Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Beyond the River’s Edge	By : dolphina23 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 901 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" manga and anime, and I'm not earning any money writing this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
Author’s Note: I
realized too late that the last line in the last chapter won’t work the way it
was written. But so you don’t have to go back, I’ve re-posted it at the
beginning of this chapter as well. Sorry about that! I also hope that, though
this may seem like a clichéd Naruto-gets-abused-by-someone-so-Sasuke-must
save-him story, there is actually a lot more to it. I plan on using the coming
darkness to highlight sexuality and confusion and a coming of age story unlike
any I’ve seen yet. I also may convert this, by changing the character names and
the setting, into an actual saleable novel. So, constructive feedback, and I do
mean constructive as I’ve no use for being insulted, is more than welcome.
Also, I used a different last name than Sannin for Jiraiya as I have grown
tired of seeing it in other stories. I wish Kishimoto had actually given him
one so that it would be easier to deal with, but it is what it is.

Warning: Dark
subject matter and child abuse/sexual abuse ahead. Normally I would have liked
for the warning not to be here as it may turn off readers who would really
enjoy the later body of work detailing Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship and all
the rest, but I don’t want to offend anyone by not giving them a chance to pull
back if this would be too much for them to handle. Plus, this isn’t a novel . .
. yet, so I can’t very well post a chapter like this and not give warning.

EDIT

            “Hatake
Kakashi?” the official stated clearly.
            “Yes?”
            “I’m here
to take custody of Uzumaki Naruto, on behalf of his biological mother, Uzumaki
Sute.”
            He gestured
to the woman behind him, and for the second time in only a week, Kakashi felt
the ground crumble and hell opened a searing maw to rip his heart out from his
toes.

Chapter     3

            Naruto lay
as still as possible on his bed. He fought the nausea that had been building
ever since the funeral had started that morning. He couldn’t bring himself to
lift his aching body off the sheets. He hadn’t even gained the strength to open
his father’s bedroom door, though he had wanted a chance to connect with him
again, to feel him, even if it was only through the things he’d left behind.
Voices filtered through the thin walls of his house. Naruto could make out
Kakashi and he sounded beyond angry. Something softer made its way past the
plaster and he recognized it as the voice of the woman who’d visited his father
the day he had died. A wrenching pain gripped his chest and he whimpered a
little, catching his fingers in the cloth of his shirt as he tried to breathe
through it. The voices grew louder and Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and
covered his ears, futilely trying to stifle them. Kakashi would make her go
away soon. He just wanted to sleep. He was so tired. The sounds drifted off as
he felt his body go numb and the tension of the past week slipped away. Naruto
sighed as he fell into a restless sleep, a few hot tears escaping his closed
lids.

            “No. Let me
repeat, hell no, are you taking that boy anywhere. I am his guardian now. She,”
Kakashi pointed aggressively at Sute, “is not real. Minato as good as said that
she died long before bringing Naruto to see me when he was only three months
old. He never spoke of her except once, when Naruto asked about her. He was
seven at the time. When I questioned Minato later all he told me was that she
was gone and not coming back . . . ever. The only way he would have kept such a
thing from his son, or myself, was if she was dead. And you do not look dead. I highly doubt this is some kind of
manifestation of the second coming, so feel free to leave now.”
            Kakashi
slammed the door in their faces and turned to huff angrily at the hallway where
he found both Obito and Sasuke staring at him with their mouths hanging toward
the floor.
            “What?!” he
bit out, still seething. He would like nothing better than to scream out his
frustration. The added tension of the funeral and all that had come with it
only made the feeling worse. But, he could not risk driving Naruto further into
guilt and depression. He already exhibited too many indicators for Kakashi’s
liking. Had it not been for that, Kakashi would likely have done the same, if
he was being honest. He breathed in and out deeply a few times.
            “I’m sorry.
But that could not have been his mother. That sweet, fake smile of sympathy was
more than enough proof. She may have been able to con him into sleeping with
her a few times, but there is no way that that
woman is what she says.”
            Obito shook
his head a little, dazed.
            “Kakashi,”
he began incredulously, “You don’t know any of that for sure.”
            “I just
told you . . .”
