iKoffeeholic's Word:

Bear with me…I just had my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and I feel TERRBILE for not updating. Writer's block + cold + overly-talkative bf = delayed updates. Still love you guys.

Mount Aitoyuki Ch 3

"Hey Mrs. Haruno," Naruto shakily greeted his friend's mother.

The older blonde swivelled away from her computer and dusted cookie crumbs from her burgundy suit jacket. "Oh, Naruto! You're just the person I was looking forward to seeing." She flashed him one of her famous smiles.

Naruto felt as if he was going to puke on the floor at any moment. Sakura's mom was nice, but her kindness somehow always intimidated people. He kind of felt sorry since it was like taking advantage of her kindness. It wasn't like there was anything his family could do for Sakura, but there was that time Sakura's parents went out of town and let her stay with Naruto for a week.

Naruto brought up the job offer first. "Uh, Mrs. Haruno, I know you know about the school ski trip, and I was wondering if anyone took the position you had open. My mom told me you'd give me first dibs."

Mrs. Haruno took another bite out of a cookie and said, "I wanted to know if you wanted the job first, before I decided to advertise it, and you seem like you could use it more. Do want the job, Naruto?" She was still smiling, making Naruto even more uneasy.

But he shouldn't be nervous. It was a guarantee. All he had to do was say "yes" and he would have enough to go skiing with Sakura and possibly get a whiff of Sasuke in the lodge.

The young blonde began to weigh all the odds he could come up with. Taking the gardening job would get in the way of his afternoon anime and video games, and he was already behind on homework. The money would be great, but what about his happiness? Then again, just taking a chance on getting close to Sasuke was important at the moment.

Sakura elbowed him in the rib and brought him out of his daze.

"I'll take it!" he shrieked.

Mrs. Haruno's smile grew even wider. "Well you can start tomorrow after school. I'll have you running a few errands and mowing grass in the gardens with Zetsu. Sound fair?"

Naruto's heart sank into his stomach. There was no way he was going to endure getting his hands dirty. The way Sakura made it sound, he thought he would just be delivering a few flowers around town and sweeping the office. But no—pushing a heavy lawn mower and having to worry about dirt and grass getting under his nails? And working with Zetsu? Naruto didn't like getting dirty. Just the thought of doing man labour had him shaking. He was a pretty boy after all.

But Sasuke was more important that Levi now.

"I can handle that," Naruto finally said in a sigh.

Mrs. Haruno offered him the last cookie in the tray, and he took it with a jittery hand. Sakura snapped off the other half of it just in time.

"Sakura!"

The pinkette shoved the cookie half into her mouth and chewed. "Mom! You know I like lemon cookies," she whined. "Don't tell me that's the last box you had."

Sakura's mom let out a laugh and told her, "Sorry, sweetie. We'll stop by the bakery on the way home just in case your dad ate the ones in the fridge."

Naruto didn't care much for lemon flavoured things, but he gladly ate the peace offering. He thanked Mrs. Haruno and left the gardens to go home. He glanced down at Doraemon.

"I better get home before Mom chews my head off," he said to himself.

Mount Aitoyuki Ch 3

Back at home, Naruto had stretched himself out on his bed to stare at the posters on his ceiling. None of his idols seemed to have any answers to his dilemma, but their comforting faces were enough to take his mind off of what just happened. So what? He got a job that'll pay for the trip. Why not be happy? What was there to worry about?

"Primetime anime…" Naruto moaned into a pillow.

Well, what was there to worry about besides missing out on anime?

Naruto turned over and focused his gaze onto the street beyond his window. There was sun dipping into the horizon, preparing to bring on the evening. Naruto just wanted to be free of all these issues that never seemed to go his way. He constantly failed tests. He didn't have all the money he wanted. And when he did have enough, it never lasted as long as he needed it to. And then, the poor blonde was invisible to his senior crush—who probably wasn't interested in guys at all.

Naruto threw a glance at Len and Miku on his shelf. "Why can't my life be awesome like an anime? Plenty of good food, not having to worry about money, and plenty of hot guys," he sighed. "But hey, I've got a job, and I'll have enough to give you two another playmate on the shelf." He imagined the Vocaloids laughing with him.

"Naruto! Come on down for dinner!" his mom called from downstairs.

He leapt off his bed. "Coming!"

The blonde skirted downstairs and bumped into a red-jacketed mountain when he turned the corner.

"Uncle Jiraiya!" Naruto threw his arms around the mountain for a hug.

"Hey there, Naruto," Jiraiya chuckled as he lifted his blonde nephew off his feet. "How've things been going for you?"

"Pretty good, I guess."

Jiraiya patted him on the head. "Kyuubi came home anytime this week? I haven't seen her in the bookstore in a while, but I've seen her boyfriend around. Darui wasn't it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. No, Kyuubi hadn't been by lately. Not even a phone call, but he knew there wasn't anything wrong. She was probably busy with her job, her homework, and yes her boyfriend, Darui.

