Ahh~! So sorry this took a whole month (usually takes me less than), but I got a girlfriend and have been spending almost every waking moment with her, so this became second to life. It's not as long as I wanted it to be (still tryna get it up to the 10 again, cuz that was fun), but I got everything I wanted in here, so I guess I can't complain.
Lyrics are from the song City by Hollywood Undead
~愛 Naomi
--------------------------------------------------
Naruto sat at the kitchen table, slowly eating his ramen. He only had ramen for breakfast on the 13th of August because Ginko only ever slept in on that day. She usually woke up before him to make something so that he didn't have to have ramen; something about it being unhealthy. He tried to return the favor once, only to set fire to the kitchen. He had stayed a good 3 feet away from the oven ever since. When the door in the living room started to open, Naruto quickly ran to the kitchen, inhaled his ramen and trashed the evidence, worried that it was Ginko and she'd nag him for not having a healthy breakfast.
When his uncle walked into the kitchen he groaned and whined for a good 10 minutes because he did all that for nothing; he never had ramen for breakfast and he had wanted to savor the moment. Kakashi looked at him strangely before moving to make a bowl of cereal. Naruto followed him when he finished and plopped back down in his chair at the table, half expecting the man to shoo him away while the other half eagerly awaited for the moment the man would remove his mask. He'd barely seen his uncle for the past two weeks, what with all the time the man's spent at the KIA stone, the library, and other places in the village. It's weird how late the library will stay open for one man. Kakashi glanced over at his nephew, "You want to see my face, don't you?"
"Well, we're family. I have a right to know if you have buck teeth or not." The blonde looked at the man expectantly, like what he said was reason enough. Kakashi blinked at the boy before glancing at the empty chairs. "Where's Ginko?" Naruto didn't look away from his uncle as he said, "Either still asleep or staring up at the glow stars she put on her ceiling. It'll be a while, so don't try and change the subject." Kakashi raised a brow before looking over at the door he came through. "You answered that pretty quickly... She does this often?" Naruto shook his head, "No. She's usually up pretty early."
"But... It's almost 9 o'clock." Kakashi was beyond confused. Why would she still be asleep? And if she was awake, why would she just stare at the ceiling? "Yep. And she's got at least two more hours before I'm forced to go get her up." He turned to his nephew, studying his face as if he'd find all the answers he was looking for there. "Why?"
"That's Gin's place to tell you. Not mine. Now, are you gonna eat or what, 'cause your cereal looks pretty soggy." Kakashi looked down at his bowl to see that his breakfast was, indeed, soggy. He gave a hesitant glance towards his nephew, who had leaned forward expectantly, before slowly pulling his mask down. To be honest, Naruto had kinda been hoping for the big lips or buck teeth, possibly even both, so he was kinda disappointed to see that his uncle looked hot. "That's it? All that's there is a damn-"
"Language."
"-Beauty mark! The hell-"
"Naruto, your language."
"-Uncle Kakashi?! You had us thinking you were all ugly, but your just another guy with a pretty face like... like..." Kakashi raised a brow at his nephew as he ate his breakfast, watching the blonde try to figure out who else had a 'pretty face'. He won't deny it; his father told him once before that while he looked identical to himself he had his mother's softer features. He watched as Naruto snapped his fingers and pointed at him, "Like Haku. And Sasuke, too. At first, I could've sworn the bastard was after Gin, but after listening in on a few of there conversations, I learned he's just some weird guy who can see beauty in a woman without being attracted to them and acts like a girl behind closed doors."
"Is that so...?" Kakashi looked at Naruto curiously as he nodded and continued on with why he thought Sasuke was a 'pretty face' and 'Ginko's girlfriend' while Kakashi continued to eat his soggy cereal, listening to the blonde curiously as he went into explicit detail. 'He's really thought about this, hasn't he? Should I be concerned?
'... Mah, I'm sure it's fine.'