            “I know
what you said. I heard it just fine,” he interrupted while holding up a hand
for silence.
            “Though I
have to admit, coming here on the day of his funeral, and with a lawyer in tow,
was a bit callous.”
            Kakashi
glared at him and he shook his head again, smiling sadly. Obito sighed. There
was a time, before their worlds had all imploded at the death of one of their
most trusted and compassionate friends, when a disagreement between them would
have incited a joke or at least some good-natured ribbing. How so many things
could change in one day, and continue to spiral out of control over the space
of only one week, he could not understand. A knock at the door drew their
attention away from each other. Sasuke closed his mouth and swallowed hard.
They had seemed to forget he was in the room and he wondered if he should go
see how Naruto was doing. Maybe he should wake him? He didn’t trust that woman
either. Kakashi was very shrewd and sharp. If Kakashi believed her to be a threat
to his friend, than he would listen. Something had felt off about her smile
too, now that he had heard Kakashi say something about it. Sasuke watched as he
gritted his teeth and wrenched the door open to stare at the very same woman
and her lawyer.
            “Hatake-san,
if you would just . . .” the lawyer, all slick in his stuffy three-pieced suit
and designer shoes, started.
            “No! And I
mean no!” Kakashi yelled. Then he pulled back as if they had flung mud at him.
He looked back at Obito and sighed.
            “Come back when
she’s taken a DNA test. I’ll even give you Naruto’s toothbrush. Until she does,
no, he is not going with you.”
            “Hatake-san,”
the lawyer tried again, feigning a calm Sasuke was sure he must have learned
from some criminal he had defended. “I’m afraid I have a court order to take
him into my client’s custody. If you’d like to have a DNA test ordered, I’ll
give you Judge Morino’s card. You can call and make an appeal for custody with
the proper paperwork. His secretary will be able to supply you with a court
date to voice your petition,” he finished crisply.
            He held out
a sheet of paper backed in blue for Kakashi to take. Neither Obito nor Sasuke
missed the reaction coming from Sute. They glanced at each other, worry an
unknowing twin in their eyes, as she pursed her lips and glared voraciously at
first her lawyer and then at Kakashi.
            “And you
are?” Kakashi asked through clenched teeth, his knuckles white against the pale
blue of the thicker backing attached to the written order for custody.
            “My name is
Yakushi Kabuto, sir. I know this is an unpleasant experience, especially at
such a . . . sensitive, time. But I am willing to do the right thing for the
boy, though I’ve yet to meet him. This was all a bit . . . unorthodox, in that
usually the judge must meet with the child in question. The question of
maternity, however, was never brought up as she has a copy of his birth
certificate and their names and ages match up. I will, however, offer what I
can to insure a smooth transition for Naruto-kun, wherever that may place him.”
The silver-haired man with glasses smiled at Kakashi, but it was a lawyer’s
smile. He truly believed his client was who she claimed and Kakashi had to
wonder if the whole world had gone mad while he’d been sequestered with his
mentor’s legal affairs, his financial matters, and his son. Kakashi shuddered
as grueling fear waged war with the waning strength that had carried him
through burying Minato and speaking with his lawyer. Kakashi knew he would be
on the phone with Tsukino Jiraiya-sama before the day was cold.
            “Alright,”
he said softly and the lawyer’s smile grew wider, more genuine and just this
side of feral. Kakashi made his way down the hall amidst a heavy silence.
Sasuke felt cold iron bend around his ribs and he couldn’t breathe. Naruto was
leaving him? He was leaving his home? What was going on? He looked to Obito,
and then up at Kakashi, pleading silently that someone explain it to him.
            “Just . . .
just let me talk to him, alright? Give me that much. And,” he continued quietly,
turning back to face Kabuto and Sute with narrowed, angry eyes, “I’ll find out
what is really going on. So, if this is some kind of scam for money, or
whatever else you’re planning, it won’t work. I’ll have him back soon. You’re
only taking him from me temporarily.” His voice was soft but the implications,
and the veiled threat, were hard as diamonds, unbreakable.
            “Can I, uh
. . . ?” Sasuke spoke up from his place near the hall leading to Naruto’s room
but stopped suddenly. He felt the cold bands tightening and his breath was
harsh, even to his own ears.
