"Hey, Konohamaru! Wake up! Breakfast is ready!" I called out as I repeatedly knocked on the door of his room.
I think it's been three minutes now that I was knocking out here, so maybe it's okay that I'll just get in, right?
"I'm coming in," I said then I opened the door, and there he is, curled up on his bed sound asleep.
I went near him, "Konohamaru, hey!" I called as I shook him.
"Konohamaru!" I was about to smack him, but surprisingly he slapped my fist away then turned his back on me on the opposite side of the bed.
Geez, how hard is it to wake him up?!
I pulled him to face me once again, laying his back flat on the bed. "KO-NO-HA-MA-RU~!!!" I called his name, mentioning every syllables in his name, this time, much louder than how I call him before.
"Hmm?"
Did he just mumbled?
But his eyes were still closed, and he doesn't look like he's pretending to be asleep by the looks of it. He's sleeping peacefully.
Now that I think of it. Having this close to him, I had the a better quality angle to see his facial features clearly in any angle. He sure do has a face of an innocent child when was sleep, unlike when he was awake. What a dope.
I'm just scared though if Kyo would find him out off guard without his adult transformation.
I attempted to wake him up, shaking him once again.
"Hey, Konohamaru! Breakfast is ready! Hurry up and get up! Don't let me do all the babysitting all alone! We've got some jobs to do!"
"Hmm..I love you.."
Eh?? (O.O)?!!?!
"W-what the?!"
He barely opened his eyes, in someway, his eyes find it's way to look at with mine. I was stunned at the moment, unable to think what I was gonna do.
He closed his eyes, "There you are.." he smiled at me, I don't know but I feel like a chills just ran up to my spine. What was he dreaming?
As I was busy figuring it out, he suddenly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me with him on the bed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Let go off me, you jerk!" I demanded as I struggled to pull away from his tight embrace. But it's so tight! I given up to that and I decided to beat him up instead in order to get loose, and to wake him up too, like two birds in one stone job.
"Miki, I love you."
(─ ─ )
The moment there, I stopped punching his chest on trying to pull away, i don't even know why. I look down at his sleeping face, he just said 'i love you' twice and now he's blushing? He's almost as red as a tomato if you ask me.
And why did he says he loves Miki?
But whatever it is, I had to wake him up immediately before he could ruin Miki's pride on his dream! And to wake him to to help me with our mission (─ ─ #)
"Stop exploring on your dreamland already, damn it! Wake up!" My palm landed a slap on his cheek that created a crisp sound.
"Hmm?" He mumbled finally opened his sleepy eyes completely.
"Finally!" I sighs. He turned his gaze on down me on his chest, "Oh, it's you, Yumi. What is it?" He asked sleepily, just a split second passed, realizing that I was here. He looked at me and his blood suddenly climbed up to his face.
"YUUUMIII!!!!" He screamed, leaping out and pushed me off him in a blink of an eye, backing up on the wall, pulled his blanket and covered his body with it as to make himself think secured.
"Wha-wh-what are you doing here?!"
"Waking you up." I answered coolly.
"And why the hell you're in my bed?!"
"I should ask you the same thing, you moron," I growled.
"How would I know? I was sleeping! Hope you're not here to take advantage of me sleeping!"
"For you're information, You're the one who pulled me."
his eyes blink for a second, "I pulled you in the bed?"
"Yes, It was so tight that I couldn't let go, so I tried to wake you up again instead so I could do both things in one shot. Get the picture?"
"And you kept saying 'i love you'.."
Hmm? (O.O)?
We both look down who just jumped into our conversation and it's between us.
"AHHH!!!" Konohamaru screams frantically echoing in the entire room and immediately covered himself in a blanket much to my disappointment. It's cute to see him blush.
Kyo, when did you get here? (─ ─ ")
"I-I-I said that?!" Konohamaru asked frantically under the covers.
Kyo nodded, "but you didn't mentioned mother's name. You mentioned the name Miki instead."
"I DID?!"
I can tell which was his head, so I knocked Konohamaru at the top of his head, "calm down, will you?" (-__-)
"Y-yes, ma'am," he says and his head grew a lump that had been visible under the covers.
"Who was Miki?" He asked puffing his cheeks with air.
The sheets let out a soft sound of poof that I guess, he just transformed. Then he turned towards us, only his face was visible from him who was wrapped in his blanket.
"Don't tell me you're cheating?"
(￣_￣)・・・
"Ahh!!!"
"Will you stop screaming?"
"What did you do to him?! Damn it, Yumi! I need some explaining!"
