The Boy in the Park
Chapter Sixty-Four
"So, tell me Uruki-san, what made you decide teaching was your way?" Naruko held the teacup in her hands, the pleasant aroma of tea reaching her nostrils as she pondered over the question her Aniki had asked. She was in her Uruki persona, during the lunch break for the academy teachers.
"Shinku-san…you can call me by my first name too, you know?" she said back trying her best 'embarrassed' and 'meek' tones.
"Oh, all right," he said, averting his gaze for a moment. "Nazuma-san?"
"Yes," she nodded firmly. "And well, I suppose it runs in the family," she muttered. "My father's a teacher at the civilian school, my mother's a private piano instructor," she added softly, recalling her 'background'. "And I have a younger brother who's completely dumb," here Konohamaru began to sneeze, "So I decided to become a teacher to follow after them."
"Ah, nice," he smiled briefly, "I have a younger sister too," he added. "She was a hard worker back in the school, but there were…circumstances, and so she needed a hand," he muttered. "Now I'm glad to see she can stand on her two legs," he chuckled. "Ah…good old me is going to be left behind eventually," he clapped his hands together. "Then again, you've got to let your kids fly when they're grown up, right?"
She would have wanted to blurt out 'Never!' but she held her tongue. She looked sideways nervously. "I…Ehm…I'm sure she'd never leave you behind."
"You can't keep on staying with your parents until you die of old age though," he replied with a small smile, "eventually she'll fall in love and put up her own family, and I'll be the wonderful uncle who comes around every now and then with the cousins in tow," he chuckled. "That's pretty much all there is. It's life, it's not like you can change it."
"Or you could buy a giant mansion," Naruko said then, "And everyone would live together forever!"
She bit her tongue the next moment.
"Ahah," Shinku chuckled, "You finally relaxed enough? I knew you were trying to act considerate, but there's really no need to walk on eggshells around me. You can relax."
Naruko closed her eyes and sighed, before a mischievous smile settled on her lips. "Oh? Really?"
"As I said, I'm—"
She dropped her head on his lap, "Then, mister Haruno, I'll use your lap as a pillow for now."
"G…Good night?" hearing him stutter made Naruko inwardly chuckled, as a satisfied smirk —a womanly satisfied smirk of course, which displayed all of her maturity— settled on her face.
When Naruko returned home, she was ready with her 'trained too much' excuse.
The problem came when she realized her Aniki wasn't cooking, but staring at the moon from the window with his hands holding on his cheeks. He had a longing gaze and exhaled slightly, a small smile on his lips.
She froze.
She froze and stared wide-eyed.
"A…Aniki is sick?" she screeched then, starting to run around with her arms up in the air. "ANIKI'S GOING TO DIE NOOO! PLEASE, HELP! CALL THE—"
"NARUKO!" Shinku exclaimed, turning sharply to stare at her and stilling her on the spot. "What are you—"
"ONII-SAMA'S SICK!?" the door exploded as a lecherous Sakura arrived, holding enough instruments in her hands to make her look like some sort of mixture between Freddy Kruger and Jack the Ripper. "Does he have an headache!? I heard that masturbation works in making headaches disappear!"
Hinata appeared behind Sakura, neck-chopping her into unconsciousness. "Excuse us."
Silently, she grabbed Sakura and hoisted her over her shoulder, before leaving from the door after making a polite bow. Two black garbed Yakuza-like Hyuga arrived next, taking measurements of the door before replacing it in a flicker with a new one.
When they were done, they bowed too and then left, leaving behind only their business card.
Hyuga fast repairs. So fast, it's just a shunshin away!
Shinku sweat dropped.
"Why exactly do you think I'm sick, Naruko?"
"Dinner's not done," she stated plainly. "Wait a minute…are you perhaps a spy?" her eyes narrowed, as she took on a defensive posture, before saying darkly.
"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my Aniki go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."
"Really?" he brought up his eyebrows, "Come on then…test me."
"My favourite food?"
"Ramen, double pork, especially if home made."
"Favourite breakfast?"
"Omelettes, I have to bat you away with two spoons and a frying pan."
Naruko began to lose her defensive posture…
"The film I like?"
"Ramen Kamen, the Superhero from the land of Food," he actually shuddered as he said that. The film was stupid, but still…
Better than Hentai Kamen to begin with.
Naruko deflated, sighing in relief. "All right! Then…make me an Aniki dinner!"
He chuckled as he moved closer to the girl and ruffled her hair. "How about we go out for dinner, since I forgot?"
"Uhm…" she narrowed her eyes. "Did something good happen today, Aniki?"
"Not particularly," he chuckled back. "Just fell in love."
"Ah, all ri— WHAT THE FUC—"
Outside, Hinata narrowed her byakugan eyes. "Ah…"
She gripped a pair of sunglasses, even though it was late at night.
"Someone's about to be," she placed the sunglasses on her face, "Terminated."
"Uhhh haiiii uh-uh, uh uhhhh I believe I'm in—"
"SHUT UP YOU!" she hissed furiously to the Hyuga Quartet, which were training their vocal chords for the upcoming festival.
Elsewhere, Hanabi Hyuga huffed and pouted as she stopped using her own Byakugan.
"I clearly eye-told the bitch to stay away from sensei," she cracked her knuckles. "I'll have a word with her."
"Dum-Dum-Duuumm…"
"Shut it, you!" she screeched to the organ player of the Hyuga household —the one in charge of making spooky music for Mr. Fluff and Hiashi-sama when they 'entertained' some guests.
Sakura twitched as her hand emerged from the mound of compost Hinata had flung her in. She clawed her way out, a massive freaking smile on her face as her eyes began to bleed tears of red —tomato sauce, from the garbage.
"I…will…have…him…"
Joe Black simply began to sharpen his scythe, humming to himself.
"Oh happy days…ohhh happy dayss…."
All in all, Shinku felt the foreboding chill move closer and closer to the rupturing point…
And that didn't bode well at all.
Author's notes
I couldn't resist.