            “Come with
me, Sasuke,” Kakashi said gently, squeezing Obito’s shoulder as he walked past.
Sasuke missed the look that had ripped the air full of tattered words and
unsaid feelings between them. They were friends, had always been friends since
their days at Kinshin where Naruto now attended, but they had never been very
good at relating anything like feelings towards each other.
            Kakashi and
Sasuke entered Naruto’s room alone. Sasuke thought Obito might have wanted to
join them if this was to be the last time they would all be near one another
for a while. Kakashi, meanwhile, knew very well that his friend was guarding
the rest of the house from Sute and her . . . lawyer. Maybe he was only allowing
this horrid situation to color his reactions, something that would ordinarily
have disgusted him had he seen it in anyone else. It didn’t matter. Nothing
mattered right now except the sleeping boy on bed. How he hated to have to wake
him, especially for this.
            “Naruto,”
he murmured softly as he leaned down to shake the child’s shoulder. Naruto
shifted and blinked hazily up at him and then began to pull himself up from the
bed. He rubbed at his eyes and winced at the pain he found when he blinked.
            “Is it time
for dinner now?” he asked disinterestedly, frowning. It felt like he’d only
slept for a few moments even with the sun angling through his window at the
same place it had been when he’d fallen asleep. He felt disoriented and not at
all like the body he hefted to the ground was actually his.
            “No, honey. I’m sorry to wake you. More than that, I’m sorry
to have to be the one to explain everything,” Kakashi admitted.
            Naruto
frowned. Sasuke had been holding his breath. All he wanted was to crawl beneath
the covers with him and sleep until his friend could smile again, the way he
used to. He hadn’t seen that from Naruto in over a week and though he knew why,
and it was as good a reason as anyone could have, he hated it. He hated that
Minato had died and left them all like this. Sasuke decided that, Naruto’s
mother’s reappearance be damned, he was going to do exactly what he wanted,
even if it only comforted himself. He crawled onto the bed and sat beside
Naruto, leaning into his shoulder and circling an arm around his back lightly.
Naruto brushed his hand away and stood up.
            “There are
some people here to see you, Naruto. One of them claims to be your mother,”
Kakashi explained bluntly. How else was he supposed to say it? Naruto gasped
and whimpered a little before turning to stare at Kakashi.
            “What?”
            Kakashi
sighed and tried again.
            “Your
mother is here. She wants to take you back with her.” At that moment he
realized he had no idea where the woman lived, whether or not she intended to
take him out of Konoha, or flee the country even.
            “What?”
Naruto asked again, volume rising to an almost hysterical level. Kakashi
watched him grasp at what little he could understand and let everything else
fall at his feet, crumbling around the edges and curling in like smoldering
paper. Naruto shook his head and bent it forward until Kakashi could no longer
see his eyes. The trembling in his shoulders that had begun almost immediately
after Kakashi had started speaking, eased. Naruto moved forward and out of the
room without a word.
            “Naruto?” Sasuke called out and he stopped moving but didn’t
turn back.
            “I need to
use the bathroom. I’ll pick up my things after,” he replied numbly. He left
swiftly and Kakashi caught his breath and resisted the urge to follow. There
would be time to say everything he wanted. He would make certain of that.
Minato’s death had reinforced his own mortality for him and he would not die
with a single regret. Naruto was still his, now, and that woman would need to
understand that, whatever the outcome of this charade of hers. The lack of any
real reaction from Naruto, the fact that he had not asked any questions but had
simply accepted what was happening, worried him. When Sasuke tuned to meet his
gaze, Kakashi could see the same worry, though perhaps for another reason.
            “I don’t
want him to go,” Sasuke pleaded with him softly. Kakashi cursed Minato again
silently before responding. He didn’t care how it looked, he hated the man now.
How dare he die and make such a mess for his son and his friends to deal with?