"I knocked him off, is that obvious?" I knock him off too like what I did to his so called father─oh wait, correction─stupid so called father.
Look, I'm not in the mood right now so don't play dumb with me (-__-#)
"Dad! Mom was scary! " He cried throwing himself to Konohamaru who was still wrapped in his blanket.
"I'll talk to her," he said patting his head then he turned his attention on my with a growl under his throat, "Look what you've done!" He says, more like lecturing I guess? he was glaring at me.
"Just give it a rest, will you? It's not like I was trying to kill you."
"Then don't give us a menacing looking eyes!" (ﾒ' ﾛ ')
"This how my eyes looks like every time somebody was pissing me off. Just get use to it," I turned my back on them, "Breakfast is ready, I expect the two of you to come over," I said simply, then I made my way on the dining room first before them.
"You're still here?"-Konohamaru.
I turned to look at them as they went down the stairs.
For some reason that I don't know, I had stopped walking and I had blacked out.
I come up with the reason, "I just thought that I will wait for you here so we could get there together."
Konohamaru stopped where he is, and because he's holding Kyo's hand, he stopped too. And for some reason, I could see it from here that his cheeks has a faint blush.
Oh come on, it's not like it's a big deal. We've been living under the roof for quite some time now. He should get used to it and not be shy about.
Kyo turned to look at us alternately then finally stopped to Konohamaru in the second turn, "You're right, dad. She's not a full pledged monster like you told me so."
"Whaa?!" Konohamaru burst out like he was alarmed or something then immediately covered Kyo's mouth.
"Why'd the heck you call her that in front of her?" He asked to Kyo in a whisper, trying his hard to smile at him so he won't sound like he's mad.
I admit that I kinda felt insulted when he called me that I'm not a full pledged demon or something (-__-'')
Kyo tried to answer Konohamaru, but he didn't understand him because he's covering Kyo's mouth with his hand. Kyo pointed Konohamaru's hand that was covering his mouth restraining him to talk.
"What's wrong with being honest?" He asked.
"Nothing's wrong with being honest, but being too honest was also a bad thing."
Kyo raises an eyebrow at him questioningly, "and why is that?" He asked confused.
"They're things you needed to keep something just to yourself." Kyo just answered him an "ohh" in understanding? I don't know (-__-)
"Sorry, mom! I didn't mean to say that! I was just kidding!" He says then followed by a chuckle, and on the other side. Konohamaru laughed nervously as they both look on my direction.
Why are they trying so hard to explain themselves? I wasn't asking for it in the first place.
I just turned my back on them, "just hurry up or the food will turn cold."
We sent on the dining room and went on our designated seats.
"Omelets?" asked Konohamaru.
"Got a problem?"
"N-no, not at all!" (O_O)
I carried Kyo to help him sit on his chair on the dining table. Apparently, his part of the table was on the middle, mine was the left side and right side was Konohamaru which is we faced to each other and Kyo was parting us.
Get the picture?
"Not just omelets, it's rolled omelets! And there's also steamed rice, fried tofu, miso soup, onion rings. Mom cooked pancakes too. There's also a bowl of strawberries."
I went to the refrigerator to get the fresh milk and took three cups with me and returned to the table.
I assisted to get Kyo's breakfast and after that, we all ate our breakfast quietly.
No one even dares to make even a single noise on plates by the frictions of the chopsticks, spoons and forks.
Well, that's great.
"Mom? Dad?"
"Yes?" both of us said at the same time.
"When did you get married?"
Me: *cough*cough*
Konohamaru: *swallowed what was in his mouth─whole.*took a drink at his glass of water*coughs*
Kyo: *wondering if he just said something wrong*
"Why did you brought that kind of topic suddenly?" I asked, as I fought the urge to raise a voice.
"What makes you ask that?" asked Konohamaru who didn't wasted any efforts to hold himself by thinking he may surprise the little boy.
We both asked our questions at the same time.
We didn't rehearsed this question, I had no idea how to answer this! Are we damned now? 〣( ºΔº )〣
"It's only natural since I'm your child and furthermore, I wanted to uncover whether or not, dad was cheating on you, mom. I have suspicion because he kept on muttering the name Miki on his dream lately and said that he loves him," he says like a professional love adviser.
I wanted to laugh at his funny gesture and lame idea to reveal this unknown to him, but I was the one who's been talking here so I couldn't get the guts to laugh at it.
Is he really a five year old kid? I actually doubting that he is right now.(￢_￢;)
"Of course I'm not cheating, what make's you say that?"
"I don't mind, your father is a total jerk anyway."
