LETS FLY HOME
Chapter Fifteen

SHION FELT LIKE A DICK. A serious and royal one, but every time she saw Naruto from the distance of when she went to apologize, her heart would clench as if the fox himself had gripped it in her chest. If she couldn't get any practice words out, how could she hope to speak to him face to face?

He was a demon. Shion didn't know how, but that was what he was and she knew it in her gut. She wondered how she could have allowed herself to be fooled into thinking that he was just a fool.

"Kurama Shion," a voice sounded from behind her, causing her lips to curl down into a sorrowful frown.

She raised her face, wondering how she could be so unlucky that her hiding spot was found now of all times. She glanced down her tree only to nearly fall off of it when she caught the eye of the Third Hokage himself, standing below with a pipe in between his lips.

"Sandaime." She kicked her legs, flipping back and landing against the ground in a bow since she had some semblance of manners and she hadn't exactly met the Hokage before in her lifetime. She had defaced his building, his statue, and his village, but pranking the Third himself was not a challenge she felt quite ready to approach.

"You have grown," the Hokage said with a soft smile that she didn't quite trust since she hadn't exactly been a saint around the village. After all, she regularly terrorized Iruka, vandalized the statues, and stole from her own orphanage.

"Have we met?" Shion asked instead, not wanting to come across as rude but she did want to know.

"I knew your father. Such a dedicated man," the Third said, his lips curling. Shion wished her mother was as dedicated as people said her dad had been. "You look just like him."

That was what her mother said the day she gave her up. "I can't look at you. You have his face." Yoko had said this whilst sobbing, but Shion long since cried her last.

"I don't see how that is relevant," Shion said, after all, the Third never cared about her before. Only recently did he likely learn her name. "What is it?"

"My scouts inform me that you saw something that frightened you yesterday. I am curious man."

"Your...scouts?" Shion felt violated by the idea that someone was watching her.

The Third had the gall to look only slightly apologetic. "I was so pleased to hear that Naruto had finally made a friend, so pleased in fact, that I held off on the consequences to the theft of the orphanage and the fact that he ran away."

Shion did think it was strange that not a soul had come after her, but she had thought nothing of it at the time.

"I'm always worried for Naruto."

"He is a demon," Shion said immediately, her eyes narrowing because of course the Hokage knew what Naruto had inside. Why else would he be standing before her? The Third Hokage didn't care about her. He never came around when she became an unwanted child or when her mother tried to burn her face.

Of course, that was apparently nothing in comparison to her deciding that Naruto could not be her friend.

"He's a child. Just like you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, his giant hat nearly covering his entire head. Shion was barely listening, staring out over the KIA stone where her dad's name rested.

"It killed my father," Shion said, her head turning back towards the Hokage. "That thing. My dad was dedicated and I watched him go and help fight that beast of a thing. He was brave and he died."

"Naruto is the reason that beast is not still rampaging," Sarutobi said, and her eyes widened. "His father sealed the Kyuubi in Naruto to protect this village. It left Naruto without family and with villagers that would never know what he sacrificed to make them safe. To make you safe."

"His father? That would make Naruto the son of the Fourth Hokage." Shion had thought they looked similar, but it wasn't something she ever suspected. This was because she had a hard time believing that the son of such a man was alone in an orphanage instead of with a family who loves him.

"Naruto Uzumaki sounded like a safer name to be known as than that of Naruto Namikaze," Sarutobi admitted, and finally the guilt began to settle in her bones. She hadn't known, she hadn't asked.

"I can't look at it—him." Shion had a hard time admitting this, because she had tried to approach him. She tried to apologize, to explain, to say and do anything but be a coward in the face of his bright blue eyes. "I understand that it is not Naruto's fault. It's yours."

Sarutobi's eyes only widened a fraction before settling in the face of her brilliantly judgmental gaze.

