Mistake - A Naruto Fan-Fiction 15 Fondness

Whatever would people think if they hear of my story coming from another world? People might think that I do not, will not ever belong in this world.

Oh, if I didn't have common sense in the back of my mind, and if he wasn't really s.h.i.+sui, I don't mind him dying. But the thing is, he is. I'm not an idiot to let a very important person die just because of me. I sighed. I really hate hospitals. I'm confined in a small place and have no freedom until I get better. I want to see the d.a.m.ned crow right now.

It's been almost a week too.

The door opened as I leaned on the hard hospital pillow, taking my attention and my thoughts off of my head—for now. I was greeted by a worrisome gaze coming from a white-haired woman, kasan. She smiled warmly, bringing in a bouquet of flowers to the bedside table near the window. "From Ino." She simply stated, taking the seat next to the bed, I nodded.

She smiled, placing her hand over her lips, letting out a soft chuckle, "You're just like Kas.h.i.+-kun, you know? He hates—no, despises hospitals." She seemed like she's recalling some worthwhile memories, smiling as she shares them to me. "He hates the medical smell… the way the staffs confines him in a room…" She trailed off, her brown, greyish stare falling onto mine. "You don't say a single word, but your eyes do tell me every single thing. You're my son, after all."

My eyes widened at her words, tears dwelling at the edge of my eyes. Right. I'm her son. I was born—no, reborn here for a reason. Maybe. My words remained unspoken, but my thanks reached her, seeing that she had placed her hand over mine.

"I know how badly you wanted to see Karasu, no, s.h.i.+sui-kun…" I perked up at her words, blinking away the tears in my eyes. "I… He's… he's doing okay." She smiled, looking at the bouquet of flowers she had brought me, "The very first thing he wanted to know when he woke up was your condition… though his is rather worse than yours." She started arranging the flowers into a white vase, pouring water into it. "I'm proud at the both of you. He told me how you fought bravely—as reckless as his captain, your uncle." She chuckled, a sigh leaving her lips.

Kakas.h.i.+? Oh, yeah… where is he? I've never seen him ever since I woke up. "Where is he? Uncle Kakas.h.i.+, I mean…" I need to thank him.

"He's with s.h.i.+sui-kun… that child needed a bit of scolding because of his recklessness. Of course, that goes for you as well." I swear I saw a smile on her face just now.

Kasan, what the heck?

I s.h.i.+vered, "R-Right…"

Kasan's scary all of a sudden. Is my family full of s.a.d.i.s.tic bunch or what? First was Kakas.h.i.+, now my mother. The next thing I'll see is that my father's one of them too—and I don't want that as a reality. f.u.c.k, my fam's a bunch of scary individuals, though their looks can really be deceiving. Soon, I won't realise that I've become one of them too.

Or is it just because she's a Hatake? I'm seeing a blurred pattern here.

"That can wait for now." Kasan smiled, standing and placing her hand on her bulging belly, "I know you're eager to see the hasty crow." She reached out her hand, "Let's go."

I'm more than happy to hear her say that—well, happier that I've dodged the bullet, aka kasan's scolding. I immediately stood up, ignoring my casted left arm before running next to her and taking her hand with my right one. She a.s.sisted me and led me to wherever the crow was.

Along the way, we were greeted by smiles and waves. It might've been just their way of respect (because j.a.panese people are the bestest), but their eyes were definitely looking up to kasan. I snagged a glance at her as she smiled back to the people.

'Just who on earth is kasan?' I thought. Her smile sure is scarier than Unohana's from Bleach when you get to her bad side—which I'm hanging over by a thin thread right now. I don't want that thread to break… I need to be careful from now on if I don't want that to happen.

"Here we are." Kasan's voice made me look up to her, realising that we've already reached the room the crow's resting in. "Though, I have to leave for a moment, okay? Your tou-san's gonna pick you up here later on." She smiled, patting my head before knocking. "'Kas.h.i.+-kun, Ori-kun's here. I'm leaving him to you." She smiled before turning away and leaving me in the hall, letting her unspoken words of, "Don't ever let that happen again," flow in her tone.

"Kami… neesan's scary…" Kakas.h.i.+ opened the door, letting out a breath that he seemed to have been holding. "Then," He sighed, calling me in with his eye smile, "come in."

I was greeted with a wave from a young man lying on a hospital bed. The light behind him shone upon him, inviting me to approach him and dive in with a hug. I'm too relieved that he's safe that I moved without thinking, now hugging him with my one working arm. Tears erupted from my eyes, but I kept my face burrowed into his chest.

Ah~… pathetic me. Can you believe that? A, what, now mentally 32-year old crying over someone? Well, I'm in a four year old's body after all… maybe it's also affecting my mind.