×~•~×
"Cha!!" Sakura cried out as she sent Lee back a couple of feet, bracing herself as he charged at her. For the past two weeks, she would spar with Lee in the early mornings under the watchful eye of Guy. He'd pitch in advise here and there as she slowly got the hang of the weights that slowly got heavier the more she added chakra. She had long since given up her diet only to take up the one Guy insisted she has. She wasn't as skinny as she once was, now holding a healthy figure as she continued to gain muscle mass.
She eventually realized that she had never really cared about her looks as much as she thought she had, having wanted to be like her first and only friend Ino and desperate for the acceptance of her peers. When they first met, she'd been too shy to try and measure up to the other girl, but when she finally gained some confidence, that changed and she wanted to prove that she could be just as good as the blonde. She went out of her way to compete with the girl in academics, kunoichi training, and even… love. Ino had a crush on Sasuke before she did, and what better way to prove that she's surpassed me than to win a romantic competition? It had taken a while to figure that one out, eventually discovering that she had never really liked Sasuke; it was just another way to carry on her rivalry.
Ino was right when she said that the human mind can play all kinds of tricks on itself.
Sakura quickly squat down, dodging the kick aimed at her head before sweeping her leg out to knock Lee off of his feet. He bent over backward to backflip, getting some distance between them.
So in her free time, she's been trying to rediscover herself; figure out her likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future. Honestly, she hadn't gotten very far, only learning that her favorite color was yellow, she liked having short hair and was getting pretty good at Taijutsu. At the rate she was going, it just might take her a year or two.
"Alright, that's enough playing around!" Guy yelled when Lee pinned her. "Now, it's time for the real challenge!" Lee jumped up eagerly, listening to his Sensei closely as Neji and Tenten walked over towards them from the had been sparing not too far away. Sakura slowly got to her feet, her shoulders aching slightly from how hard Lee had pushed them into the ground. "They're brutal, huh," Tenten whispered beside her as Guy and Lee were trying (and failing) to get Neji to be excited about today's training. "Not as much as when I first started." Sakura reached over her shoulder, running her fingers over the muscles there, instantly finding the spot that would help ease the pain and tension.
"You ever think about becoming a medic?" Tenten asked after watching the slightly younger girl ease her own pain quickly and efficiently. Sakura looked over at her, raising a brow in question. "You know a lot about the human body, you are quick to find pressure points; both good and bad, you've got great chakra control, and you're a close combat fighter."
"That doesn't-" Sakura started, only for Tenten to interrupt her. "When I first started out as a Genin, I had wanted to be just like Lady Tsunade, but my specialty lied with summoning. You, on the other hand, have more in common with her than I ever did, and I think you should look into becoming a medical ninja." The pinkette wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. Luckily, she didn't have too, for Guy declared that they were going to do some stretches before they ran around the village 25 times (both girls already knew that Neji had been able to talk him down from 200, for this has happened before).
Look into becoming a medical-nin, huh?
×~•~×
"You gonna tell her today?"
Kakashi stared at his empty bowl, knowing he should have been expecting his nephew to ask him such a question, yet still, he was surprised. He should, he really should but... how could he? All the shit he unintentionally put her through; he had been surprised to hear that she and Naruto even moved into his Sensei's old home with him. How could look her in the eye and say that the reason he never visited her and her mother was because he had non-stop S-rank missions, the reason he could never go to the Willow when he couldn't promote a Genin team as a simple Jounin was because the Hokage denied any vacation he asked for in the Willow, that the reason he never saw her as more than a student at first was because he dense as hell and he wanted to see his wife Anju so much he didn't want to see anything else, that the reason he trained Sasuke instead of her was because it suddenly hurt too much to look at her and see his apparently dead wife, that the reason he hadn't been around the last two weeks was because he had been reading on how to be a father and was so damn afraid he'd do something wrong and she'd leave him; that she'd realize she didn't want anything to do with him because it was all his fault that Anju was dead and that that he's the reason she had a fucked up life and that she was a slave and if he had just-
"Uncle Kakashi...?" Naruto said, stopping the man's inner rambling. When Kakashi looked over at the boy, he noticed how tired his uncle looked. Not the 'I-haven't-gotten-enough-sleep' kind of tired, it was more like the man had so much weight on his shoulders that he was damn ready to collapse but somehow was still going. No wonder the man wore the man; he was an open book. "Look, if you just explain it to her, she'll understand. She's awesome like that. And as for the other thing..." Naruto stared at his uncle for a long while, seeing how broken and desperate he looked. "All you gotta do is be there; Do what you were doing before when you were just her Sensei."