"It shouldn't be my job to make Naruto feel accepted. You are the one who made him alone. You are the one who made him feel abandoned. He should have known love for all the sacrifice you claim he has gone through. Why is it my job alone to overcome the idea that he has a monster inside him? Why is it me or he has nobody?" Shion never knew she had such an obvious personality flaw of non acceptance, but she was still growing, and it wasn't like she wanted to reject him. A part of her did still care about him, but it wasn't like she knew him that well.

"I am not what Naruto needs," Sarutobi said, and the silence that followed was deafening as Shion began to wonder if it was treasonous to admit she found the Third Hokage to be a piece of shit. She decided against wording her obvious disdain. She wasn't an idiot after all, but biting her normally sharp tongue required an obvious amount of effort as her palms squeezed into fists.

"Is he safe?" Shion asked, her eyes shut tightly as she attempted to stifle the torrent that clashed in her chest. She didn't want to fear him because deep down she must have known that it wasn't his fault, but his face was the reason for everything bad in her life. If it wasn't for the monster, she would have her father, her mother would be able to stand to look at her, and maybe she might have gotten to know her baby brother.

"He is safe, Shion. No different than the boy you first met. Maybe it's time you learn what that means," Sarutobi said, and he left her there.

Shion wanted to be brave, to find Naruto and apologize for being a complete ass, but she couldn't. She didn't really want to and before she knew it, she was back at that park where her mom had once swung her back and forth on the swing that she now took her new favorite child. It was empty, but Shion could still remember a time when she had laughed and fallen and her mom had laughed alongside her. She could still remember so many things about the woman who didn't want her. Shion collapsed to her knees, clutching the swing so tightly that the braided metal pinched her skin. She might have cried if it wasn't for the sound of a boy.

She had never seen him so close and he had her mother's eyes. It was the spitting image of her, right down to the dark black hair and hazel eyes and cheekbones so high that Shion might have wondered if he ate too little to fill them. He was beautiful and nothing like her. Shion stood up quickly, knowing that Yoko wouldn't be far behind her son.

"Miss," the boy said, his dimpled cheeks making her heart clench. "Have you seen my bear?"

Shion shook her head quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't trust her voice, but his frown deepened. He was three years old. Shion knew that just from looking at him. It didn't take her mother long to create him after she cast Shion out. That thought didn't fill her with the anger she wanted. At the very least, anger would light an ember in her chest. Instead, she just felt cold.

"Are you okay miss?"

"I'm fine." Shion's voice cracked, and the observant boy could obviously tell.

"My mom said it's okay to cry. She said it doesn't make me a crybaby cause grownups cry all the time," the boy said, and she winced, feeling the tears begin to make her eyesight blurry. They still didn't fall. Shion hated crying and often managed to stop those tears from falling. She stopped them this time too.

Your mom is a bitch.

"I'm okay." Shion couldn't look him in the eyes.

"I'm Haruko. Mom said I'm really good at cheering people up. Do you want to see something funny?"

Haruko? She named him Haruko. Shion wanted to burn the park. First born child. Haruko. And like that, Shion wondered if this was Yoko's way of erasing Shion's existence into nothing.

"I should go...Haruko."

Her bother looked crestfallen. "But don't you want to see?"

Shion did not. She didn't want to see this boy ever again. Still, he looked about ready to cry, so she turned her head back towards him with her brows furrowed as if she were in pain. "Fine."

Haruko grinned so big that it swept Shion away. "Watch! Watch!"

"I'm watching," Shion assured him, angry that his enthusiasm was actually rather adorable.

She was expecting a funny face or literally anything else, but instead a loud fart rang out that made Shion wince. It was obviously not intentional when Haruko's cheeks flooded with a bright blush that actually lit up his entire face. He covered his face with his palms.

"Was that the the trick?" Shion asked in a deadpan.

"I had a big breakfast," he muttered, still embarrassed. "I ate the last roll and now my butt is punishing me."