"Now I'm jealous." I heard the scarecrow mutter under his breath, crossing his arms. "My own nephew doesn't hug me like that, and he loves someone more over me?" Oh, drama queen.

I sniffed and pulled myself up, meeting the warm gaze coming from s.h.i.+sui. I then glared at my dramatic uncle, "Shut up…" I pouted (pouted? Seriously? I'm disgusted—), sluggishly wiping the tears from my reddened cheeks.

"Uwa—I didn't actually think you'll cry…!" Kakas.h.i.+ approached the both of us, taking a handkerchief from his pockets and using it to wipe my tears away. He then smiled, "I know you're just worried but," he lightly punched s.h.i.+sui on his shoulder, "this young man right here is tougher than you think, am I right, s.h.i.+sui-kun?"

"Itte—" The young man swatted away the scarecrow's hand, "That hurt 'ya know, captain…" He then sighed, ruffling my silver hair, "That's right. I wasn't called Shuns.h.i.+n no s.h.i.+sui for nothing, little Ori."

I looked down as my small body sat on his lap, still feeling a bit guilty because he got hurt because of me. His finger brushed on my chin, making me look up. He then flicked my forehead with his fingers, which only hurt. "Ow—" I covered my forehead with my uninjured hand.

"Come on now," He smiled, closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side, "that won't happen next time, okay? I promise that." He then chuckled, placing his hand onto my right shoulder, "Honestly, you're just like my little brother back at home." He opened his eyes, his pupils glistening in amus.e.m.e.nt, "You both are tiny, but both have the guts to fight."

Little brother? I wouldn't call Itachi tiny though…

"You basically remind me of him." He ended, ruffling my hair again, now into a complete mess. "You wouldn't mind if I call you my little bro, right?"

Oh please—"No! Not at all." I forced a smile on my shaking lips, "s.h.i.+sui-niisan!"

__________

He doesn't know why, but it was rather uplifting to know that the little silver-haired toddler was alright. s.h.i.+sui was—still is, very fond of Orion probably because of the fact that the young lad reminds him of someone, and something very important: Itachi, and that there's no problem that couldn't be solved by perseverance.

h.e.l.l, Orion actually finally finished the jutsu he's been working on then and there. He remember how the young child would constantly fall from the heavens (literally) just because he kept going on about this "shadow step" thing he's trying to perfect from the last few months ever since he's been with him.

The lad's been asking tips on him, and s.h.i.+sui's really glad he had helped. The child might've actually taken a bit of idea from the after-images he saw from the fight—he became so fast that even the Shuns.h.i.+n master didn't even see him. Orion literally combined Shuns.h.i.+n and his very own "Shadow Step" in one move. How? s.h.i.+sui doesn't know, but he knows that Orion is a very fast learner.

If that won't amaze anyone, s.h.i.+sui's gonna punch himself on the face. Like, seriously? A four year old squirt has already created an effective jutsu on his own? That's more than impressive than four year old s.h.i.+sui back in his day. If he wasn't confined in a hospital room right now, he'll carry the child on top of the Hokage Mountain and present him to everyone and declare him as the real genius in his generation.

Definitely not referencing onto something.

Definitely.

But, thinking back to the white masked man that had attacked them—his words… are they true? Orion coming from another world through the process of being reborn? Sure, at first, it was rather hard to believe, but considering how the child could understand everything very quickly—and sometimes, it's as though he's expecting them, it's very possible.

Of course, Orion's Nara and Hatake blood, the blood of geniuses, might be the reason for this, but those s.h.i.+ts may very well add up if Orion had come from another world knowing this world's future—if that's what the man had meant with his words to the child.

["A body of a child yet a mind of an adult…" The masked man pointed out. Orion didn't react and raised his kunai instead. "Of course no one would suspect that… you were born—no." He paused, looking at the lad with an excited stare through his white mask.

s.h.i.+sui narrowed his eyes, activating his Sharingan.

"You were reborn as a Nara, after all."

s.h.i.+sui quickly gazed back at the child, staring frozen as his red eyes locked onto Orion's golden left eye. It was like the child had been caught—a deer caught in headlights in a highway, as still as s.h.i.+sui as well. His awakened Sharingan had no match for the chilling gaze of the child's golden eye.

'What the—'

"Ah, I wonder what it's like to know what had happened in the past of your world… and to know what will happen in the future of this world…" The masked man smiled at Orion as s.h.i.+sui tried to lift himself up. "Well, as crazy as I might sound," the man started waving his hands, as if telling a tale to a kid, "I might actually believe him that… both of you came from another world." He snickered, shaking his head.

s.h.i.+sui narrowed his eyes, fighting off his slipping consciousness.]

