I think FAC should have a warning on it for OOCness--like spoilers and violence and all that. Because some people don't like that. I...eh, I have to be in the right mood. Anyway, if there was an out-oc-character warning, it would be on mild right now. Mostly from average than the worst.

:sigh:...as of this chapter I have to enact the sexual content warning...man, I love Misaki, but sometimes...well, she got a ninety-seven on a Mary-Sue test...and the "kill it dead" was back at fifty. So, yeah, she's pretty...something. Hmm...maybe someday I'll go back to the history of all my characters...yeah, I'm going to do that, eventually, some day, I think...

And there was something else about her that I was going to say, but it would be just to obvious, and it would ruin future surprise.


Naruto world and characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

Haruka, Misaki, Kazuki (c) me, Zopponde





Procrastination
Chapter 7

Haruka dreamed that night. It was a very vague dream, but she knew that Kazuki was in it. Toward the end, she thought she heard the beginning of his normal morning call, when she realized she was hearing it in reality.

She sat straight up and bolted immediately for the door, not noticing that she was in a completely different room, and flung it open, calling, “Kazuki-nii…!…san?” She soon realized that it most certainly wasn’t her adoptive brother, but a face that seemed familiar but was driven away by her vivid recollection.

The person looked slightly confused and rather surprised, but she smiled and said, “You sure seem enthusiastic!”

Haruka remembered everything that had happened and her hopes fell. She sighed. “I’m sorry, I was mistaken. That must have been rather confusing for you.”

Misaki smiled again and said, “It’s okay! Sometimes I miss my family, too. Well,” she added, “I guess I never knew my real family, or at least not my real close family, but there are some things that I sometimes wish I hadn’t left behind.”

Haruka opened her mouth to say that she hadn’t left Kazuki behind, but she thought better of it and instead said, “So, do I have to make breakfast?”

Misaki looked at her strangely. “Why would I call you to breakfast if it wasn’t ready?”

Haruka shrugged. “Kazuki-niisan used to do that.”

Misaki took in the “used to” part of that and her expression turned sympathetic. “Oh, I’m so sorry, you don’t need to talk about him if you don’t want to.”

“No," Haruka corrected, feeling a tug at the corners of her mouth at Misaki's misinterpretation. "It’s not like that, he didn’t die, he…well, I guess he might have by now…” She shook her head. “No, he’s alive, somewhere, and I’m going to find him one day.”

Misaki shrugged and went on, “Well, anyway, breakfast.”

Haruka nodded and followed her back out into the room where she had first actually met Misaki.

Itachi and Kisame were already sitting at the table, neither of them looking terribly alert. Itachi looked like his face was about to fall onto the table.

Haruka grinned. “Not morning people, are you?”

Itachi turned to look at her. His face had even more lines than usual. “I’d like to see you go through what I just had to go through and look any better. And these aren’t helping,” he added, brushing his hand over his face to indicate his natural lines.

“What are those, anyway? What happened so bad that gave you wrinkles?”

Itachi glared at her. “They’re not wrinkles. They’re just lines on my face. Like a mole is just a dot on your face.”

“Those are some really long moles,” Haruka teased.

“They’re genetic,” Itachi responded sourly. “My father had them before me.”

Haruka nodded, then wondered, “So you had wrinkles even when you were a baby?”

Itachi sighed and turned away. “I’m not dealing with this. My eyes hurt and everything’s blurry and my head hurts and I hate the world.”

“Didn’t you hate it in the first place?” Misaki teased. “Isn’t that why you joined Akatsuki to take over it?”

Itachi sighed again. “Do you want me to kill you? I’m amazed you survived the night. You’re pushing your luck.”

Misaki giggled.

Haruka couldn’t help asking, “What happened last night?”

Misaki smiled from ear to ear. “Oh, there was a shortage of beds, so we had to share. Itachi and I. We had a lot of fun.”

Haruka think she guessed what Misaki did. She raised her eyebrows and finished the conversation with, “Okay!” before looking away and changing the subject. “So, um, where’s breakfast?”

