Chapter 18- Mother Knows Best?
Takara wakes up and sees the sun shining through her bedroom windows. She looks up and sees Neji still asleep while holding her. Takara can't help but smile at the sight.
"Neji is too cute..."
Takara lays in her bed waiting for Neji to wake up. She can only think about two things: finding her parents, and what happened between her and Neji last night.
"Today could be the day I find out information about my parents. I'm sure if they weren't killed after I was captured, they gave up hope trying to find me. Being in their arms once again will be... just perfect. I miss them so much!" Takara takes a deep breath. "Last night between me and Neji... I actually enjoyed what happened, but all I could see in my mind was Hiroshi being on top of me... I don't know if I can ever do things with Neji, at least not for a while. I guess I just got to take things very... very slowly. Damn you Hiroshi!" Takara turns around and snuggles closer to Neji. "If I ever became a famous singer and songwriter... God I'm terrified because what if I have a concert and Leiji or Leitangi come by and kidnap me again? Or what if they make someone do it so that I don't recognize them? Or one of the two brothers could disguise themselves and capture me? Damn it, I need Leiji and Leitangi to go! As in, be killed or something! Why does Leiji's name got to be close to my Neji's?"
Neji opens his eyes and looks down to see Takara snuggling up to him. Takara looks up and smiles. Neji gives Takara a tired smile.
"Good morning princess," Neji says tiredly.
Takara sits up and stretches. "Good morning!"
"How long were you awake?" Neji asks and sits up.
"Not long. Maybe a minute or two?" Takara says. "I was in a deep thought."
"About your parents again?" Neji asks.
"At first, yes. Then it went to about last night, and then about me becoming a famous singer and songwriter," Takara says.
"If you don't mind me asking, what about last night were you thinking about?" Neji asks.
Takara looks away and her cheeks turn red. She starts to fidget her fingers like Hinata. "Um, well... I actually enjoyed what happened, but all I could see in my mind was Hiroshi being on top of me. I'm not sure if I can ever do things. Or, at least not for a while. I just got to take things very, very slow. Plus, I'm not even sure what I like and don't like since I was never able to explore it."
"That's okay," Neji says. "We're gonna figure it out together."
"Neji?" Takara asks. "Have you ever... you know... done... it?"
Neji looks over at Takara quickly with his face turning red. "Um, well... You were my first kiss... So uh... no. I've never done... the... have... s-s..."
"Okay, I think I got it," Takara says and chuckles. "Man I've never seen you act so nervous."
"I've never had feelings for anyone, I've never had a girlfriend, and haven't had... done anything with a girl," Neji says.
"Same Neji," Takara says. "Never had a boyfriend or girlfriend, never had feelings for anyone, and I refuse to let Hiroshi have my virginity, especially after me not consenting." Takara looks over at Neji. His face is still bright red. "Okay, we can change the topic."
"Let's get ready so we can see Lady Tsunade," Neji says.
Takara nods and smiles.
Takara and Neji get up and quickly get ready. While Takara gets dressed, she starts to feel anxious.
"God, what if they're dead? What if they were kidnapped too? What if they don't remember me due to some kind of disease or something?"
Takara changes into her normal everyday clothes and goes out to Neji. Neji grabs Takara's hand.
"Are you ready?" Neji asks her.
"I- I- Yeah," Takara.
"Don't worry," Neji says. "I'm sure everything is fine with your parents."
"I hope so," Takara says.
Neji lets go of Takara's hand and they walk out of her apartment. Takara grabs her bag which has her songbook in it and locks the door. They start to walk towards Lady Tsunade. Neji and Takara are walking side by side as if they aren't dating. Takara understands that Neji isn't ready, or doesn't know how to, tell people he's dating her.
Eventually, Neji and Takara arrive at Lady Tsunade's office and they walk inside. Takara looks down at Tsunade with a scared smile.
"Neji! Takara! What brings you here?" Tsunade asks.
"You know Takara?" Neji asks.
"Of course I do," Tsunade says. "I was one of the shinobi to search for her. I also talked to Ay and Bee and they brought Takara here. We all discussed Takara moving back here and if she felt safe. Anyway, what's up?"
"Do you have any information about my parents?" Takara asks.
"Takako and Jomei Uta, correct?" Tsunade asks.
Takara nods.
