Chapter 8: Mother and Father

"So, what brings you here?" Mrs Yamanaka asked. Ino opened her mouth to spill everything to her mother, to tell her all the hardships she has been encountering since her awakening, but somehow she had a feeling she shouldn't. Ino quickly caught her words and merely smiled.

"I'm homesick, that's all," Ino whispered. Mrs Yamanaka smiled and pulled her daughter in an embrace. Ino felt content in her mother's warm arms. She sighed and closed her eyes, finally it felt like she was home. Not that she didn't feel at home with Naruto and the children, but they were foreign to her. They were not the family she had spent all her life with...yet.

"It's alright," Mrs Yamanaka cooed, "I'm sure you'll work it out."

Ino giggled, "I didn't have a fight with Naruto."

"Is that so? I didn't think so," Mrs Yamanaka laughed, "you two fight over the most ridiculous things constantly. It's never something that would drive you out of the house, though."

Ino furrowed her brows. She constantly fought with Naruto? The mere thought made her want to shiver. She couldn't imagine having arguments with him. Naruto always seemed like the type to go along with whatever the girl says. Looks like he has gained some independence over the years – which was a very good thing.

Mrs Yamanaka pulled away from her daughter and patted her shoulders, "How about some tea?"

Ino nodded and the two disappeared through the door that led to the Yamanaka family home. Mrs Yamanaka set up the kettle, while Ino scanned her surroundings. The inside of the house has changed drastically. Most of the furniture has been replaced and the layout of the house seemed different too.

Ino smiled when she found a small portrait photo of her family, "Minato is so small here." Ino ran her fingers over the glass that protected the photo. Minato was a mere infant in the photo, still wrapped in blankets, resting in his mother's arms. Kaguya was younger too, but she had that same smile she carried now.

Mrs Yamanaka glanced at Ino over her shoulder and nodded, "That was taken two weeks after he was born, remember? Just look at Naruto's face – he is the most idiotic, yet proud father in the world."

Ino laughed. Sure enough, Naruto was beaming like a lunatic in the photo. Ino returned the photo to its place and sat down by the dining table. Mrs Yamanaka poured their tea and handed a cup to Ino, who took it gratefully. Mrs Yamanaka sat down next to her daughter.

"Do you have a dress yet?" Mrs Yamanaka asked. Ino looked up, bewildered.

"Dress?" Ino asked.

Mrs Yamanaka frowned, "For the Hyuga Banquet. You are organizing it with Hyuga-sama, remember?"

Ino laughed nervously. This was the first she heard of it, of course. Ino made a mental note to ask Naruto about it later so that she wouldn't be stuck in a situation like this again.

"I don't have a dress," Ino stated, but she added mentally, 'I think.'

Mrs Yamanaka smiled and patted her daughter arm, "You'll find the right dress. You always do."

Ino merely smiled and quickly took a sip of tea to break the conversation. Silence enveloped the kitchen as the two women sipped their tea. The front door opened and a tall figure stepped inside, dressed in a navy uniform and a flak jacket. Ino's face lit up when she saw the person's blonde ponytail.

Inoichi blinked when his eyes landed on his daughter. She waved at him awkwardly, causing him to smile and kiss her forehead. Inoichi then proceeded to greet his wife, then poured himself a cup of tea and joined the two girls he loved the most at the dining table.

"What did Naruto say?" Mrs Yamanaka finally asked.

Inoichi grunted, "Eh, the usual. I swear he's out to hunt me...or something."

Mrs Yamanaka snorted, "You're just paranoid because he's Minato's son."

Inoichi pouted, causing Ino to giggle. Her parents turned to face her and smiled. They loved seeing their daughter happy, but despite her laughs, they could tell that she wasn't one-hundred percent there. Her eyes were somewhat...different, and that worried them.

"So," Inoichi interrupted Ino's giggles, "have you been interrupting your mother's work all day?"

Ino shook her head, "No, we're just taking a break. Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

Inoichi quirked an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Ino inhaled deeply. Should she tell them? Naruto was quite stern when it came to her condition. They did all agree to keep it a secret until they could figure out what was happening to her, but this was her parents. She couldn't keep something so big away from them. She never could before, so naturally she can't right now.

"Um," Ino trailed off, feeling intimidated by her parents' stares, "It's about...my condition."

"Are you sick?" Mrs Yamanaka asked, worried. Ino shook her head. "Pregnant?" Ino shook her head again.

Inoichi appeared to be in deep thought, "Is this regarding what Naruto was babbling about?"

Ino frowned, "What did he tell you?"

"That you dodged time or something," Inoichi stated, rolling his eyes, "I thought he was playing me, much like his parents always did when they were still alive."

Mrs Yamanaka laughed, "Those were the days. Naruto is quite the energetic Hokage. It's refreshing, is it not?"

