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Changing Times	By : KaiyoNoHime Category: Naruto > General Views: 1087 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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If I owned Naruto I wouldn't be living off of cafeteria food at my college, now would I?

All other characters are original, and mine. But you can borrow them if you e-mail me and ask politely. ^.^

Kudos to the eternally kind and helpful Black Sand of Gara for donating the much needed summary!

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Changing Times

Chapter Four: Are Mama's nice?

Setsuko fretted nervously around the little boy sobbing on the couch, unsure of what to do. She knew she couldn't leave him alone, and she knew she couldn't ask anyone else to come over because her father had forbade her from letting anyone else in. And, to be honest, there really wasn't anyone else she could fetch. It had simply never been taught to her what to do when one of her friends was curled up in a little ball on her couch, sobbing his heart out.

She would have to ask Iruka-sensei later in case such a situation came up again.

"Akira? Do you want anything to drink? Or eat? There's some leftover yakisoba in the fridge if you're hungry," Setsuko whispered, her normally brash self hiding in a corner of her mind, leaving the little girl to fend on her own.

Akira ignored her.

"Are you sure you don't want something? Auntie Ino told me that sweet Chrysanthemum tea makes everything feel better. And she even taught me how to make it," Setsuko ran her fingers through his hair slowly, trying to calm him, "Are you sure you don't want any?"

"Does it," Akira sniffed, tears still streaming down his face, "Does it really make everything better?"

"It made my arm feel better after it got stabbed by a kunai," Setsuko smiled weakly, "And it made my tummy feel better last winter when I had the flu."

Akira looked at her for a moment, turning his head to the side as he pondered her answer, trying to push the memories of his parents' fight from his mind by concentrating on the question of tea. And, surprisingly, it was working.

"I think I'd like some tea please," Akira whispered, his voice harsh from screaming, "I'll help you make it if you like."

Setsuko smiled, her old confidence returning as Akira's mind began to piece itself back together. The situation was vastly improved, and she was glad for it. She had no doubt that her father would be gone for a very long time.

"Okay. You can help me warm the honey. But I'm really good at boiling water," Setsuko giggled, pulling on Akira's sleeve as she led him into the messy kitchen.

The rest of the Hatake household was clean, but the kitchen had escaped all attempts at order. Dirty dishes were strewn about the counter, and a stack of used ramen cups was leaning precariously by the sink. Yellowing paint was flaking from the ceiling, and the blue linoleum was in desperate need of replacing.

Setsuko ignored the mess, climbing the little step stool in front of the sink to fill the tea kettle, placing it gently on the stove to boil.

"You kitchen is scary," Akira whispered, ogling the sight of the disaster zone around him.

Back home, his mother would have grounded him and his brothers for months if they had dared let their kitchen look like this. And his father would have made all seven of them, the baby Tenchi too young, run laps around the village for weeks.

"Yeah, but it's home. Papa says that it looks better to have a clean house and a well lived kitchen than the other way around, but I think he just hates doing dishes," Setsuko giggled, pulling two clean mugs from the cupboard by the sink, and a stiff bottle of honey from the pantry.

"What's that?" Akira asked curiously, pointing at the hardened yellow remains within the container.

"It's honey. But it got old and crystallized. Get a pot of water, will ya, I'll warm it up," Setsuko grinned, turning on another of the stove tops as he handed her a pot, dropping the honey container in.

"Where's your Mama?" Akira asked suddenly, realizing that the little girl had never mentioned her mother before, nor had he ever seen any sign of the woman.

Pictures of Kakashi and Setsuko lined the walls, showing evidence of the eight years of her life, but not one of them contained her mother. Many other woman, mostly friends taking care of Setsuko while Kakashi was out on long missions, but never the little girl's mother.

"My Mama died when I was born. Papa says that she went to the happiest place to ever have existed because she got to see me once before she died," Setsuko whispered, tears pricking at the sides of her eyes, blurring her vision.

"I'm sorry. My father tried killing my Mama," Akira whispered, sitting down on the floor, his arms around his knees.

"Your Papa is a bad man?" Setsuko asked, ignoring the water kettle's screeches as it signaled the water was boiled.

"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know, I'm so confused. Father and Mama have always fought before, but then... he tried killing her tonight. Does that make him a bad man?" Akira asked solemnly, Setsuko sitting down next to him, the glass honey jar shattering in the boiling pot of water above.

"Ninjas are supposed to kill only when told or hired to do so, unless their lives are in danger. But if your father wasn't told to kill your Mama, then that makes him bad. Ninjas have to follow the code, or they become Missing Nin's, and the Hunter Nin's are sent to kill them," Setsuko whispered, reciting what she remembered from her teachings.

It was those words Kakashi had pounded into her when she was growing up, still leaning and perfecting the art of walking and talking, and it was those rules that her teachers had lectured her on for years throughout her formal education. In her mind, they were the very core of the Shinobi Way.

"But I don't want my father to die. I don't want to live without a father," Akira whimpered, staring down at his hands, poking at the dirt on the floor.

"You can have my Papa too, if you want. Papa's a good man, and he'd never try killing your Mama," Setsuko smiled, patting Akira on the head reassuringly, "And then I can have a Mama too. Are Mama's nice?"

"My Mama is very nice. And she makes the best tempura in the entire village. But she's always making us wash the dishes, or clean our rooms. And Mama always makes sure I clean behind my ears before dinner," Akira pouted, Setsuko giggling as he pulled on his ear out of habit.

"I think I'll like having a Mama. And you'll like having my Papa too!" Setsuko smiled, jumping up and running from the room, pulling Akira along with her.

"Wait, what are you doing!?" Akira yelped, barely managing to avoid colliding with several walls as Sestuko stopped in front of a closed door.

"Silly, if we're going to share Mama and Papa, Papa and I'll have to move to your house. We can't fit everyone in this tiny apartment," the little blonde girl grinned, opening the door and pulling out two old suitcases.

"Okay! We have plenty of room at our house. But you can share a room with me if you want," Akira whispered, staring at the floor as Setsuko began piling kunai into the open suitcase.

"I'd like that," Setsuko smiled, searching through the closet for another precious weapon.

Tsuzuku (To be continued.)

Author's Note: Yes, yes, I know. You're all shocked by the fight between Hinata and Sasuke from chapter 3.

Hell, most of you are pissing mad, and accusing me of writing everyone out of character for the sake of this fic. And, to be honest, they really are nothing like they were in the manga/anime. And I'll tell you why.

They grew up!

Come on people, they were TWELVE in the manga/anime! They're in their 30's now. Yes, they changed. If you're old enough, compare what you're like now to what you were like when you were twelve.

Is there a difference? You can bet your pretty little heads there is! So quit annoying me about it, it's not an issues that's going to change. It's a permanent situation, them being adults. ^.^

And yes, Setsuko and Akira did seem a little childish in this chapter. Yes, I know they're in their final year at the Ninja Academy, but they're still little kids. Setsuko is five, Akira is eight for those who don't remember.

A young child can handle adult issues, but most children will still continue to function, at some level, as a child. This chapter is a prime example.

Setsuko and Akira are both highly trained killing machines, but they're still little kids at heart. They just know at least a hundred ways to sneak into your house and assassinate you in the night. ^.^

Oh, warning, I won't be updating this fic this weekend. I have two important anime convention meetings to attend (I work Security at Con's on a regular basis) , and I will not have access to the Internet, or my laptop, until late Sunday evening, when I'm just going to go to bed. The fic will be updated Friday morning, and either Monday morning or Monday evening/Tuesday morning, depending.

And remember, nice, long, well written reviews ALWAYS inspire an author. ^.^
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Changing Times