Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 6 of WtH! I'm sorry I've kept you guys waiting so long. I've been lacking inspiration recently. I also had the flu last week so that sucked. I had this chapter started so I decided to sit down and finish it tonight. I didn't intend for it to turn out this way but it did.

Also, if you guys haven't noticed yet, we have a cover image! Yes, Roku and Tonton are the cover image! Just thought I'd point it out. Enjoy the chapter!

I don't own Naruto~

I yawned and scratched the back of my head. I stumbled down the hallway, bumping against the walls as I went. My legs were still numb from being asleep moments ago. The house was dark and silent. I moved as quietly as possible so not to wake anyone.

I traveled by memory instead of sight. When I finally reached the bathroom, I patted the walls in search of the light switch. I flipped it on, squinting at the pale light that filled the tiny room. I quickly did my business and began the trek back to my room.

At least I started to when I heard a noise coming from deeper in the house. I paused, stopping to listen for the noise again. I heard what sounded like footsteps on our wooden floors. Nerves bubbled up in my stomach and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

What if it's a robber?

The thought of someone breaking in the house frightened me. I was tempted to sprint to my parents room and wake them up to warn them, but I stopped myself. If I was wrong, and it wasn't a robber, then I'd have woken them up for nothing. I had to make sure it wasn't just the wind or a branch hitting the window again.

I took a deep breath and slowly ascended the stairs. The steps creaked underneath my weight and I flinched. I waited motionless for a few moments to make sure I hadn't alerted the robber of my presence. I took a few more cautious steps before stopping and waiting again.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I peered out into the dark living room. There didn't seem to be anyone there. Upon closer inspection, I could see a light on in the kitchen. I was about to go investigate when a figure stepped into the room.

I sighed in relief when I saw the familiar face. My father walked across the living room, pulling his jacket on. He held his key ring in his mouth while he zipped up his jacket. I watched him go to the front door.

What was he doing?

It was like three in the morning. Perhaps he was checking that the door was locked? No, he always did that before going to bed. Why was he wearing his jacket? Was he really that cold? Curiosity got the best of me.

"Dad?" I stepped further in the room and moved towards him.

My father spun around, clutching his keys tightly in one hand. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open slightly in surprise. "Hey, buddy," he chuckled nervously, the corner of his mouth twitching into an awkward smile. "What're you doing up?"

I frowned in confusion. "I had to go to the bathroom," I shrugged, motioning in the direction I had come from. "What're you doing?" I asked.

"Um..." I saw panic flash in his eyes. "I uh... I got called into work." he told me after a moment of fumbling with his words. He smiled at me and his hands twitched restlessly at his sides.

Why was he so jittery? Something didn't seem right, but this was my dad, he had no reason to lie to me. "Okay," I smiled back at him, satisfied with that answer. "Will you be gone long?"

My father let out a sigh of relief. "I'll be back soon," he tousled my bedhead around before opening the door.

Moonlight poured in the open doorway and a chilly breeze blew in. I shivered and rubbed my bare arms. My father turned back towards me, one leg already out the door. His gaze traced over me, going down my body then coming back to rest on my face.

When our eyes locked, I smiled at him. He didn't smile back. "I'll see you around, buddy." he clapped me on the shoulder before stepping outside.

His choice of words seemed strange but I shrugged them off. I walked out on the porch, my toes curling when they made contact with the freezing concrete. I watched him get into his car and start backing out of the driveway. I waved to him. I know he saw me, but he didn't wave back.

When his car was out of sight, I walked back inside and shut the door.

I stretched my arms above my head, blinking at the beams of sunlight shining through the window. I rolled out of my bed and headed out of my room. I trotted cheerfully down the stairs, feeling as amazing as any kid did on a day they didn't have school.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I paused. There was a strange noise coming from the kitchen. It sounded like someone was crying. A little uneasy, I continued to press on. I paused at the doorway and peered into the kitchen.

My mother was sitting at the kitchen table. Her body was slumped over and her head was buried in her arms. Her body trembled from her sobbing. She was still in her pajama's and her golden hair was matted.

I frowned in confusion. My mother was usually dressed and bouncing around the house by the time I got up. She was usually so happy on the days we got to spend together as a family.

My eyes flickered to the piece paper she clutched in her shaking hand. I cautiously stepped in the room, taking small steps towards her. If she heard me enter, she didn't respond. My mother cried into her arms, her grip on the paper tightening with each sob.