Inoichi nodded in agreement.

"Naruto was right," Ino stated, "...kind of."

Her parents stared at her. Ino gulped and tried to piece everything together so that she could properly explain it to them.

Finally she spoke.

"Minato!" the teacher called out. A little boy with blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sky looked up from where he was playing in a sandpit at the woman who he called 'teacher' during the day. She was a petite woman who always dressed modestly and wore a yellow apron.

"Home..." Minato mumbled when he spotted his sister standing beside the teacher, her arms crossed and her brows knitted together. He could tell she was not in a good mood. That meant no candy on the way home. Itachi glanced at his friend, his onyx eyes wide in curiosity.

"Your sister is here!" the teacher continued to call. Minato sighed and stood up, his blonde hair ruffled in the wind. He wiped his dirty hands on his shorts and then skipped to the lockers where he grabbed his backpack and then approached his sister. He looked up at her and smiled widely. Kaguya gazed at him, then her frown disappeared and she returned the smile. He took his sister's hand, waved goodbye to Itachi and his teacher and then allowed his sister to lead him out of the school.

Minato looked up at his sister as they walked home, "Where's Mama?"

Kaguya furrowed her brows again, "She's busy, Minato."

"But she always picks me up!" Minato objected.

Kaguya sighed, memories of her parents sleeping in separate rooms flashing through her mind, "I know, Minato, I'm sorry. Can't I be her temporary replacement?"

Minato pouted, but did not answer. Kaguya smiled at her brother sadly when she spotted his unhappy face. She hated seeing him like this, but what could she do? Kaguya pulled her fingers through her blonde hair and then spotted a familiar sign.

She smiled, "How about we get some Ramen?"

Minato's face brightened, "Really?"

Shikamaru didn't like smoking, but for the sake of stress he smoked. He popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it and sat back, frustrated. He had searched endlessly for answers, but came up with nothing. Not one single entry has been entered into the Nara archives regarding time-travel, which was expected, but still...he was annoyed. Now he will have to actually go through the village archives – which could take months.

Life was incredibly troublesome.

"Shikamaru," Temari walked out into the garden, her blonde hair hanging down on her shoulders, wet from her shower. He looked up and waved. Temari rolled her eyes, poked his forehead and then sat down beside him, "Find anything?"

Shikamaru let out a puff of smoke and sighed, "Nope. Nothing. I'll request access to the archives tomorrow. Hopefully there's something in there."

Temari nodded, "I've received a letter from Gaara, but he hasn't found anything yet either. Not surprising...it's only been a few days."

Shikamaru agreed, "Yeah. Listen, Temari...you must not tell anyone about this."

"I won't," Temari stated, "not even Kankuro knows."

Shikamaru nodded, "Good."

The two sat silently and watched the sun set. Shikamaru wrapped his arm around Temari's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and enjoying his warmth.

"Temari," Shikamaru whispered.

"Hm?"

"I went over our finances this morning," Shikamaru continued in a whisper, "we have a stable amount of savings."

Temari laced her fingers with Shikamaru's and smiled, "Really? And what are we going to do with that money?"

"Oh, I don't know," Shikamaru snorted, "what do you want to do?"

Temari chuckled. She knew exactly what she wanted to do.

When Kaguya and Minato arrived home, things were awfully quiet and eerie. Naruto was sitting in the living room, his eyes fixated on a scroll. Before him stood a cold cup of coffee and several mint wrappers were scattered all over the floor. The room was dark, with only a oil lap providing light for him to read.

"Where's Mama?" Minato asked when he noticed his mother's absence.

"I don't know, son," Naruto replied without looking up from his work, "did you guys eat?"

"Yes," Kaguya answered. Naruto nodded. He reached for his coffee and took a sip, pulled a face and abandoned the scroll and got up to make himself a new cup. He glanced at his daughter, who was staring at him with serious eyes, but he merely smiled and pushed past them.

The front door opened and Ino stepped inside. The children turned to face her, their blue eyes curious and waiting. Ino pulled off her coat and placed it on the coat rack, she then proceeded to remove her shoes. She stretched her arms over her head.

"Hello, Mama," Minato greeted. Ino smiled and motioned for him to come closer. He did as told and yelped when his mother pulled him into an embrace. Minato blinked at the sudden emotion he felt radiate from his mother and wrapped his little arms around her neck. Ino looked up into Kaguya's eyes, beckoning for her to come closer. Kaguya was wary, but eventually gave in and the three embraced each other.

Ino was grateful for her children. Despite only knowing them for a few days, she loved them to bits. She could no longer imagine life without them.

Naruto watched the scene from the kitchen doorway, his heart aching in a way it shouldn't be. After all – fathers should never be jealous of their children.