Tsunade stands up and goes to a file cabinet. She grabs a big binder titled "Uta".
"Is that every person who currently lives in the Uta clan?" Takara asks.
"It is," Tsunade says. "Let's see here... T-A-C, no. T-A-D, no..." Tsunade keeps flipping through. "Oh here we go! "T-A-K... Takada, no, Tak... Tak... Tak..."
"Please stop saying Tak," Takara says.
"It's a trigger word," Neji says.
"Oh," Tsunade. "Sorry Takara. Oh, here it is. It reads: 'Takako and Jomei Uta. Parents of the missing Takara Uta, who is presumed dead.' That needs to be updated. Takara is alive and well!"
"Barely," Takara says to herself.
"Would you like the address?" Tsunade asks.
"Oh, yes! Please!" Takara says.
Tsunade grabs a small piece of paper and copies down the address.
"Is this address still accurate? You said the book needs to be updated," Takara says.
"They get updated every 6 months so things should be accurate," Tsunade says.
Takara bows down. "Thank you Lord 5th."
"Of course! I hope you find them easily!" Tsunade says.
"Me too," Takara says and walks out of Tsunade's office. Neji follows.
Takara quickly walks out of the office to the street.
"Neji!" Takara says with excitement. "I get to meet my parents!"
Neji smiles. Neji then looks at the address. "I don't think I've ever been to the Uta clan. It's such a small place."
"I do remember the Uta clan being nicknamed 'the smallest clan'," Takara says.
"I know it's not far from here actually," Neji says.
Neji and Takara start to walk towards the Uta clan until they hear a voice.
"The Uta clan?" asks a man. "Why are you heading there?"
Neji and Takara turn around and look at the man. Neji looks at the man with a confused look and looks at Takara, then back at the man. Takara's eyes get big.
"You look familiar," Takara says in her head. "Um, sir? Um, can I-"
The man runs up to Takara and Neji. The man then starts to look at Takara's face and then her body. "I'm sorry if I come across as weird, it's just... I heard you two talk about my clan, and... you just so happen to look like my missing little girl."
"Missing little girl?" Takara asks.
"My Takara Uta. She was only 5," the man says while looking up at the sky.
Takara and Neji's eyes get big.
"Y- Your Takara Uta?" Takara asks.
The man grabs out his wallet and looks at a picture of Takara when she was 5. She is posing next to a cut out of the number 5. The man then shows the picture to Takara and Neji. Neji remembers Takara talking about this picture.
"Oh my God, I remember that," Takara says. Takara then looks up at the man. "J- Jomei?"
"That's me," the man says.
Takara then starts to cry. "Oh my God... You... you're... my father!"
"You're my Takara?" Jomei asks. He then starts to tear up. "I saw you walking out of the hokage's office. I thought you looked like my Takara but I thought that there was no way it was you. I never gave up hope looking for my daughter, even though they said you were dead." Jomei holds up the picture of 5 year old Takara next to her face. "You definitely are my daughter."
Takara runs into Jomei and gives him a hug while crying. "Father!"
Jomei starts to cry and he hugs Takara back. "My Takara! You're alive! I haven't seen you in 13 years."
Takara looks up at her father. "I was scared that you or mom were dead."
"Well...," Jomei says.
Takara lets go of her father. "What?"
"Your mother... she...," Jomei says and looks down.
"No! Please don't tell me!" Takara says while clenching her fists.
"She isn't doing well," Jomei says. "She is at home laying in bed being watched over by our private duty nurse. She has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She was diagnosed with it 5 months ago. Doctors said she had about 3 to 6 months to live."
Takara stands there speechless with tears rolling down her eyes. She then falls to her knees and cries more. "No! Why?! I barely know my mom and she's dying!?"
Neji kneels down and puts his arm around Takara.
"I need to get back to Takako," Jomei says and holds up a bag of medicine.
Takara looks up at Jomei. "Can I please see her? Please?"
"I would be some kind of monster if I said no." Jomei says. "Let's go visit your mother."
Jomei gives Takara his hand and she stands up. Takara wipes away her tears and starts to follow her father. Neji walks with Takara to where she was supposed to grow up.