Talking again at the same time. But I did tried to overlapped what he says since we're already saying answers that we didn't rehearsed and purely just in our head.
"Mom, that's what I meant."
"That's great," I smiled and nodded at his understanding. "You understand what I mean to─Whaa?!!" dropping my chopsticks and the fried tofu with it. "No no no, Kyo! That's not it."
Kyo look at me with a stare liki he's puzzled.
A thought came in to my mind...
If he found out that we were just acting as his parents like the mission was given us....it's all the end of us!
The mission is over and he'll hate us for lying on him.
Konohamaru gave me a message of, "Did we blown our cover?" by looking at me eyes.
"Let me handle it, alright?" I looked back.
We just tried to communicate by telepathy, I'm not sure if it's accurate though.
"Kyo, why are you asking that your father is cheating? If it's about his dream that he was muttering some other girl's name, it's fine with me. I have faith and trust to your father that he'll never do that to me when my back is turned, because no matter who was that girl he's dreaming of, I'm your dad's legal wife." I said sincerely as possible.
This is it.
This will be the truth etched on this boy's mind.
There's no turning back. (TヘT )
My pride and joy was fallen at the same time, farewell. I will miss you (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
"Not convinced."
A sound of thunder crushed on my brain as it echoes on my mind. I said those cheesy things and it's ineffective? (O ▽ O)
"Konohamaru, I've given up. I don't know what to do anymore," I uttered the words just enough for him to hear me not to get caught by Kyo.
"I don't know what to do either." (T^T)
If you haven't sleep talking, we wouldn't end up having a breakfast like this! (T_T)
"To tell you the truth, Kyo. Your mom and I haven't married yet, we're together because of you."
I think my jaw just dropped on the moment there!
"Are you even listening to what I said to him earlier?!"
He gasped upon the realization..
My pride was fallen in vain.. such humiliation. How awful it is had fate was given me (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
"If you had plans of telling him the truth, you could have told me," I whispered as my eyes was flowing abundantly in tears.
Even if it's just a story we're making up, I don't wanna end up 'child first marriage later'.
I mean, I am a child. I don't want to think about it right now.
"What are you both muttering? Are you hiding something?"
We both sighs in relief.
After all this time, we're still arguing by muttering to each other.
"but seriously, Kyo, I'm not going to do something that will hurt your mother. I vowed not to, since the day we were living together."
"Vows?"
"Yes, they were said during the marriage," I explained.
Konohamaru turned to say something on me, "I think this is getting more difficult to deal with," he muttered.
"I know (Ｔ▽Ｔ) " I muttered back.
"What vows like? And how it'll be done like?"
I and Konohamaru both look at each other. I gave him the, "you're-the-one-who'll-explain" look. He pouted his lips like he was forced to do so.
"It's like this." He picked up an onion ring then held my right hand.
"I, Konohamaru Sarutobi, take you Yumi Asakura, to be my wife. From this day forward, I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." he recited as he slid the onion ring on my right ring finger.
"Your vow was corny, you should do it like this." I pick up an onion ring and reached out for his right hand.
"I, Yumi Asakura, give myself to you, Konohamaru Sarutobi, to be your wife, and I promise to love and sustain you in the covenant of marriage. From this day forward—in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live." I said then put on the onion ring to his ring finger.
*clap*clap*clap*
We both look at Kyo's side and he was crazily smiling at us, "Let's continue eating our breakfast, shall we?" (^_^)
So we just pulled on the trap by this kid, huh?
"By the way, mom and dad. Your wedding rings were tasty." (^_^)
I swear, I'll wait for you to grow a little more and you should get to taste some beating. (-__-#)!
We've just been outsmarted by this kid?!
"By the way, Yumi." He took a sip on his glass of milk. "Is it fine that you'll take care of Kyo alone today."
"Where are you going?" Asked Kyo, jumping again on the conversation.
"Our squad were dispatched on a mission."
Since I and him are from a different squads, he's allowed to go without taking a substitute to occupy on his place on his squad. And because I was still here, free.
"It's fine, when will be your return?"
"About a week from now."
I coughed, I almost spat out everything which was on my mouth. "A week? Are you serious?"
He laughed, "Why? You'll miss me?" He asked teasingly.
"That's not what I meant!"
hH laughed once again, "I know, I know. I'm just trying to joke around with you."
"Well I'm not laughing I'll have you know!"
"Okay, got it. Sorry, sorry," he says playfully.
"I'm ignored." (╯﹏╰)
"I'll try to make the mission finish quickly."
