Maya - a Naruto Fanfic

11. Waking Up In Konoha

I wake up to a splitting pain in my skull and bleary eyes sealed shut by sleep. Why am I so uncomfortable, did I fall out of bed? No, I'm sitting in something soft...

"Maya!" A little girl calls out and throws herself into my lap, and it all comes rushing back to me. I'm in a strange world, living with strangers and starting work today. Great.

"Good morning, Yoko." I yawn, arms reflexively moving to hold her in place.

"Breakfast is ready. Hurry up and come downstairs!" Yoko drags me to my feet and out of my makeshift den, down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Masumi and Tsuyoshi are busy in the kitchen and Konohamaru sits at the counter.

"Good morning, Maya, how did you sleep?" Tsuyoshi asks politely.

"Konohamaru, you didn't get her any pyjamas." Masumi scolds when she sees me still wearing my borrowed hospital yukata, and Konohamaru shrinks down into his scarf.

"You didn't tell me to!" He protests.

"I expect you to know by now to make sure our guests have everything they need."

"I forgot!"

"Don't tell fibs."

"It's alright, Sarutobi-san, I was fine in this." I try to divert some of the fire away from Konohamaru, but instead Masumi turns her cold gaze on me.

"It's not alright. Don't let him push you around, Maya. He needs to learn his manners sooner rather than later. And call me Masumi. I won't be called Sarutobi-san in my own home." I nod obediently, more than a little intimidated. My mother and Masumi are very different in hundreds of ways, but they have that same quiet strength about them. It's the kind of strength I want to have someday.

"Why do I have to be all respectful when she shouldn't even be here?!" Konohamaru yells, and storms out, slamming the door hard behind him and making me flinch.

"Konohamaru!" Tsuyoshi yells after him, but it's no use, he's gone.

"Leave him, he'll come back when he's calmed down."

"I'm surprised he didn't say something about that Naruto boy." Tsuyoshi says it like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.

"He's quite fond."

"Who's Naruto?" I ask Yoko with a little frown. Yoko shrugs her little shoulders.

"I don't know. The grownups don't like him though, and the other kids. They say he's a freak."

"But we don't call him that, do we?" Masumi reminds Yoko with a note of warning.

"No, mama." Yoko replies obediently.

"What do we call him?" Tsuyoshi prompts. 

"His name, Naruto."

"Good girl." Tsuyoshi ruffles her hair while Masumi just smiles slightly.

"Why does everyone hate this Naruto kid, anyway?" I ask, taking a small sip of the tea Tsuyoshi places in front of me.

"That's none of your concern. All you need to know is that he is your age, and not someone to be hated." Masumi tells me, and I drop it.

Tsuyoshi does most of the cooking, making everything with an easy grace and distracted smile, while Masumi helps out here and there, finely chopping spring onions, tofu and seaweed.

Soon, a small bowl of miso soup is placed in front of me, beside a bowl of fried rice and a plate of fish. The breakfast is simple, but looks delicious.

"Eat it quickly, you'll need to meet Kakashi soon, and Masumi has some clothes to give you." Tsuyoshi tells me as he sets it down, and I go to dig in.

"Hey!" Yoko yells, catching my chopsticks in her own.

"Huh?"

"You've got to do this." She holds her chopsticks horizontally between her fingers, bows her head slightly and thanks her parents for the meal.

"Oh, right." I copy her, my fingers holding the chopsticks clumsily, and try not to get my hair in the food as I bow.

"... We'll work on that." Is all Masumi says, but there's a little smile on her lips. Did I do it wrong? Whatever, I eat anyway, practically inhaling it, even with the fiddly chopsticks. I'm not that good at using them, and Yoko puts me to shame, but by using them as a kind of shovel I'm able to eat quickly, finished in under 10 minutes.

"Did you enjoy it?" Tsuyoshi asks while I'm slurping up the last of the miso soup.

"Mm!" I nod and try to smile with my mouth full, and he laughs loudly. Yoko giggles behind her hand, biting down on her lips to stop from laughing too loudly.

"Come with me, Maya." Masumi instructs, also finished. She walks away with long, purposeful strides.

I follow her into the bedroom she shares with Tsuyoshi, and see a simple blue yukata laid out on the bed next to a white obi.

"Are you sure?" I ask before I can stop myself, and Masumi laughs softly.

"I think this'll suit you," she says, "I'll leave you to get changed. You need to be at the library in half an hour."

"Okay. Um, Masumi?" I call out, a little tentatively. She turns and looks at me, waiting for me to finish.

"Thank you, for letting me stay here, and for feeding me, and lending me clothes..." I twist my fingers in my yukata, unable to bring myself to look her in the eye.

"It's nothing to thank me for. As long as you're our guest, it is our responsibility to take care of you. Also, those clothes are not a lend, they're a gift." She says it so simply, like it's nothing at all, but my chest feels like it's going to burst.

"Huh?" I can hardly believe it.

"They're yours now." With that, she turns and leaves, probably to help Tsuyoshi clean up. I turn back to stare at the clothes on the bed. Are these really mine now? I run my fingers over the soft cotton. It's just a regular yukata, and a hand me down at that, but it's mine. I have more to my name than a sack of old clothes.

Oh my god, I'm getting emotional over clothes, how sad is that? But still... I can't help but smile as I rub the fabric between my fingers.

This is mine.