How was it that the Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja seemed to know what he needed to do and say when he didn't?
×~•~×
Let's watch it burn...
Let's watch it burn...
Let's watch this city burn the world
S
huichiroh stood on one of the many purple willow trees that surrounded his home village, which was currently in flames. Many of the newly freed slaves had stayed behind to help him and a few nearby villages turn the once criminal haven into nothing but cinders and ashes. He looked around at the people standing on the trees, the color of the flames dancing across their face as they watched the village burn.
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylights on top of the world
'Til there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
T
hey all watched as ashes seemed to rain from the sky, birds and woodland creatures running around in Willow Forest where the flames only licking the chakra infused leaves of the tree's that surrounded the forest's edge; never catching fire. Shuichiroh noticed that some of the people around him smiled, a few laughing and cheering, and others staring at the village blankly. Nikki leaned against him slightly as she watched with a somber look. He had tried getting her to return to her village, but she insisted that she stay until his self-appointed mission was complete.
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
'Til the skies bleeds ashes and the fucking skyline crashes
They catch us with matches to ignite the flame
And all the hopes of a youth deemed fucking insane
H
e had been amazed to watch her set all of the fires that she had, setting trees and buildings aflame as he and many others killed the criminals, the streets running with their filthy blood. They made sure the innocent (men, women, and children chained to beds at brothels) were set free, each of them thanking the one who freed them repeatedly as they were escorted to Willow Forest where they were taken to one of the nearby villages that helped bring the Hidden Willow to its knees.
We use the trees as torches
(Do you wanna burn it with me?)
Fill the streets with corpses
(Do you wanna burn it with me?)
Watch the city fucking bleed
(Do you wanna burn it with me?)
Bring the world to its knees
(Do you wanna burn it with me?!)
"
You should return to the Leaf," Shuichiroh said to Nikki quietly. "I'm sure you miss your cousin dearly." He wouldn't know what that felt like, never having loved or been loved by the Akagawa, only loving the dead child that had been his mother and a grandfather he had never met. "I do, but my place is here," the Uchiha stuttered. "You are not as tightly bound to me as you had been for Neikan and you have free will. You are as free as every man, woman, and child here; your place is with your family." Nikki looked at the younger boy who seemed to dwarf her small size. Sometimes it was hard to realize that this boy was only 8; having the body of the average 10-year-old with the voice of a 14-year-old and the intelligence of a seasoned Shinobi. He was admirable and someone you could look up to (literally in her case), but he was still a child and she saw that it was her job to look after him, despite the fact she was only 3 years older.
Let's watch this city burn
(Let's watch it burn!)
From the skylights on top of the world
(Let's watch it burn!)
'Til there's nothing left of her
(Let's watch it burn!)
Let's watch this city burn the world
"
Someone has to look after you," was all she said before facing the flames once more.
Let's watch it burn...
Let's watch it burn...
Let's watch this city burn the world
×
~•~×
"Hey, Gin! You up yet?" Naruto asked as he slowly opened his cousins' bedroom door, finding the room empty. "Gin?" he asked again, stepping into the room. It was a simple room, yet at the same time, it wasn't. Her desk was plain and simple but decorated with roses that were miraculously still alive, and pictures of the most random things and people all on the wall before it. Her dresser held no carvings to make it significant, but on top of it was just about everything Gaara's gave her; the leather-bound photo album, the red Tulip that she had pressed with cement blocks and placed in an aqua green frame, and the bowling alley keychain that hang from a metal tree with a few necklaces. Her bed, though unmade, was home to a bear in disco clothes and a weird doll that he swears watches your every move. Just above the bed was a Dream Catcher.