What were they supposed to do with it all? Huh,
Minato? What am I supposed to do now, without you here to bully me into seeing
everything in the world as an adventure . . . for him, and for me? The
days, only weeks ago, when his godson had chirped and laughed like any child
his age, only lighter and grander, as if he had all the innocence of a child
and yet all the understanding of most adults, oh how far away they felt. Would
there ever be something even close to connect them all? He hoped so. No matter the anxiety and the clawing doubt,
we will not end up like all those faceless victims of loss, he muttered to
his late friend inside his head. You’ll
see . . . right? Naruto came into the room, shuffling his feet as if he had
skipped ahead a few decades. He mechanically began to open drawers and stuff
random articles of clothing into a large duffel bag. Kakashi watched for a
while and then ambled over to take the handles from him gently.
            “Naruto,
why don’t you see about taking something with you? A picture
of you and your father maybe?” He leaned in to brush his lips on top of
his head and clasp his shoulder tightly.
            “I’ll take
care of this, don’t worry. And no need to thank me either. It’s only going to
be until I can get you back. That is, unless she is who she says and you find
yourself liking it better with her than riding the circuits all the day with
me,” he quipped.      While half of what
he’d promised was meant as a jest, he had every intention of fighting. He’d
never liked dogs, certainly not enough to become one; an obedient and
down-at-heel lifestyle, taking only what the master bequeathed. No, that was
not for him. Naruto nodded and headed off toward the door looking lost. Sasuke
hesitated only a moment but went with him at a nod from Kakashi. They headed
toward the great room at first, the sound of muffled voices traveling through
the halls like disembodied echoes, prisoners in the walls. Suddenly, Naruto
pulled up and reversed direction swiftly. Confused, Sasuke followed, wondering
if he should call out after him. But then he saw where Naruto was headed and
simply followed. Minato’s room had become a taboo. No one had entered it, as
far as Sasuke could tell, since his death. He whispered, because it felt wrong
to do anything else.
            “Naruto, what
are you doing?”
            Naruto
didn’t say anything, just stared at the unmade bed, covers all twisted up and
rumpled. The blinds had been slit open just enough to allow light to filter
through for the few plants that adorned the sills. It created a cool, almost
calming affect for the air around them. Still, Sasuke felt uneasy about
stepping inside so casually. Naruto, still moving in that detached haze he’d
adopted, reached the bed and fingered the sheets lightly. His hand was shaking
a little so maybe that was a sign that he was ready to let something out.
Sasuke held his breath and waited. But it was silent, so still, and his heart
began to thump painfully in his chest letting him know he needed the air again.
Naruto moved off again and Sasuke reached out to hold his wrist firmly and turn
him around so they could face each other. Or rather, so that Sasuke could stare
at the top of Naruto’s head. He would not look up and Sasuke did not have the
heart to make him.
            “You don’t
have to do this now. We can come back again,” as if realizing how that might
sound, Sasuke hurried to correct himself.
            “You can
come back later, Naruto. You’re only going to see what she’s like. I’m sure if
it’s really awful, you can come right back. Or go stay with Kakashi. Hell, I’ll
throw a fit until my parents let you come stay with
us, if you want.”
            Secretly,
in the part of Sasuke that still refused to acknowledge the feelings he thought
might mean something larger had started between them, he hoped Naruto would
throw a fit of his own, until Sasuke could lead him away. Instead, Naruto
struggled against him weakly. When he had no choice but to lift his head
because that suspicious desire of Sasuke’s wouldn’t allow him to just give in
and let go of him, Sasuke gasped. His eyes, pain beyond pain, had created a
shine, a dull shine that was almost . . . His face had reddened. Sasuke felt
his chest tighten again and everything in it hardening a little which only
brought more pain.
            “I’m
sorry,” he mewled, not even sure what it was that he was trying to apologize
for. Did that really make anyone feel any better at a time like this?
            “I’m sorry
. . . Naruto . . . Gods, can you please just stop?” Sasuke gasped out. His
throat had started to choke him, to close up; it hurt. It hurt and he gasped again.
Naruto backed away and headed toward the bathroom again. Not knowing what else
to do Sasuke decided to find his cousin, a man he considered a father, the only
parent he could remember. When he had finally managed to drag his shaking legs
into the living room and shelter himself in Obito’s strong arms, he felt a
little better. Maybe not enough to cling to him any less desperately but it did
feel less painful, less confusing and Sasuke was able to think of better things
than what he’d seen in Naruto’s eyes. Obito rubbed at his shoulders a bit
before pushing him back to search his face. He smiled, even though it was a
faded copy of what Sasuke had grown up with. He kept smiling and Sasuke felt
even stronger.