Shion's lips curled despite herself. This made the shame and disgust sizzle in her chest because despite his innocence, a part of her hated this boy. She would sometimes, late at night when her inhibitions where low, imagine pinching his head until it popped. Shion didn't believe herself to be malicious, but when it came to her replacement, those feelings surged.

Still, he made her laugh until all she wanted to do was cry until she could cry no longer.

She left her half brother not long after that, still conflicted about everything going on in her life.

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Shion knew she was a piece of shit the moment she spotted Naruto a distance away and henged into an old man so he wouldn't recognize her. That was when she heard Shikamaru let out a deep sigh from behind her. "You're pathetic."

"Shika-chan." This was a very weird thing to say due to the fact that she was henged into an old man. She decided to drag Shikamaru behind the next corner of buildings and henge back while Naruto continued eating ramen by himself.

She threw her arms around him, despite his comment for her to, "get off. You are so annoying."

"You love me," Shion said, her eyes slanted with giddy happiness. "Where have you been?"

"Me?" Shikamaru raised his arms over his head as if he were imagining just resting on the ground and sleeping. "I hardly move from my spot."

Shion realized that in her busy schedule, she never even saw him anymore. She wiped away nonexistent tears. "Oh you poor boy. You've missed me haven't you? Don't worry. We will play hide and seek next time okay."

"What part of 'I hate that game', escapes your knowledge?" Shikamaru asked in irritation. Shion smiled again, patting the slight pocket of belly on his stomach.

"Trust me. Your metabolism won't keep up forever," she told him, steering him with her since she was on her way to meet her team. This was a convenient excuse to once again avoid any confrontation with her roommate.

"Can't you find someone else to torture?" Shikamaru sniffed, looking bothered by even walking. "Let me go. I promised my pain in the ass mother I'd get dinner."

Shion gasped, slapping him on the head. "The disrespect. Shikamaru, I am ashamed of you."

"Stop hitting me, woman," he said, and this time he was obviously too lazy to even yell at her. Regardless, Shion loved Shikamaru's mother. Yoshino Nara was Shion's hero since she once saw the mother smack Shikamaru so hard upside the head that he saw stars. Then she proceeded to apologize to Shion on Shikamaru's rudeness, and offer Shion another serving of rice.

It was amazing.

Still, despite it all, secretly, it also made Shion slightly glad that she didn't have a mother to boss her around or whoop her ass.

"Anyway, not that I care or nothing, but why are you avoiding the orange color pest?" Shikamaru asked, and she froze.

"For the same reason everyone else is I guess." Shion was ashamed by her truthful answer.

Shikamaru was silent from here, and he slowly yawned and separated from her hold. She allowed this, especially when his next words voiced all her insecurities. "I never took you as being like everyone else. What a drag."

He walked away and she didn't follow or yell at him. Instead, she went numb as she walked to the training grounds. It was as if her senses went black and she didn't see anyone. The grass crunching, the wind brushing against her cheeks, and her fists clenching all didn't reach her brain until after she reached the training grounds.

"Late again, Shion," Hikaru told her, and Shion glanced up, lost in her own mind.

"Sorry," she said without thinking. This surprised both Hikaru and Tsukasa, the latter of which too surprised for proper punishment. More so, they had more matters to discuss for it to really take precedence.

"I'm sure you have noticed Misaki is missing," Tsukasa began, and Shion blinked, having not noticed. "She tore a ligament. She is now in bedrest."

"It was your Jutsu training that did it," Hikaru reminded her with arms crossed. Tsukasa's eye narrowed, but uncharacteristically, she seemed too exhausted to actually give a shit.

"Yes. Well, I suppose perhaps I overestimated her healing. I was careless," Tsukasa admitted, but her eye ran to Shion who was also very quiet.

"Yo, Shion, this is where you go all, 'worry not sensei, for I have mastered the Jutsu assigned' on us and make me contemplate hitting a girl." Hikaru's impression of his teammate was surprisingly good, and Tsukasa raised her brow. Shion tried to put all her thoughts behind her, to lock them in a box and just smile. She managed at least one of those things.