Her bedside table though held a small red panda bear with green eyes that he'd never seen before, their team photo, and some kind of plant. He walked over and looked at the plant curiously, finding a tag with instructions on how to take care of the... Schlumbergera? The hell is that? Weird. He then looked over at the red panda, seeing just how fluffy the thing looked close up. He poked it, glad its eyes didn't seem to follow him when it moved. He didn't know what he'd do if she had another one of those toys. He shivered at the thought.
Finally, he looked at the picture. Sakura stood in front of everyone in the picture, having bent her knees a bit as she gave the camera the peace sign. He and Sasuke were just behind her, both having a hand on the other's shoulder so they didn't fall over from Kakashi having pushed down on their head, bent down to their hight because Ginko had jumped on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck as she gave the camera a large smile. The girls were the only ones smiling while the boys looked surprised, their eyes wide as they tried to hold each other up. He smiled and shook his head as he stood up.
What was he in here for again? He looked around for a second and it hit him. His cousin. He sighed, 'She must've paid Gaara a visit or something. She never misses breakfast.' He then turned and left her room, missing the crumpled letter on the floor beside her bed.
×~•~×
Walking down the street these past two weeks wasn't as easy as it always had been for Gaara. The people of his village used to avoid him at all cost; running away in fear or hiding in the shadows until he passed. But, ever since the day that the missing children returned home as either adults or teens, the number of murders the villagers thought he had committed significantly lowered to a number he could count on one hand. After being reunited with their families, everyone began to look at him differently; treat him differently. Now, instead of running away, adults ran towards him; some thanking him, others asking about his time in the Leaf, and a few asking him for his opinion on things that one would usually ask the Kazekage. Sure he was training and all, but he was sure news didn't travel that fast; he'd only started two days ago.
Then there were the children. He watched over them carefully, not wanting any of them to be ostracized or left out as he had been. While none of them had the burden of being a Jinchuuriki, there were still some who were left out of the games they played for other reasons. There was this little girl, so small and innocent she was, but never has she ever played with the others; just sat on the swings and watched them from afar. One day, when he had the time to spare, he sat down next to her and asked why she sat here by herself. She had looked up at him with such large eyes before looking at the ground with pink cheeks as she stuttered out that she was afraid they wouldn't like her. He didn't understand why she would think that; she seemed likable enough to him, but he didn't say anything about it and tried to see it through her eyes. He sat and talked with her for well over an hour until he was finally able to convince her to walk over to them.
Only thing was, when it came down to it, she couldn't do it alone and wanted him to come with her. He agreed and was surprised when she blindly grabbed his hand, soon able to get over his shock and walked with the girl to the children where she asked if she could play. It made him feel warm inside at the smile it put on her face after they happily cried out how they would love to have her. At some point though, he was roped into joining them. He still doesn't know how they convinced him to join, but now he knew all of the games that children play; something he was never able to learn when he was younger.
Before then, he had never thought that he would have liked children or that he was even good with them; his only experience has been a dream. But kids, while they could be cruel and selfish little beasts, were also very simple. They didn’t judge him or look down on him. They just thought that his abilities with sand were 'ultra cool'. After he had played with the children in the park that day, all the children of his village would run up to him and beg him to show them all of the tricks he could do with his sand, their delighted squeals always making him feel strange and warm but also very, very good. Awe and wonder always shining in their eyes, something only Ginko had ever done, and the innocent delight those kids had made was a balm upon his scarred soul. It reminded him of his dream of the little girl Keiko; the little girl that was his.
