashi had been barely discharged. When Naruko literally slammed past him, he twirled in mid-air before crashing back through the hospital window and ending once more in the intensive care unit.

Naruko didn't stop.

She reached for the outskirts of Konoha sweaty and panting, but she still didn't stop.

What was her Aniki doing at the Nara shrine? It didn't make sense! And why couldn't Shizune tell her!?

She stopped on a nearby branch as soon as she heard the sounds of chattering.

"It will be such a wonderful marriage!" Anko's voice cackled out. "You think the Kimono makes me look fat?"

"Anko," the tone of voice was of warning enough. "Remember why I got you out of Ibiki's punishment."

That came from Aniki's sister.

She too was wearing a kimono, albeit hers was white just like her face.

Was she getting married?

But then…why hadn't Aniki invited her too?

"Of course," she muttered, "You just had to go and act difficult," she dropped her shoulders low.

She jumped on another tree, trying to find Aniki's voice throughout the muttering.

"You think Kakashi's going to make it?" this was the voice of Shikamaru's sensei.

"YOSH!" Maito Gai exclaimed, "My rival will absolutely get the rings for the marriage without fail!"

"Keep it down!" Asuma hissed. "I shouldn't have forgotten them."

Naruko sweat dropped, and then carefully crept on another tree.

"So, the brat's giving you problems I heard?" that was Baa-chan's voice.

"I don't know," her heart skipped a beat. That was Aniki's voice.

"Uh? I heard she's been ignoring you pretty much the entire time."

"I'm sure it's just a phase," Shinku shrugged. "Still, it's a pity she's not here. I'll save her some cake for—" It was then that he heard the sound of the wind whistling. It was like when a missile soars the air with incredible speed. In less than a fraction of a second, he brought his frying pan of doom in a defensive position.

There was a terrible and resounding GONG as the frying pan slammed against Sakura's face.

Shinku stilled.

He carefully dislodged the frying pan from Sakura's face —actually observing the depiction on the other side of said pot— and then eyed her warily.

She was holding a beatific smile on her face as she meekly and sultrily whispered.

"It hurts so much…Onii-sama," she brought her hands to her chest, "Because I'm in love with you!"

Then she scampered to hug him.

Naruko slammed both of her feet down on Sakura's back, sending the girl to crash on the ground inside a crater.

"Get. Away. From. My. Aniki!" she snarled, before blinking and then sheepishly jumping away from Sakura's twitching form.

"Ehm…" she muttered, embarrassedly now the centre of attention.

"Naruko," Shinku said then with a hesitant smile. "I'm glad you could…make it?"

Naruko sniffled.

Her eyes turned watery.

And then she sent caution to the wind and hugged him as tightly as she could.

"Urgh!" Shinku hissed out. "Ehi! Ehi, pipe down!" he exclaimed, his face turning blue. "Really! You're choking me…can't…breathe…"

He flailed his arms wildly, but Naruko just didn't care. In the end Shinku lost his balance, falling with his back against the ground and wincing. He brought his left hand to the back of Naruko's head, his eyes soft.

The girl was sniffling in his loaned suit after all.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she muttered with her cracked voice.

He sighed, before patting her head.

"It's all right," he whispered. "I forgive you."

Naruko just wailed harder at that.

Sai, from his not-so-hidden position, brought up another small scribbled note.

More material absolutely needed. Proceed with extraction of unhelpful librarian. 'Good luck' is not an acceptable answer.

Author's notes

I love cake.

And death.