"Oh I have mastered it. Perhaps I should be the new leader of the squad," she said with a large grin. She inwardly groaned, wondering why she lied. "Anyway, you said you had a mission for us in your summons, right? We gonna just drag Misaki in her hospital bed?" Shion gasped. "Do we all get hospital beds? With wheels? Oh that would be cool."

Tsukasa closed her eye, likely missing Shion's previous silence. "Yes. No. No. And no."

Shion pouted, "Spoilsport."

"During her recovery, I have decided to accept a much needed C rank mission."

Shion perked up, feeling a moment of actual excitement. "With a squad member missing?"

"Itachi will be be coming along for this one. It will be fine," Tsukasa said, her lips curling.

"Wow." Hikaru whistled, his grin nearly infectious. "A C ranked mission and with Itachi? Are you punishing Misaki or something sensei, cause she's gonna be pissed!"

"Silver lining," Tsukasa agreed.

"What's the mission?" Shion asked.

"Diplomatic in nature. To Suna." Tsukasa spotted Shion's excitement and began to wonder if taking them along was a good idea.

"Wait. Suna? I read that tensions were high between us. Are we preventing a battle or something?" Shion jumped up in excitement.

Hikaru snorted. "If that were true, we would not bring you. You'd say one word and we'd be in the next Shinobi war."

Tsukasa now looked a tad bit worried. "Shion. My assignment for you during this mission is simple."

"What? Who do you want me to beat up? I'd do it. I'd cut a bitch sensei. Just tell me who," Shion said, her eyes now sparkling.

"Yes. I know quite well. I don't want you speaking to anyone unless you have mine or Hikaru's permission to do so." Tsukasa's eye was grave, and this order caused a spike in irritation for Shion. This went triple when Hikaru grinned at the new power he had.

"What? That's bullshit sensei," Shion complained.

Hikaru dabbed his eyes, the tears looking quite real as he wiped them away with his shirt. "This is the happiest day of my life." He stared up at Tsukasa, his pupil-less eyes wide and reminded Shion that his nasty ass crush was still obvious and just as pathetic. "You're my hero."

Tsukasa rubbed her temples, and the two students could see it in her face that she was quite finished. "Okay. We're done here. I want you to pack up. Only the essentials. Remember the weather. Suna means sand. As in desert. Keep in mind this won't mean sandy beaches."

"Shame. I wanted to take up surfing," Shion commented with a sigh.

"Six a.m." Tsukasa said, sighing once more. "If you're late, we're leaving without you. Get all your shit together before the mission. I went clear heads. You are representing the village. This is a big deal, so don't blow it."

"Why the hell would you choose Shion as representation?" Hikaru commented, causing said girl to scowl at him.

Tsukasa raised her brows, glancing between the two with a sigh. "Just get your shit together." And like that, Tsukasa disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Alright. I'm kicking your ass," Shion said, causing Hikaru to let out a squeal as she tackled him to the ground to make him kiss his own ass.

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Did the thought of leaving without so much as a goodbye to Naruto cross her mind? Sure it did. Shion had gone through lists upon lists of reasons why she should talk to him: he's sweet, he makes her smile, he treated her like she mattered, he was always laughing, his ambitions were unrelenting, and the list went on. Still, the things against him still made her heart quake.

The Nine Tails killed my dad.

Of course, Shion logically knew this couldn't be Naruto's fault. It's not his fault. She saw him, sitting there on a swing. She nicknamed it 'sad boy swing' months back since it was his go to place to sulk. Shion wasn't certain she had ever seen him ever actually use it properly.

She opened her mouth to call out his name, but her voice cut off. Speak Shion.

"I never took you as being like everyone else."

"Get your shit together."

Shion pressed her palm into her face, wondering if it were possible to just leave him there. Of course she could. It would be terrible. It would be mean, but she could do it.