I sighs to calm myself, "whatever," I muttered before continuing on clearing my plate.
I cooked lunch earlier than the usual to make at least four packed lunch that I had helped to carry until the entrance gate and gave it to each one of them.
His team are aware of the mission that I had with Konohamaru, but I sure did allowed him to go for training, but I didn't expect this mission coming.
We stood there and waited until their silhouettes aren't visible anymore.
"Well," I sighs as I stretched my arms up in the air. "We should go back and continue your lessons," I said that he enthusiastically responded a yes and followed me to walk by my side.
It's easy to get myself connected on him, because he already had learned basics of crafting.
His parents are engineers, but by looking at his parents' books, I can't tell the difference on what I learned from Sasori. Some things are new, but mostly are the same, especially the measuring but to engineers they use other tools that I had tired to learn it myself when I tried to create a landscape. I was with Konohamaru back then when I was already on the set of trying to take photographs from above. He's not with me when I practiced to use optical measuring.
And not only that, his family also own factories, but as a side business. No wonder they are called merchants because of trading. I did tried to recall if their name rings somehow in the black market for main costumers, but find none. It doesn't ring a bell either.
His parents are more focused on founding than trading their crafts, but they call themselves merchants instead.
So as to fill the time and at least be a bit useful in this mission, I asked if he wanted me to teach him what the family business is. Yes, I used first person point of view, in case you guys are wondering. I don't feel well on claiming their property as one of my own though. (╯_╰)
But he didn't made it more difficult to me, he's more than willing that I was glad about it that I didn't mind if Konohamaru spent more of his time on training.
I laid out the rulers I had in my collection on the table, neatly with his curious eyes looked at them one by one.
"They may look quite similar and had the same job by giving you the measurements, but they had different types of usages," I explained. "Like this for example," grabbing the three sided ruler. "This one was called the scale ruler. It was often use to read the blueprints to convert scaled drawings into actual dimentions without having to use any mathematical calculations. Simply put, it was invented to make our life easier."
I'm not quite sure what I'm talking about, but I think I'm the best. (*˘︶˘*)
I unrolled a blueprint that I've been keeping that I made out of boredom.
"Like this, 1/4" = 1'-0" designates the blue print is drawn in 1/4-inch scale. Then flip the ruler tl he architech's rule. I had the color coded ruler, so if you need to use the architech's rule, see this red line in between.You will notice the zero line of the scale will have a series of small lines before it. These smaller lines designate inches in 1/4 inch scale." I said, trying to point out every detail as I could. "Then place the zero point of the triangle scale on one point of the blue print. The number directly below the aligned line will be the number of feet between the two points in the finished building. If no number lines up with a second point, align the nearest whole number and count the number of small lines before the zero mark of the triangle square. For example, if the whole number resting on the second point is 6 and the first point rests two lines past the zero mark, there are 6 feet 3 inches between the two points in the finished building."
I can just feel my nose was bleeding.
"You got that?" (＾་།＾)
"It's still makes me confused, mom," he says, clutching on his pencil.
"It's okay. No one would understand in just one example. It's perfectly normal, so be brave and don't take your mistakes in the heart," well, he was starting to cry again.
He was fast to learn and easy to teach, but maybe the consequence of it was he's sensitive for taking mistakes deeply.
"Let's try it again, until you understand it."
We spend half a day studying and most of my free time was dling the chores as he was trying to start doing his own blueprint. And after the chores, I asked him to play with me, just some fun. All work no play will make everyone dull.
"When will dad will go back home from mission?" he asked as I was tucking him on his bed.
"He says he'll spend the week outside. Let's expect him to come back real soon next tuesday," I answered, turning on the lampshade on his bedside table.
"Good night, my dear," I said, planting him a kiss on the forehead.
"Good night, mom."
I went to his door then turned of the light, his dark room was lightened up by his lampshade that creates a virtual horses running around the room.
It's just the lampshade that has horse shaped holes in it that rotates making silhouttes of horses across the room. I closed his door and went to check downstairs if I forgot to turn the dim light on the first floor.
Everything was checked, I went to my room too to take my rest.
I just stared to the ceiling with the only light that I had was the moonlight from the window that had been basically a glass wall.
I didn't tucked down the curtains as I don't like sleeping without a little hint of light across my room.
It's been a long day today. And looking at the calendar, the chunin exam was getting closer.
Not to mention, it will also cause conflict with the mission with Kyo.
Konohamaru was sparing time to train, but I haven't get a decent training after getting the mission.
Also, thinking about my teammates, doing their training with Keisuke-sensei without me around makes me jealous.