"Mom?" I finally spoke when I stood only a few inches away.

Her body jolted and she raised her head. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She quickly wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks with the back of her hand. She forced herself to smile, "Hey, baby," she gently stroked back my hair.

There was so much pain behind that smile. It made my chest hurt just looking at it. "Why are you crying?" I furrowed my eyebrows together. "What's that?" I pointed to the paper in her hand.

She bit her lip and the paper crinkled as her grip tightened. She looked like she was debating whether or not to tell me the truth. After a few moments of debate, she sighed heavily. My mother turned her body towards me and set the paper aside. She took my hands in hers and we locked eyes.

"Honey," she began, her voice shaky. "Daddy left last night."

That was it? She was crying because he got called into work?

"I know," I replied, squeezing her hands. "I saw him leave. He got called into work but he'll be back soon." I grinned reassuringly at her.

"You saw him leave?" she repeated and I nodded in affirmation. "Baby, he didn't get called into work, he left us." her voice cracked.

I didn't fully understand what she was saying. "He said he'll be back." I told her, my stomach churned anxiously.

She smiled at me and shook her head, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "He's not coming back," her voice wavered and the tears slipped out.

After staring at her face for a few moments, realization finally sank in. My heart raced and my eyes widened in shock. "Why did he leave us?!" I demanded, a shudder coursing through my body. Hot tears burned my eyes but I blinked them back before they could spill over. "Is it something I did?!"

"No, no, honey, it wasn't you," she reached out and cupped my face in her hands. "Your father just wasn't... happy." she chose that word after mulling over it for a moment.

I didn't hear her words over the ringing in my ears. I raked my brain for anything I could have done to make him leave. What had brought this on? Just last night we had eaten dinner together like usual and he seemed happy.

"I can be better!" I declared, unable to hold my tears back any longer. I grabbed the collar of her shirt and balled my hands into fists. "Tell him I'll be better if he comes back!" I spoke frantically, "I'll join the football team like he wanted! I'll bring my grade up in math! I'll-"

"Ryan!" my mother cut off my babbling. She lowered her face to make it level with mine. Her intense yet sad eyes stared right at me. "He's not coming back..."

"But..." my lips quivered and my vision was blurry with tears. "I-I just saw him last night... He p-promised he'd be back..."

She pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around her in response. I clutched the back of her shirt tightly and buried my face into her shoulder. I choked on the sob that escaped my open mouth and my body shuddered. My chest was hurting but it was a different kind of pain. It felt like there was a huge gaping hole where my heart should be.

My heart...

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I cried. I could tell that my mother was crying again too. We didn't move. We just stayed trembling in one another's embrace. We soaked one another's shirts with our tears and clawed at the fabric so we could hold each other tighter.

Why did he leave?

Why did he leave us?

Why did he leave me?

My heart lurched and I clenched my teeth together to keep from crying out. Was I really that awful that I made my own father unhappy? My throat felt so tight and it was hard to swallow my sticky saliva. My nose was running but I didn't bother to wipe the snot away. My brain was too busy wrapping around the fact that my father left me.

He left me...

It was suddenly hard to breathe.

What if mom left me too?

"You're not gonna leave me too, are you?" I asked, trembling uncontrollably.

"What?" my mother asked and I felt her body shift.

"Please don't leave me!" I begged, holding on to her tighter. "I'll do anything you want! Please, just don't leave me like dad!" More tears poured out and my body continued to tremble. I inhaled shaky breaths through my nose, my heart pounding in my chest from the panic of having difficulty breathing.

My mother grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me back to look at her. "I'm never going to leave you." she told me, a stray tear dripping off her chin.

"Promise?" I sniffed, a little disbelieving.

"I promise," she replied truthfully.

I whimpered and threw my arms around her neck. She held me and rubbed soothing circles on my back. I wasn't put at ease by her reassurance. It would be up to me to make sure she never left. I would have to stay by her side to make sure she never slipped away from me. I didn't want her to ever leave me. She can't leave me.

I could feel her fingers stroking my hair. I could feel her warm breath tickling the back of my neck. I could feel her heart beating steadily against mine.

She can't leave me...