            Naruto
stared at himself in the mirror for so long his eyes had begun to water. That
sounded better to him than letting the pain inside his chest win out. He turned
his head to glance at every inch of his father’s room, from the walls
surrounding him to the bedroom he now had a full view of from where he stood.
Nothing seemed familiar and yet it was all the same as when he’d last been in
it. That morning . . . that morning he’d only had time to sneak a glance at it
all, eyeing the wall he’d convinced his father to let him start a mural on when
he’d finished the one in his own room. There hadn’t been any lights on inside.
His father had been in his study, working on that article for the magazine.
Naruto couldn’t even remember if he’d said anything meaningful. Had he told his
father he loved him? Had he just known it? Had they argued at all that day?
Naruto couldn’t remember.
            Unable to
keep his wriggling thoughts held down, Naruto began opening drawers. He had no
real purpose; it was just something to do, looking through his dead father’s
things. The thought smashed into him, then. The world careened out of focus. It
tilted and swayed and Naruto grabbed onto the edge of the sink to keep from
being swallowed up in the melee. His father was dead. His father was dead. His
father was . . . The world came crashing back when he felt Kakashi wrapping his
arms around him from behind. He heard something like a shushing murmur, so low
it was almost gone. He knew he should wonder about it, but the numbing affect
he’d unconsciously encased himself in had cracked. God, it hurt so much, too
much; it wouldn’t stop. The sobs started slowly and then built. They built;
they built and Naruto screamed while that shushing, sighing, murmuring
continued in his ear. Kakashi’s arms tightened almost painfully and the voice
he knew was making all those sounds broke a little before the litany resumed,
like a brook that had to take a momentary detour over an especially large
stone, a delay only.
            Kakashi
waved Obito and the lawyer away when they appeared at the door, concern and fear
sparking in the eyes of his friend. He had no idea where Sute had gone and
didn’t care. Not one thought would be spared on her if he could help it. He
turned Naruto gently so that he could hold his head against his chest and
sighed. The trembling and quiet crying he’d slipped into after screaming loud
enough to scare him halfway to the river’s edge, the dead calling softly over
his shoulder, had subsided. Kakashi rocked him, feeling Naruto’s tears soak
into his shirt sleeve slowly. Naruto had curled his fingers around Kakashi’s
arm loosely and he wished his friend could see it. It reminded him of when
Naruto had turned four and sat in Kakashi’s lap in much the same way. That day
had been cold and the boy was only looking for a warm body to snuggle against.
That was what he’d told Minato offhandedly later. Secretly he’d been pleased,
almost smug, that Naruto had gone to him just that once for comfort. It wasn’t
that he relished the reason for this second turn, but the feeling was
indescribable, that a child should look at you as someone they trust enough to
hold them free of danger.
            Naruto sighed and pushed away from Kakashi
lightly.
            “I’m fine. It’s okay, Kakashi,” he mumbled with his head down and hands
still shaking slightly.
            “Naruto,
you don’t have to worry so much. It’s not your job to be strong right now. You
should allow yourself to feel things. Your father loved you, very much. And I
know you felt the same. It’s alright if you want to . . .,” Kakashi started.
            “I said I’m
fine, Kakashi,” Naruto said again more forcefully. Kakashi pulled back a little
to try to catch his eyes. Naruto took another deep breath.
            “I guess I
should go see my mother, huh?” he asked.
            Kakashi,
while he heard the calm Naruto was desperately trying to radiate, saw the betrayal.
Naruto’s hands clutched around his shirt for a moment and his breath hitched a
little. He was sure that if he held the boy closer he would hear his heart
pounding.
            “If that’s what you want, Naruto.”
            “Yeah, I’ll
meet her. She’s my mother, after all.”
            It sounded
like he was trying to convince himself of that, maybe more, but Kakashi let it
slide. What else could he do right now?