I closed my eyes to try to get my sleep, but my sixth sense noticed someone's presence. That made me wonder how I didn't noticed it by hearing footsteps or the frictions in the air when the person moves.
I sat up on my bed and looked on my door which was now opened that I remembered locking it.
His white pajamas, his pale skin because of the night and the moonlight that also shines within him doesn't helped it at all.
Is it okay if I just say it in front of him that he scares me for a second?
"What is it, my dear? Can't catch your sleep?" I asked.
With a slight hesitation, I went out of my bed at went to the door. "Is there anything you need me to?" I asked.
His eyes that holds no emotion looked up to me, but didn't said anything.
And because I'm biologically, a child, a nine years old kid, I had the most weird fantasies about this already.
"Come on, let's go back to bed." I grabbed his wrist and dragged him to follow me. Just when I arrived to his room, no one was in his bed, unlike how my brain had gave me a thought that the real body was in the bed and I am with a ghost.
Hey, don't give me the fact that it might be a shadow clone. I had never forgot about that!
And his lampshade that projects a running ponies in a form of light still gallops in the room.
"If you can't get to sleep, I can read you stories if you want."
"Sure thing."
That was too blunt, it's not so like him.
I turned the lights on his room and again put him on the bed.
"Wait here, I'll go get a story book to read."
"Wait."
I turned to face him, "Is the something you want me to get for you?"
"It's just that," he paused that he was acting a bit weird. "I don't feel well alone here."
What does he mean? He always sleeps alone in his room. What's new here is that Konohamaru wasn't here.
"You want me to check under your bed?"
It's a joke, but I also wanted to know if he somehow was capable of pulling pranks that was below the belt.
He knew how to unlock a doorknob without a key was already a sign that he shouldn't be taken just a child who was chill like any other child, but a chill in the spine.
But whatever it is, I wanted to know what was in his room now that all three of us had our own privacy.
He grumbled and twitches his eyes looking in every direction there was in space.
Without his permission I leaned down and saw this...
Just kidding..
Isn't Sadako-chan was cute though?(°◡°O)
I was supposed to show you this.
Not Sadako-chan, but I don't want to traumatize anyone.─oh, right, sorry. It's a prank.
I'm done with this joke so I pushed myself to stand up.
"There's nothing under your─," he wasn't in his bed.
I'm still all fours on the floor and I swear it only took me five seconds to check under his bed. I didn't even noticed that he went somewhere.
It snapped me when my mind reminded me that not because I'm a ninja, but as a vulnerable human, it's a must that you should always watch your back.
I turned my head and looked over my shoulder to see what was behind me.
He was there, just staring at me.
"You scared me," I said and tried to hide the surprise under the smile.
What is this child's deal? If I didn't knew he was a child or think of him as a fighter even if we exclude that he was a ninja, maybe I already had made a move and threaten him to tell me what does he want from me or the village.─I can't kill him, he's part of the contract that should be protected.
If I somehow managed to extract even a little bit of information, I can just submit his body to the Torture and Interrogation Corps. and let them do the thing and I'll just provide them the necessary information why he was needed to interrogate.
But if he isn't, then why is he giving me that dark look? (─ ─ ")
I know my own kind, and he is the exact opposite of it, but I can't just deny that I could feel the tension.
"You find someone under there?" he asked.
"Nothing," I chuckled. "So, you believed in ghost?" I asked. Usually, he would react what a child reacts on a tease that they normally get hurt because you hit the truth. I stood up from the floor, "Okay, I'll take that in mind. I won't try to scare you in any forms that could scare you."
I remembered to read him a story so I put everything I had in mind from behind, rubbing the top of his head to assure him that I'll be back then went out of his room to look for the couple of books I had in my room.
Naruto Shippū! Konoha Gakuen Den!
I went back on his room and he was waiting on the doorstep that again gives me the creeps. I may appear fine and composed, but the racing of my heartbeat and the sudden rise of my adrenaline won't lie.
Still, I held his hand and put him on his bed.
"I apologize for not having a children's book, but we can go and buy some tomorrow. So again, if you can't find a way to sleep, maybe I can read you one. So," after saying my apologies that I didn't hear a complaint anyway on the book in my hand, "you'll find it boring for a child, because it was a life story of a young man in his teenage years who has the ambition to become a powerful leader of a group called yakuza. His name is, Naruto Uzumaki."
His soulless eyes and dark aura suddenly lifted and sent back to his bubbly personality like a kind of child he is.
"I like that."
What had happened lately, I just hope that everything was just an imagination.