Oh, yeah. There's that golden eye as well. Kakas.h.i.+ had discussed it with s.h.i.+sui, but there are definitely no known records of its existence in the s.h.i.+n.o.bi world. Geez. The kid's full of surprises. It's common sense that they need to keep that eye a secret for now. Even the owner of the eye looks like he doesn't know a thing about it nor had he spoken a word about it.

For now, they chose to not bother Orion about it since both s.h.i.+sui and the said child needs to recover first. Well, Kakas.h.i.+ took the task to drill questions to his nephew once they get out of the barren hospital.

Ugh. The strong clinical smell plus Kakas.h.i.+'s strong sense of smell is not mixing well. "I'm going out for a moment, s.h.i.+sui-kun." He waved, the young man nodded.

A knock then made both of them look at the door, eyeing it curiously before gulping as a familiar tone silently threatened them through the door, "'Kas.h.i.+-kun, Ori-kun's here. I'm leaving him to you."

The two men in the room looked at each other, sweat trickling down their foreheads. "Kami… neesan's scary…" Kakas.h.i.+ opened the door, letting out a breath that he seemed to have been holding. "Then," He sighed, inviting Orion in with his eye smile, "come in."

They expected a silent treatment coming from the little boy, but when Orion ran past Kakas.h.i.+ and jumped onto s.h.i.+sui, that one really took off their guard. They didn't expect to see him cry. Seriously. Orion was crying—never in their life had they thought they'd see that. Sure, Kakas.h.i.+ had seen his nephew cry once, but that was when Orion was born, and that doesn't count!

Well, he is still a kid, isn't he? s.h.i.+sui smiled at that, rubbing the boy's back with his hand. It's funny that no matter how such a strong and brave face you put upon yourself, you're still a human that have the rights to cry; to show and convey your emotions to others.

For a split second, he narrowed his eyes, remembering how Itachi had placed such a brave face yet he can't bear to show his emotions. Looking down at Orion, he hopes that someday, somehow, the child will have the power to change Itachi's mind.

Both Orion and Itachi had become precious to him overtime, even though he had just revealed who he is to the young Hatake-Nara a week ago. Since he had such heightened senses, he had picked up that the young boy might've already known who's behind the crow mask after a few days being with him, so it's not really a big deal. Well, if it weren't for his captain ordering him to keep his mask on at all times for a specific training sooner or later, he might've just removed his crow mask for good.

Seeing that Orion had already seen who he is, the mask may be a bit useless around him. Of course, he could use his Mangekyō Sharingan to command him to forget him, but he wouldn't dare do that to young Orion.

"I know you're just worried but," Kakas.h.i.+ lightly punched s.h.i.+sui on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts, "this young man right here is tougher than you think, am I right, s.h.i.+sui-kun?"

"Itte—" The young man swatted away the scarecrow's hand, "That hurt 'ya know, captain…" He then sighed, ruffling Orion's silver hair, "That's right. I wasn't called Shuns.h.i.+n no s.h.i.+sui for nothing, little Ori."

Raising his hand, s.h.i.+sui flicked his finger onto the boy's forehead, smiling at him. Sure, he had this thing for children (in a good way, of course), but Orion is an exception. There's something cold yet warm that makes one wanna be near the child.

No, it's not that sunny, energizing thing surrounding a child—Orion never had that.

No, it's not too overwhelming like what other children have, thus draining one's energy too—Orion never had that.

Whatever Orion has, it's perfect—it's what creates who he is. It's no matter if what the masked man had said is true, that Orion came from another world, but s.h.i.+sui is very sure that his fondness over the child will not falter. He could feel something very similar in the child, and that is what makes him adore him.

s.h.i.+sui was just as ecstatic when the child accepted him as a big brother. He can't wait to show him off to little Itachi and 'Suke-kun. Hah, he just remembered a way to tease Orion using Itachi's little brother.

He chuckled mischievously, placing a finger onto his lips. Orion looked subsequently pale, knowing that the crow had something bad in mind. s.h.i.+sui's eyes then caught something through the windows, making him only move his eyes to see whatever that was. But he was a second too late, and he was sure someone was on top of the trees across the park that is right next to the hospital.

It was strange, but he could clearly remember the person on that tree—a child. A dark, haired child, staring intently at their general direction, more so on Orion, with his golden eye seeping through his said, thick hair.

'What the—'

Speaking of Orion, s.h.i.+sui is very sure that the child doesn't have any siblings yet. But why on earth did that child just gave a way the same vibe of the Hatake-Nara?

Creepy.

Welp. He just woke up from an almost week-long sleep, so he's sure his mind is still all over the place.