After a while, Takara, Neji, and Jomei arrive at the house. Takara looks at the house she missed. Takara looks at the yard and sees herself running around and Jomei chasing her while she laughs. Jomei picks up little Takara and holds her up in the air. Takara then looks around and sees her mom in the background writing a letter while Takara is being held in the air by Jomei. Current Takara then sighs.
Jomei opens his door and invites Neji and Takara inside.
"Oh my God," Takara says.
Some memories come back to Takara. Takara sees her younger self sitting at the kitchen table eating take out ramen with Jomei. Takako was sitting in the living room once again writing a letter.
Jomei leads Takara and Neji to where Takako was staying.
"Takako honey, guess what," Jomei says softly.
Takako slowly turns her head over to look at Jomei. Takara winces at the sight of her mom looking so sick. Takako looks similar to Takara just with light brown hair.
"Tak, I found our baby girl!" Jomei says.
Takara's eyes get big. "Mom goes by Tak?"
"Jokako? I know, she's in the backyard playing with Kagami," Takako says.
"Jakako? Kagami?" Takara asks herself.
"No, Takara!" Jomei says with excitement.
Takako sits up quickly which causes her to groan. "But they said Takara was dead!"
"No! I just found her!" Jomei says with a joyful smile.
Takara pokes her head inside the room and slowly walks inside the room. Neji stands in the doorway.
"Oh... Takara," Takako says weakly. "Come here to your mother." Takara slowly walks over to her mother. Takako slowly lifts up her arm and Takara holds her arm. "Oh honey... you've grown up so much. I was told that you were dead. I'm so glad to see my beautiful daughter all grown up."
"Mother...," Takara says. "I wish I wasn't so late to see you. I've missed you and father-"
Just then, everyone hears footsteps running towards the room. "Mommy! Daddy! Can Kagami spend the night?"
Takara looks over and sees a little girl that looks exactly like Takako.
"Did she just call you two mommy and daddy?" Takara asks.
"Takara hon, after you were presumed dead... I couldn't handle the loss of my little girl. I ended up being pregnant with Jakako," Takako says.
"So, you replaced me?" Takara asks. "You gave up searching for me and decided to have a new kid?"
"It's not like that hon- I- I was told that you were dead," Takako says.
"But dad said he never stopped searching for me, even when I was presumed dead!" Takara says.
Jakako runs up to Takara and tugs on her shirt. "Are you the big sissy that mom and dad talked about?"
Takara looks down at Jakako in total shock. "Big sissy? So... that makes you... my little sister."
"You're big sissy! I've always wanted to meet you!" Jakako says excitedly and hugs her waist.
"H- how old are you?" Takara asks.
"I'm 5!" Jakako says excitedly. "I can count to 5! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!"
Takara takes a step back, making Jakako let go of Takara.
"I've had a little sister for 5 years and I didn't even know," Takara says in disbelief.
"Um, Jakako, please go back out and play with Kagami," Jomei says.
"But I asked if she could spend the night!" Jakako says.
"Um, yeah, sure. Please go outside," Jomei says.
"Okay! Bye big sissy!" Jakako says and runs back outside. Takara watches her leave.
"Takara, please follow me," Jomei says.
Takara slowly walks over to Jomei and Neji. She holds Neji's hand and they follow Jomei. Jomei takes them to a room with the two doors being shut. Jomei then opens them.
Takara looks around and sees a picture frame. She goes up to it and picks it up. The photo inside the frame is Takako, Jomei, and Jokako looking like a happy loving family. Takara holds onto the frame hard and starts to cry. When a tear drop hits the picture, she throws the frame down and it hits a binder which causes it to fall. When the binder hits the ground, it opens up in the middle.
Takara picks up the binder and fixes it. She then reads the front of it.
"Mission Takara? Maybe she never gave up on searching for me," Takara says.
Takara opens the binder back and sees papers with pictures of Takara at 5. She flips to the next page and sees a ton of writing. The first page is titled Plan A. Takara starts to read: "Plan A of Mission Takara. On October 10th, I will put her to bed. After a few hours, me and Jomei will go to sleep, except I'll act asleep. Several hours into the night, you will come here, you pretend to break in, and then you will-" Takara stops to read because the next few words break her heart. "Oh my God..."
"What is it?" Jomei asks.
Takara starts to cry. "You pretend to break in, and then you will... take Takara out of her bed and you can do whatever you want with her..."