Jiraiya pulled off his jacket and draped it over a chair in the living. "And Kushina, I hope you haven't burned anything yet. I'm kinda hungry," he called into the kitchen.

Minato grabbed the remote and turned down the volume on the T.V. "Careful, Jiraiya. She'll over-spice your food again. We're having curry."

Jiraiya went over to the couch to ruffle Minato's blonde hair. "I like things spicy. And it sure doesn't smell like curry from here. Pew!"

They both shared a teasing laugh loud enough for Kushina to hear them. She had just finished stewing the curry over the stove. The cabinet door was flung open and her hands ghosted the shelves in search of a certain bottle. Another bowl was plucked from the sink so she could flavour another batch of curry without hurting her darling son. Viciously she shook the little red bottle into the bowl and tipped the steaming curry in. Trying to hold in a cackle, she stirred the bowl like a witch over a cauldron.

"Mom, are you okay?" Naruto asked as he sat at the table.

"I'm fine!" she hissed curtly, making Naruto jump a little. She put down the spiked—err spiced curry and set the pot of rice on the table. "Time to eat, boys," she cooed to the men in the living room.

Rubbing his hands together, Jiraiya sat himself down at the head of the table, which gave him a clear view of Kushina's face. "Smells good, Kushina. You know I love your cooking," he teased.

Naruto could feel a negative aura oozing from his mother, her face straining to keep a proper smile.

"Uh, Uncle Jiraiya, Dad, you might wanna have more rice than curry tonight," Naruto warned worriedly.

She fixed Minato's plate, accidentally splashing some hot curry on his cheek. The older blonde spooned the food into his mouth and said with water running from his nose, "This is wonderful, dear. Best curry ever." His cheeks turned red from the intense spice.

A frightened and unsure grin had found itself on Jiraiya's face. He was too afraid to question his nephew's wife, but his lips let sounds escape. "Kushina, I—"

But Kushina, in effort to be a good hostess, filled the man's plate with a healthy serving. "Don't be silly, Jiraiya. A man's appetite"—she plopped a large spoon of rice onto his plate—"is cured by"—followed by another spoon of rice—"man-sized"—and she drizzled the separate bowl of curry over it—"proportions!" she hissed.

They winced at her.

"EEEEEAT!" she bellowed.

And he dove into his curry on command. The beef chunks and the rice were enjoying a happy wedding in the sauce until too much spice came along. Then Jiraiya's tears crashed the reception. It was just too spicy. The white-haired man and the older blonde looked at the redhead with redden faces gasping for cool air—or more likely cool water.

"You want water, boys?" she asked them with a coy smile on her lips.

They nodded miserably.

"Apologise, Jiraiya! If you're going to eat my cooking, at least respect it!" she shrieked with the fury of a harpy.

Naruto was lucky to have most of his mother's affection, second to his father and Kyuubi. He nibbled at his curry, and to his surprise, it was edible, as in not fatally spicy. As his uncle and dad gulped down water as if it were going to disappear forever, he cleaned the curry and rice from his plate and waited for a good opening to tell everyone the news. Then it came.

"Mom, Mrs. Haruno gave me the job," he said matter-of-factly. Wide grins lit up the table as a result.

"That's great, Naruto," his dad told him, still nursing his thirst with water.

His mother was beaming as brightly as ever. "My little man's taking on responsibility. Sooner or later you'll be driving around on your own, taking Sakura out to dinner, and—"

"Mo-om!" Naruto whined. Moms always seem to push their kids out the door even when they know they'll suffer empty nest syndrome. She still didn't know about Naruto's inner desires, and anytime soon wouldn't be very good for telling her. But having a best friend like Sakura as a cover was decent living for the time being.

"Hey, what was wrong with working at the bookstore with your Uncle Jiraiya, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, seeming a little hurt from Naruto's announcement.

"Nothing!" Naruto defended himself. "I just needed more study time after school!" He felt terrible. It was a bookstore after all. What better place to study? It had manga, peace and quiet. But Naruto didn't want to push things. Jiraiya hadn't learned what happened to that money under the cash register. He knew it went missing, but not how. Now Naruto wasn't the person it stuck to and walked away with. Naruto knew and didn't want to have to face them again. "Anyway, I start tomorrow after school," the blonde yawned.

Jiraiya sighed. "Well, kiddo. I wish you luck on the job."

He left the table and went back upstairs. Somehow, things were looking down and up at the same time.

'Or am I just looking down when things are looking up at me?' he thought as he turned on the shower.

iKoffeeholic's End A/N:

Uncle Jiraiya? I mean that as one generation up…you know…as in being brother of Minato's dad maybe?