The sun rose from the horizon. The city had stayed busy all night, because there was no such thing as rest for some. Through it they walked. Despite the unknown lurking beneath the stretching shadows of alleys, some trotted to their homes unbothered.
That's just how others lived their lives. They were painfully unaware of the darkness hiding beneath a facade known as normal.
A modest home stood on. Light penetrated a window, barely illuminating the still room. It was quiet yet breathing. Light snores were disrupted by the beeping of an alarm clock on a drawer. A hand quickly approached it. Without a beat, the alarm noise was put to an end.
A clear bead splashed on the red mat. Grabbing a towel, a boy wiped the sweat off his tanned features. The towel fell on the mat. Without looking back behind himself, he simply called out.
"Wake up sleepy heads."
The bed covers stirred. With a light tap of his feet, a blonde boy stepped away from the comfort he had to abandon.
He slogged towards a grey haired boy. Seeing him stretching his hamstrings, he decided to join him as well. A yawn escaped his lips as he did. His vision blurred from the left over exhaustion from yesterday's gig.
Kaien then spoke yet again. "Naruko, wake up!"
She woke up and immediately did the routine. She was half asleep unlike the rest.
Naruko saw Kaien and pouted a little.
They all got down on the push up position. They started doing pushups at a steady pace.
Kaien sounded at the background.
"Fifty pushups people, thirty seven to go!"
...
The mirror reflected Kaien's figure. He had now grown taller, his eyes lighting up at his toned image.
He grabbed two items—toothpaste and a brush. Squeezing the toothpaste on the latter, he placed it on the bathroom sink. He turned the sliver knob. Running water on his tooth brush momentarily, he tediously began his hygienic routine.
Behind him, Naruto wrapped on a white towel. His usually spikey hair mopped down on his head, damp with residue water.
Meanwhile, Kaien released a steady stream of water from the tap.
After rinsing his teeth, his head rose to eye level—grey eyes staring back. His lips arced into a small curvature. He never felt inclined to repeat this same thing everyday, but he still does.
The male Uzumaki stopped ruffling his hair. As he walked away, he threw an orange towel over his shoulder, his fingers digging into his blonde hair for thorough inspection. He then opened the door.
As he left, he simply shrugged with his eyes closed.
"It's all yours bro."
Grey eyes slashed with surprise. It was so brief and yet the words somehow slipped through his armor like a sly fox. He chuckled. Shaking his head, he walked towards the tub as he prepared himself a bath.
...
A few minutes passed. The boys had prepared themselves as best as they possibly could for a big day. Grabbing the gold button of his white golf shirt, he slowly sealed his chest away.
His gaze remained rooted on the mirror. Something behind him caught his attention, including a certain melody that began everything for them.
"You excited?"
"Believe it! I've never been more pumped in my life!"
'You're still naive.'
He tied his white shoe laces. Getting up from his knees, he took a final glance at himself before it remained focused on Naruto.
...
The door clicked. The orange sole of white shoes twisting on the concrete surface. His foot froze midair. The air had adopted an unnerving calm, dragging on with each passing second.
His mind grew silent. Blue eyes—a darker shade than his—stared with bubbling intensity he couldn't describe.
His eyes widened. He waved his hand towards her, despite the nagging feeling he had. He smiled at his sister politely.
Seeing her outfit, he knew she had a really keen sense of fasion. He walked over to her slowly. He was silently praising the brilliant colour choice she made—an orange frilly skirt reaching up to her knees and a plain white shirt tucked in.
His eyes flickered to to her waist. He sky blue ribbon tied the look together. She tied it into a lovely now where the buckle of a belt would be.
"Naruko-nii, whatssup?!"
Her eyebrow twitched. It was so subtle, Naruto did not have the faintest of clues on the dormant volcanoe.
She raised her hand at a snail's pace. To the knucklehead however, it seemed like she wasreturning his greetings. Her hand blurred. The next moment, Naruto found himself rubbing a sore spot on his.
Kaien turned. All he got to see was Naruto nursing a huge bump on his head.
"Who's the woman here, me or you?! Why did you take so long!"
"Look who's talking? If it wasn't for Kaien, you'd be sleeping with cats!"
Kaien stared blankly. Personally, he would stand on Naruto's side because she was a heavy sleeper.
He looked at the woman standing next to him. He did not want to be involved with their scuffle since he had never dealt with one before. The woman gave him her attention. He simply pointed to the two siblings bantering as they always did.
"Do something."
"Right."
The auburn haired woman smiled. Her pink lips twisted into a demonic grin the moment Kaien turned his back on her. Her hand landed on his shoulders.
He flinched, but he did not even have the time to react.
She pushed him forwards. The two twins broke out of their fight, setting their eyes on the her figure.
"Kaien, was that compliment for Naruko?"
Naruko's eyes brightened up. They stared intently at the the latter, her heart racing with the desire to know.
"Mei... I never agreed to this."His voice came off terribly bland, but to Naruko it was the same music that escaped his lips everytime he was on stage.
...
Mei stood beside a black sedan. She waved off the kids, thinking back to the times when they reached her waist.
Kaien released a sharp sigh. In fact, he sighed so many times this morning tha he actually lost count.
His eyes were empty. For some reason, even his legs were heavy enough to make walking
troublesome.
All the while, Naruto had a thoughtful look. His head turned to Naruko, spouting questions faster than he could grasp them.
His cheeks puffed. It was a little annoying that her mood turns a complete 180 when he was involved. That thought lasted a second. He would rather it'd be Kaien who peaked her interest than any random person.
They arrived in front of a building. It boasted a cheerful and fun school life for him, but Kaien still seemed unshaken by it's appearance.
Naruko hopped around Kaien. Like a curious bunny, she showered him with question upon question.
Parents bid their children goodbye. Kaien never really paid any heed to most of them, but one perculiar one with grey hair caught his eye.
He clenched his fist. He walked into the welcoming doors of the school, and yet he felt bitter.
Other kids with varying heights entered. None of these kids stood out the same way, because their hair in particular was normal.
He was drowned in their noise. Between Naruko and the rest, her voice somehow won the contest for his attention.
"Naruko, please... stop."
"Not until you tell me what you said to Mai Oneesan!"
Naruto took a deep breath. He didn't want to listen to her nonsensical rattling, but somehow it sparked a flame that dispelled the growing darkness.
The fog in his mind lifted. He could now see things at a clear perspective.
His eyes glistered. His lips parted.
He now realized that perhaps his mother would be happier... if he lived his life without having to live in lament.
"You look gorgeous. No actually... you've certainly outdid yourself today." ... Nauto gawked. Out of everything he was prepared for, this was certainly not one of them.
Naruko turned red up to her ears. Even she wasn't expecting an answer, because she was only hoping.
Kaien had a goofy smirk. The reaction was so unprecedented, because it was the first time they had actually seen him like that.
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