"Naruto." Oh gods, I spoke. Shion's expression was likely more surprised than Naruto himself. That much was odd for the both of them. It was hard to get herself to walk forward, but she forced her legs to move. Her fingers trembled as she gripped the swing, but she was doing it. She got this far. She couldn't turn away now.

"W-What do you want?" Naruto rubbed his eyes, as if he were deeply embarrassed. She felt a rush of pity filter into her heart. He was crying. Do demons cry?

"Do you want to know what I saw?" Shion knelt down, her fingers trailing down the twisted metal chain as if a part of her didn't want to meet his gaze full on. Her brows furrowed as she raised her other hand to his chest, not touching since he was shaking. His baby blue eyes were so trusting, she could see that now. She began to wonder if they had always been so innocent. Still, behind him, now she saw hue of red.

"N-No. I don't." Naruto lowered his head, his eyes running over the ground.

I'm hurting him. Shion knew that, but she was hurting too. Adults should have put more effort into making him happy, but Shion had long since learned that adults in this world had done nothing but disappoint her. No, she was alone. Naruto was alone. Regardless, that didn't mean they couldn't have each other.

She could do this. She had to be brave. "Do you know what the Kyuubi is, Naruto?"

"It's why people hate me." Naruto finally met her gaze, and the accusation cut her deeply. "It's why you hate me now too."

"It was a demon. It was released not too long ago. I was almost four years old when it happened. It's weird what you remember when you're young." Shion still remembered the screaming, bits and pieces of red filling the sky, her father kissing her head, and then everything changed. Her dad died. Her mother took to drinking and screaming and crying. "It went on a rampage that day. My dad was assigned to help bring it to a halt. It decimated the Shinobi forces, killing hundreds in the process. There were few survivors and my dad was not among them."

Naruto's eyes were wide, filling fast with tears at Shion's confession. "So...that thing is..."

"Somehow, yes, it is sealed inside you." She touched his stomach, her entire body now trembling with the effort. Still, she was doing it. She was overcoming the fear that plagued her for weeks after it resurfaced. "Do you understand...why I couldn't bare it? Why others couldn't bare looking at you?"

"This isn't fair," he said, and her eyes widened when he began to cry. It wasn't pretty, especially since snot was dripping down his nose. "Why me? Why is it in me?"

Shion's eyes began to burn, already knowing she wasn't doing this right. None of that was what she meant to say. She realized she was still trying to hurt him, as if hurting Naruto would hurt the demon. She hadn't cried in so long that it was a wonder if she even knew how to cry anymore.

"You are not to blame!" Shion hadn't meant to shout this, but she had to make sure he knew that. She was terrible at talking. She was terrible at apologizing. Still, she knew that he deserved one. "I shouldn't have shut you out. I should have talked to you. I was scared. I didn't understand you. I shouldn't have shut you out." She was now covering her face, her breath staggering as she began to sniffle. It wasn't crying, but her nose was definitely starting to burn as if she were drowning.

Naruto was crying. "I don't want to be alone anymore, dattebayo."

"You deserve a better friend than me," Shion informed him, her eyes still burning, but dry. "I am a mess."

"What are you talking about, dattebayo?" Naruto had leaned back, his eyes wide.

"I suck. You should hate how I reacted. You should hate me. I would hate me," Shion finally said, her fingers now digging into the sand.

There it was, both their words out in the open, both thinking that they hated the other. "You're my friend...I want to be friends." Naruto said this so earnestly that Shion's eyes widened further.

"I-I want to be friends too. I was so afraid..." Shion shook her head, knowing she was never going to be good with words. Instead, she threw her arms around the boy who housed her childhood nightmare and hugged him. She hugged him tightly, as if it were the only thing she could ever do to make him realize how much she cared about him.

He dug his head into her neck, wrapped his arms around her back, and he cried until her top turned wet.

"Let's go home, Naruto," she whispered.