            He followed
Naruto out into the living room and nodded to the lawyer curtly. He handed the
bag full of Naruto’s clothes and a few of his painting supplies over to the
woman and glared at her until she looked away, embarrassed.
            “Is . . .”
She cleared her throat and tried again. “Is everything alright . . . Naruto?”
            She smiled
at him and Naruto glanced up at her only to freeze in place.
            “It’s you,”
he said quietly.
            “I’m sorry
we didn’t get a chance to speak before your father passed. He wanted you to
know about me, but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. I’m very sorry he
isn’t here for you anymore.” Her words and tone were sympathetic but both Obito
and Kakashi saw something else. They shared a glance and could tell what the
other was thinking. This woman was trouble.
            “You’re the
woman from before. The one that last saw Minato,” Obito said. It wasn’t a
question, though she acted as though it had been.
            “Yes,” she
said smiling at Obito now. “He and I parted on less than . . . amicable, terms.
But I’m here for Naruto now. I’m his mother, after all.”
            Kakashi
grunted, unconvinced. Naruto tilted his head to the side and grimaced. Sasuke
caught it and searched Naruto’s face. His eyes still held too many shadows and
too much pain for Sasuke to want him to leave just yet. He felt helpless. He
wasn’t an adult yet and so he didn’t think any of the others in the room would
take his opinion as anything of much worth. All he could do was stand and
watch.
            “So, it’s
true then? You really are . . .,” Naruto stopped. His mouth had gone dry and
the muscles in his face felt raw and sore. He was tired of crying and felt
drained to the very core. He took in a few deep breaths to steady himself.
            “You really
are my mother,” he finished.
            “Yes,
honey. I’ve waited for so long to meet you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be a part of
your life until now. My family was not at all pleased to find me with child,
and out of wedlock. I was sent away, to school. But I’m here now.”
            She opened
her arms up to embrace him but Naruto hesitated. When he did move forward,
Kakashi cringed. Gone was the bubbly, trusting child he’d helped to raise. How
long would he have to wait until he came back? The hug was quick and forced, at
least on Naruto’s part. Naruto, himself, felt lonely and not at all sure he
wanted to know this woman. Why hadn’t his father said anything about her? Why
did it look like he’d lost more than just a lover instead of this kind of woman
whenever he thought about her? Naruto knew he did, often. He could see the pain
drift into his eyes on occasion, as though he’d lost a part of himself. He
couldn’t imagine this woman as the one he so desperately wanted to see again.
He felt the now familiar pain radiate a dull ache through his chest and hunched
his shoulders, fighting it off.
            Sute curled
her fingers to brush through his hair fondly and smiled again.
            “How would
you like to come and stay with me, Naruto? You’ll be able to escape this place.
I’m sure it feels a little too painful right now, to stay here,” she said
sweetly. Again, Kakashi snorted and the lawyer threw him a snide look.
            “I guess
that’s okay,” Naruto murmured, trying his best to be polite as his father had
always told him.
            He hadn’t
liked how she’d talked about his father’s home. No, it was no longer that. Now
it only belonged to him. He hiccupped a little at the thought. He turned to
clutch at Sasuke’s arms and gave him a firm hug.
            “I’ll see
you at school, I guess,” he whispered.
            Sasuke
hugged back tighter than he probably should have.
            “You bet.
I’ll see you later. Take care of yourself, alright?” He added the last part,
even though he knew how it sounded, like they might never see each other again.
As much as he wanted to fight these strange, disturbing newcomers in Naruto’s
life, he didn’t have the slightest idea how at the moment. He would talk to his
father and Rin, Obito’s wife and the person Sasuke also called mother, about it
later. He drew away to find comfort in his cousin’s arms, grateful that they
were always there. Cousins or not, Obito was more than old enough, in Sasuke’s
opinion, to have most of the answers, if not all of them. Naruto went to lean
into Kakashi’s side and felt his hands running through his hair softly. He
sighed.
            “Remember
what I said Naruto. I love you,” Kakashi crooned, grasping at his shoulders to
brush the hair away from his eyes.
            “Okay,”
Naruto grabbed his bag from Sute’s hand, resolute to carry it on his own and
made his way through the open door. “Bye,” he called tonelessly over his
shoulder as they all waved at him.