"Gaara Sensei!" three voices yelled from behind him. Ah, how had he almost forgotten about the three that seemed to idolize him as the 'Konohamaru Squad' did Naruto and Ginko? He turned around to see his student and the two others that seemed seem to follow her around, who had eventually begun to call him Sensei as well.
Matsuri was a girl with straight, chin-length brown hair, dark eyes, and fair skin that made the blood red kanji on her cheek and inner forearm stick out and grab your attention; the only free slave who's kanji was still the same color as Ginko's while the others now looked like faded scars. She had been the one who had walked right up to him and asked if he would be her Sensei sometime after she returned home. He had learned that they were all free and that none of them bared the 'Immured Curse Seal', and he wondered what he needed to do for Ginko so that she was as free as they were.
Mikoshi and Yukata were the very first friends Matsuri made, both understanding her fear of touch and learning as he did that she needed at least 3 feet of free space around her at all times. Mikoshi had short, brown spiky hair and wore black, round glasses while Yukata was a fair-skinned girl with long, dark hair and large, brown eyes.
All three academy students stopped before him with large smiles, each of them holding something behind their backs. "We heard that your training to become the next Kazekage," Matsuri said, the kanji on her cheek moving with every word she spoke. He nodded once slowly, giving each one a curious glance as they all shared a look. Suddenly there were two cacti and a succulent held out towards him as his students cried, "Congratulations!" Matsuri held out a Trichocereus hybrid (a.k.a. 'Flying Saucer'), Yukata a Mammillaria sheldonii (a.k.a. 'Pincushion cactus'), and Mikoshi held out an Echeveria 'Perle Von Nürnberg' succulent that was the same color as Ginko's eyes. "We know you'll make a great Kazekage!" Yukata said happily. "Of course he will," Mikoshi said, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Gaara, still shocked and amazed that they actually got him something and believe he'll do a great job as their leader, slowly reached out and took the potted plants. He stared at the plants in amazement barely hearing his students say their farewells before running off.
×~•~×
Kakashi had been walking around the village for the past two hours, sending out pulses of chakra, but still, he was unable to find his daughter. He had already asked Sakura, Lee, Guy, and Konohamaru if they knew where she was only to come out empty-handed. He was currently looking for Sasuke to see if he knew where she was. He thought about heading to a tea shop, seeing as that's where his older brother used to run off to, but then thought back to what his nephew said about overhearing (eavesdropping, really) how Sasuke didn't like sweet things, so instead, he headed for the training grounds, where he had found the young Uchiha shifting between punching a tree and kicking it.
He hadn't seen her since their get together at a tea shop, which was two days ago.
Why was it so hard to find his daughter? It was easy to run into the girl when he wasn't looking for her, but the one time he's actually seeking her out, he can't seem to find any trace of her. How did that make any sense? Kakashi sighed as he walked beside the river that ran through the village. He supposed he did deserve it; he'd been a horrible father the last month and a half, never wanting to let it sink in that she was his before then because he didn't want to accept the fact that Anju was gone; that he'd had a daughter for the past 10- 11 years.
"Kakashi," an all to familiar voice said, making the man freeze. "It's been too long." Slowly, the silver-haired man turned around and faced the Missing Leaf Nin who held a striking resemblance to one of his students. "Not long enough."
×~•~×
Naruto looked over his shoulder, back at the village. He left a note on the kitchen table for his little sister cousin and Uncle Sensei to find, but he still felt bad for leaving without saying goodbye in person. Kakashi had finally gotten the courage to talk to Gin and had gone out to look for the small girl. He had debated on whether or not he should tell his uncle that his daughter can't be found unless she wants to be found, but decided that the man should suffer for taking so long.
"Hey, kid," Jiraiya called from some distance ahead of him. "You coming?" Naruto continued to stare down the path that led to the village for a moment before turning and running up to the old toad sage. "Are you sure Ginko couldn't have come with us? She loves learning new stuff, and I'm sure she'd love to learn the Jutsu you're going to teach me," he told the old sage. Jiraiya sighed and looked over at the blonde, making it seem like the action was quite painful, "Look, kid, I told you this already. Asking me the same question over and over again won't change the answer."