Misaki giggled again and walked over to the counter. Haruka followed, suddenly remembering a question that she had.

When they were safely out of earshot, Haruka breathed a question that had been bugging her for quite some time. “Um, so, this organization? The name of it is Akatsuki, right?”

Misaki turned to look at her and almost blurted but managed to restrain herself long enough to realize that she whicpered to avoid embarassment. Instead, she smiled motherly and nodded.

Haruka sighed, glad to finally know for sure. She picked up some of the plates and carried it over to the table.

They all sat down and began to silently eat. Misaki was a fast eater, Haruka noticed. She kept pace with Haruka, as long as she wasn’t talking, but Haruka still reached for seconds first. This would have been the case even if Misaki hadn’t stopped after her first.

Haruka had just put down her utentil to reach for seconds when Itachi did fall onto his plate. His choice of meal couldn’t have been more dramatic: the oatmeal on his plate seemed to splash a little when his face hit it.

Misaki cringed in mirth, smiling stupidly, before she reached over to pull him up.

Kisame grabbed her hand before it touched Itachi. They looked at each other for a moment, and Haruka heard Kisame mutter, “Let him sleep for once,” before Misaki nodded and leaned back again.

She was still smiling at his position, though, and she burst into giggles when she heard him snore.

~~~

Haruka sighed and leaned back in her chair. Every plate had been cleaned, but Misaki only had one serving and Kisame didn’t have much, either. The only food Itachi ever took was now on his face. For the first time in a long time, Haruka was full and content.



Procrastinators unite!…tomorrow.
Mockery 2

Haruka was lying in her “bed,” hoping that Misaki had caught the hint yesterday and would tell her to make breakfast today.

Soon, however, she didn’t seem to realize Haruka’s feelings and instead just calmly knocked on the door and opened it when Haruka didn’t respond. She came in, looking rather upset in a tearful way.

Haruka immediately sat up. “Misaki? What’s wrong?”

Misaki cleared her throat, still looking rather down. “Haruka,” she began in a teary voice. “I-I think I’m…I’m…”

Misaki kept stammering as Haruka thought about what could possibly be wrong. Then she remembered the talk yesterday about her and Itachi in bed. “Oh,” she muttered, thinking she understood.

Misaki nodded and stopped stuttering. “It’s horrible, isn’t it? I can’t believe that I…I…I…”

Haruka began to panic. If Misaki really thought this way about pregnancy, then there was a very great issue at hand. She started to pace nervously as Misaki kept stammering, “I…I…I-I…I…I…”

In seconds, Haruka began running around in a rather flail-like motion. “Wh-what are we supposed to do? I don’t know how to take care of-of this! Whaddowedowhaddowedo?”

“I…I…” Misaki went on before she sneezed. “I think I have allergies.”

“D-does Itachi—?” Haruka stopped mid-step. “Allergies? That’s it? Just allergies?”

Misaki looked at Haruka confusedly. “What did you think I was going to say?”

“Um…” Haruka was embarrassed to say it. “Eh…I thought you were saying you were pregnant or something…”

Misaki laughed. “Oh, now that’s just plain silly! Although,” she added thoughtfully, making Haruka’s jaw drop and face pale, “maybe I should get some pregnancy tests…you know, just in case,” she finished, allowing Haruka to close her mouth as some—but not all—of the color to return to her face.

She nodded thoughtfully and smiled. “Yeah, I’m going to get some pregancy tests. Just to see the look on Itachi-kun’s face.” She giggled, which escalated into a laugh, and she ended up rolling on the floor at the thought of his face.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



(Hmmm...that concept...that stupid concept...where did it come from, anyway? When did I wonder what would happen if Misaki had a child? And why?


PS, I, strictly speaking, have forty chapters written. Seventy-six thousand words, I do believe. In other words, I'd normally be doing something special because FORTY CHAPTERS!!! Including prologues and epilogue...

You know, this story has three parts, and all of them have prologues but only one has an epilogue...eh. I'm not done with the last one. Unfortunately. I don't know how I'm going to end it...)