            Sute’s car,
a black sedan that looked expensive, sat in the driveway, engine already
humming. The lawyer had apparently brought his own car and parked behind her.
He shook her hand and smiled at Naruto in a manner that brought on the image of
a weasel before driving off. Naruto got into the passenger seat and could feel
heat from some kind of vents in the leather warming it. He relaxed a little
into the warmth and closed his eyes. Somewhere between driving away from his
house and arriving at Sute’s . . . his mother’s, he had fallen asleep. He awoke
to her shaking him lightly on the shoulder and calling his name. He yawned
tiredly, blinked a few times and sat up. The home in front of the car looked
unreal. It was large by Japan’s
standards, two-storied and with enough square-footage to house a family of
five. He gaped.
            “Nice, huh?” Sute caroled from outside. Naruto rushed to
gather himself and his bag so he could join her.
            “Yeah,” he
breathed, unable to think of anything better to say.
            “It’s
incredible,” he managed finally, trying on a small smile.
            It seemed
to make her happy as Naruto watched her face light up in a beaming grin of her
own. It didn’t remind him of anything. Shouldn’t children resemble their
parents, even a little? Her eyes hadn’t softened since he’d last caught a look
at her, when his father had let her into the house. He felt a twisting in his
stomach and gulped in air to try and ease it. Sute hummed pleasantly and lead
him down the granite walk to the slate porch and through the heavy oak door.
Everything looked so expensive and out of place, even for such a rich town as
Konoha. Naruto thought it would be better on the cover of some Real Estate
magazine rather than a place you could actually live in. The interior hall had
a floor he knew was most likely real marble. He’d seen pieces of it in his
Natural Science course last year.
            Sute took
his coat off of him herself and gestured for him to follow. She stopped just
inside the grandest living room he’d ever seen. The floor was covered in lush
carpet the color of cream, and the walls were a soft mauve. There were a couple
of paintings that Naruto had seen in a few of his books for Art classes he’d
taken over the years. Many of them had been extremely expensive as prints, let
alone the real thing. One was an abstract using Color Field done by an American
painter named Kenneth Noland. The other was in the same style but using
different colors, by a man named Clifford Still. Naruto felt his mouth hanging
open but only closed it when Sute giggled at him. He ducked his head and smiled
sheepishly at her.
            “I know
what you’re thinking. What on earth am I doing with a couple of abstract
paintings like that?”
            Naruto
shook his head and rushed to reassure her. “No, they’re great! I mean, Color
Field art isn’t for everyone, but these guys,” he gestured wildly at the
artwork, “are the best of their field. I’m amazed you have them. That’s all.”
            She seemed
to study him for a moment, and then replied, “That’s right, your father
mentioned how much you love art. Do you paint?”
            “A little,”
Naruto answered, frowning. His father had talked about him? It brought to mind
his behavior and the temper Naruto had seen when she’d appeared so suddenly at
their door . . . . It was all so confusing. The ache and the incredible
exhaustion returned full force and, suddenly, all he wanted was to see his room
and go to bed.
            “Uh, if you
don’t mind, uh . . .,” Naruto waited, hoping for a cue.
            Sute smiled
and reached a hand out encouragingly.
            “You may
call me Mother, Naruto. That’s who I am now,” she supplied helpfully.
            “Uh,
Mother,” Naruto tried again, though it didn’t sound right just yet, “if you
don’t mind, I’d like to take break. Do you think I could see my room?”
            “Of course. Just a few rules to go over
first.” He followed her further into the house a little reluctantly and
listened as she spoke.
            “This is
the living area,” she gestured back to the room over her shoulder as they left
it. “It is meant for guests. There is to be no eating or drinking in this room
unless I am present.”
            He frowned
as she continued on with what seemed to be a long list of things he was not
allowed to do. They turned into the kitchen. He could make that out from all
the high-end stainless steel appliances gleaming on the counters. They barely
looked used.