I could feel fingers running through my hair, pushing it back away from my forehead. It felt so good. The soothing motion was lulling me back to sleep when it suddenly stopped. I whimpered at the loss, shifting around restlessly. The hand returned, but sleep had already left me.

I opened my eyes into slits, I could feel a headache already coming on. I opened my eyes the rest of the way. My vision cleared and I was able to see my surroundings.

I was lying on the floor with a blanket over me. The lights were off and the curtain had been pulled over the window. Though the window was blocked, light still faintly shone through the fabric. Shizune was lying beside me, the blanket wasn't covering her and she had her head propped up with her arm.

She smiled warmly when I looked at her. "Hey," she greeted, stroking back my hair. "How are you feeling?"

I felt like I got hit by a truck.

My whole body was aching. When I pulled my hands out from under the blanket, I noticed that they were wrapped in bandages. A sharp pain coursed through my skull and I instantly went to grab it with my hand.

"I gotta headache..." I mumbled, wincing from the pain.

My memory was fuzzy. I couldn't remember the reason why I was hurting. My head throbbed more when I tried to recall the details.

"I'll get you something for it," Shizune stopped petting my head and sat up.

I watched her reach over and grab her bag. While she was rummaging around, I turned my head to get a better look at the room. I was lying on Tsunade's bed instead of the one I normally shared with Shizune. The blonde was no where in sight.

"Do you remember what happened earlier?" she asked, shaking a few pills out of a bottle and into her hand.

"It's kinda fuzzy..." I admitted, pushing myself into a sitting position and rubbing the back of my aching head.

"You suddenly started screaming," Shizune handed me the pills. "You scared Tsunade and I to death."

I tried to remember but the immense pain in my skull prevented it. "Sorry," I gave her an apologetic look. She passed me a water bottle to take the pills with.

"You were calling out for your mother," she said, watching my face for a reaction. "Do you remember that?"

I nearly choked on the water. I did remember that.

Memories from before came rushing back. The nightmare, the accident, everything. I coughed and sputtered on the water, waving my hand dismissively when Shizune looked concerned.

"Where's Tsunade?" I asked, clearing my throat. I wanted to change the subject and avoid any questions.

I didn't want to take any chances of her finding out I was from a whole different universe. Honestly, those chances were slim. The chances of her thinking I'm unstable and needed to be taken to mental hospital were much higher.

"She left,"

"What?" my eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean she left? She left for good?" I scrambled to my feet but I was too wobbly and fell down on to my knees as a result. Panic started to take over. "I didn't mean to scare you guys! I swear!"

Shizune didn't respond. She just continued to watch me with an expression that looked like she was piecing things together. I was too distressed to notice her knowing look.

"I can be better!" I told her frantically. "I'll do whatever she wants from now on! I'll-I'll play on the slot machines with her as long as she wants!" my body was beginning to tremble.

"Roku, honey, she's coming back."

"What?" I blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Tsunade just went out to get some lunch," Shizune explained. "She's going to bring it back so we can we eat together."

I sighed in relief and my shoulders slumped. I was glad that Tsunade hadn't left. Despite all the bad things the blonde had done to me, I don't know what I'd do if she left me. If she left, then Shizune would leave with her. That thought made me uneasy.

"Please don't leave me..." my voice was barely above a whisper. I stared up at her, a few stray tears managing to escape.

"I'm never going to leave you," Shizune gently wiped away the tears with her thumb.

I sniffed, "Promise?"

"I promise," she replied, flashing a warm, reassuring smile.

A whimper slipped out and I shuffled closer to her. I wrapped my arms around her and she hugged me back. She rubbed my back soothingly and I held on to her tighter, burying my face in her shirt. She ran her fingers through my unruly hair and I slowly began to relax.

Her warmth was welcome against my own chilled body. Her breathing was even and tickled my skin. I sighed in content as her hand continued to stroke my hair. Her presence was comforting. I wanted to stay in her embrace forever, but I'd settle for when Tsunade came back with lunch.

That's the end of Chapter 6! I hope you enjoyed it!

Now you know where Roku's separation anxiety comes from. After his father left, he'd always been super anxious about his mother leaving or if he had to go anywhere without her. He initially grew out of it, but now that he's a kid again his old issues have been resurfacing.

I want to thank you guys for all the patience and support! You guys really motivate me to keep writing. If you have any ideas, please let me know because I could really use them.

Until next time!