"Well, why did you choose me, Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked curiously, moving to stand before the 'Super Pervert'. Jiraiya stared at the blonde for a moment. The boy had Minato's hair and eyes, his smile and laugh, as well as that irritating skin of his that tans instead of getting sunburnt, but everything else he had gotten from his mother. It was probably the only reason the villagers hadn't put two and two together. The boy looked and acted a lot more like his mother, than his father. Not to mention his parents' marriage had been a secret.
"You know, a long time ago, the fourth Hokage was my student. And you see, it's almost funny how much you kind of remind me of him. Well, I suppose that's why."
'I remind him of the Fourth Hokage?'
×~•~×
In the Hidden Leaf Village, there was a cliff that overlooked the village known as Hashirama's Ledge. They say this particular cliff got its name because every chance the First Hokage had, he would sneak away to watch over his village from this very spot. For the longest time, only his brother could find him, then soon so could his wife. It wasn't until his retirement as Hokage did everyone in the village learn of the First's runaway spot. The Second Hokage has a similar spot, but Lover's Point didn't have the same reputation.
That's where Kisame found a young silverette, sitting at the end of the cliff with her legs dangling. He had thought that Samehada was leading him to the Jinchuuriki, but this girl wasn't who he had been searching for. She had an extreme amount of chakra, but she was no Jinchuuriki. "You can sit with me if you want," she said quietly, "There's plenty of room for the both of us." When he didn't move or say anything, she turned to look at him. Their eyes widened simultaneously, recognizing something about the other that was familiar or significant. He noticed the kanjis and curse mark on her forehead while she noticed how much he looked like Pipsqueak and Shuichiroh.
"You're a slave."
"You're her father."
Kisame felt his chest swell at her words. He wasn't sure if it was out of pain or grief or something else, but it was there. "You knew my Surume?" He wanted to cry when she nodded. "It wasn't for very long, but yes. And for a while, I helped raise her son." Kisame's eyes and throat burned as his chest seemed to get tighter and tighter. He opened his mouth to say something; he wasn't sure what it was, just knew he wanted to say it, only nothing but a weak cry left him, sounding so foreign to his own ears that for a moment he thought she had made it. He watched the girl quickly get to her feet, her dainty hands held out before her as she looked at him worriedly.
She looked nothing like his daughter but somehow, at that moment, she did. He saw Surume when was just learning to walk, holding her little hands out as she slowly made her way towards him.
He broke down; the tears that he had some how held in for nearly 8 years were now leaving in waves. He wanted his daughter back and he wanted his wife right next to him again. He didn't want to remember that the last he saw of his wife she was in pieces all over their living room, and he certainly didn't want to remember opening a box to see his little girl inside, her limbs removed from their rightful place on her body. He wanted to hold his wife and daughter again, to laugh and cry with them. He wanted to teach Surume how to handle a sword, be there when she graduated from the academy. Gods he wanted his family alive and warm and here.
Ginko akwardly rubbed the man's back as he cried. She didn't understand why he suddenly burst into tears, but didn't feel the need to ask. Probably mentioning the man's dead daughter was a bad idea. She stayed with him as he slowly pulled himself together again, sitting beside him and telling him all she could about his daughter during her final days and then just talked with him when he asked her how she was. She didn't know it, but every word she said made the man fell closer and closer to her until he desided on his own that he would look after this little slave and do whatever he could to keep her alive for her father as long as possible. He understood that the man was just overwhelmed and didn't know how he was supposed to handle the situation or what to do. He had been the same way when his wife first told him she was pregnant.
And so, without her even knowing it, Ginko now had three fathers; Kakashi Hatake: her birth father, Zabuza Momochi: her Godfather, and Kisame Hoshigaki: her guardian.