            “This is
the kitchen. There is to be no eating or drinking in this room either, unless I
am present.” While the exhaustion in his body made him feel slow, her words
woke a strange, almost anxious feeling inside. Or maybe it was just that there
were a lot of locks in every room they had passed. He’d noticed them on the
cabinets in the living room, and they were here too: on the refrigerator, the
pantry door, the freezer and the dry foods cabinets.
            “Naruto,
are you listening?” his mother called sharply. Startled out of his thoughts, he
looked up with a jolt to find that hard stare boring into him. Her eyes
narrowed, as if she was taking in every detail. Suddenly, he wanted nothing
more than to call Kakashi up and ask him to take him away from everything, to
the country or another city, as long as it was as far from this confusion as
possible. He did not like it here. But then her eyes softened for the first
time since he’d met her and she looked almost beautiful.
            “I’m sorry,
Naruto. This is probably a lot to take in, and after everything you’ve been
through this week, you must be confused, and tired. It’s just that I haven’t had
anyone over in so long, certainly not to stay. I’ll try harder tomorrow.” She
smiled weakly at him and Naruto felt the pressure around his chest squeezing
lightly.
            “It’s
okay,” he mumbled, “I just want some time to think.”
            He didn’t
really, but anything to take his mind off all the locks and her strange
behavior. He felt drawn to her, maybe because he wanted to know more about her.
At the same time he felt like he shouldn’t be here alone, without help. She
reached over the counter they had sat down in front of and patted his shoulder
lightly.
            “That’s
fine. I’ll make you some tea. How’s that? And then I’ll show you to your room.
There are no locks on the doors upstairs, so you’re free to roam around there.”
She turned away to take down a shining copper kettle and before long Naruto was
seated on the soft, white, leather sofa in the living room, staring at a
steaming cup of tea. The scent was delicious and he remembered he hadn’t eaten
all day. He gulped half of it down in one swallow.
            “There! It
even has real peppermint in it from my garden.”
            “You have a
garden?” Naruto couldn’t stop from asking. He was naturally curious and things
seemed to be going better between them. It was a little easier talking over a
cup of tea in here then in the silent expanse of white in her kitchen.
            “Mmm-hmm. I do. It’s beautiful in the summer, full of all
the prettiest flowers.” She was pouring herself a cup and brushing hair away
from her face and Naruto watched closely. His mother really was a striking
person, even with the weird way of speaking and her strangely harsh rules. He
felt calmer, almost lighter, like his body was floating. He blinked and
realized he’d been falling asleep on the couch. His mother was there. It’s alright, then. She was helping him
up, saying something about a cozy room and a down-filled bed. Oh, he hadn’t
finished his tea, though, he tried to say. But she patted his back and he tried
to get his heavy feet to respond. They’d reached another door and Naruto told
himself in the back of his mind that she’d apparently gotten him up an entire
flight of stairs without his realizing it, something that should have worried
him a little. He sighed and drifted instantly into a heavy slumber as his head
hit one of the softest pillows he’d ever had.

            He awoke
slowly, feeling very sluggish and wondering just how much time had passed. He
tried to turn over but found his limbs were more exhausted than they’d ever
been in his life. He couldn’t move. Sleep dragged at his conscious thought
again before he’d even opened his eyes and he sighed deeply. The feeling that
something wasn’t right brought him out of it quickly. Well, as quickly as his
unresponsive body let it. Panic swelled inside him when he discovered he really
wasn’t able to lift himself up. He pried his eyes open as the springs
underneath him shifted. How could that be when he couldn’t even lift a finger,
let alone roll over?
            The hazy
light from a street lamp filtered through the room and Naruto gasped sharply.
He tried to call out, to say anything, but his mouth wouldn’t work. The best he
could do was a strangled cry from the back of his throat.
            His mother
was there, leaning over him, nearly sitting on top of his waist. She smiled,
that much he could see in the dim glow. It was haunting, eerie and Naruto tried
again to call out. He didn’t understand what she thought she was doing in here.
What was happening?
            “Shhhh,
you’re home now, my sweet. Now you’ll see. I’ll show you. And then, you’ll
forget all about her,” she crooned softly.
            What? Forget about who?
Before he could gather any energy to try to buck her off, or scream, she
reached a hand to his chin, tipped it upward . . . and kissed him.
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Beyond the River’s Edge