Part 2

I didn't know what really happened, but by the broken TV, shattered coffee table, and blood stains on the floor, I knew it was nothing good. My brother ended up having to wrap my hand that was bleeding profusely, and when I asked him what had happened, he said he wasn't ready to discuss it. He didn't even want to take me to the hospital out of fear of having to explain what I'd done; even though the hospital wasn't a bad option with the condition my hand appeared to be in. But after a few hours, the bleeding had seemed to slow down.

My brother and I ended up staying away from each other until my parents came home. I felt ashamed for how I reacted to the ugly situation I saw on television, but it was hard not to hold back my anger. I just wish things hadn't gotten so out of control.

"I want a good explanation for the broken household items, knocked down bathroom door, and bloody hand"

My brother and I looked at each other, unsure of who was going to do the explaining. Since I was a better liar than he was, I decided that it was best for me to speak.

"We got into a fight", I say shamefully.

Sasuke gives me a look of disappointment. I'm sure he would have rather had me tell the truth. All he did was knock down the door, but because I decided to save my ass, he was going to get in a lot more trouble than he deserved to get into.

My father sighs and shakes his head before walking away and examining the damaged plasma screen.

"This television cost us eight thousand dollars", he says with a surprising calmness in his tone. "And now we're going to have to pay even more money to fix it"

My mother is staring at the coffee table. She's been quiet to the point where it's frightening. I knew she was either extremely angry or disappointed to the point of being in a state of shock.

"One day you guys are watching TV together and helping me cook", she begins. "And the next thing I know you're at each other's throats"

She walks over to the shattered coffee table, looking at it with distress. "This was no ordinary coffee table you broke", she says plainly. "It was your grandfather's"

The strange sensation of having to vomit invaded my stomach. I'd never felt so ashamed of myself in my life.

"But I guess this is what I get for leaving you both home alone", she says dryly. "I don't even know what to do with you two anymore"

She picks up a piece of glass and examines it before placing it back on the hardwood floor.

"Sasuke, you're going to fix the door", she orders. "And Naruto, you're going to sweep up this mess"

Sasuke and I exchange blank looks before being startled by our mother.

"Do it now", she says darkly.

I scurry away to get the broom and dust pan, and Sasuke heads up the stairs to put the door back on its hinges. It's going to be a long week.


A few days later, Sasuke and I are being driven to the therapist's office. We both feel the exact same way about the trip- we don't even have to complain about it to each other...not that we were going to talk to each other anyways. I think he's mad at me. After all, If I'd just confessed to what had happened, I'm sure he wouldn't be in this mess.

"Cooperate", my father says. "The only way things will work out between you two is if you are completely honest with the person you end up speaking to"

Neither of us reply, but that didn't stop him from talking.

"Please don't make this a waste of time", he continues. "I'm doing this because this is a problem that your mother and I cannot fix. We think it's a lot deeper than what it seems"

We pull into the parking lot, and I begin to feel more and more anxious. This wasn't my first time having to visit a therapist. I wasn't very fond of them.

The building we walk into is finely constructed, much better than the old place I used to go to. The wait was also a lot less time consuming, and I ended up with my therapist in a shorter amount of time than I expected.

"You must be Naruto Uzumaki", he says with a grin. "It's very nice to meet you"

His skin is a few shades darker than mine, and his hair is pulled back in a ponytail the same way Shikamaru's is. He has dark brown eyes, and a smile that's a little too promising.

"Nice to meet you too", I grumble.

He clears his throat and closes the book in front of him. "My name is Mr. Umino, but you can call me Iruka"

I nod my head as I take a seat, and try my best to seem engaged.

"And I heard that you were having some issues with your brother...Sasuke?", he asks as he looks at his notepad. "And that your parents thought family therapy was the best option"

I snort, and lean back in my chair. "Family therapy", I say as if it were the funniest thing I'd heard all day. "It's just a few years too late"

He gives me a look of concern before turning the page to his notepad. "And why is that?"

I look up at the ceiling as if the answer was written there. "Because we've had issues before Sasuke came into our lives"

He nods his head and I can hear the scratching of his pen against the paper.

"I'm aware of the fact that Sasuke is not your real brother. Your parents created him in a la-"

"Let's not get into that", I say impatiently.

He looks up at me before speaking again. "I understand why you wouldn't want to"

"Yeah", I say boredly. "I'm sure you know a lot about my parents and their little creations by now"

He chuckles. "You're right", he admits. "I've been following their story from the day they created Sai"

Oh great, a fan.

"So you really must know everything", I say dryly.

"Yes I do", he says carefully. "But if there's one thing I don't know about, it's how all of this affects you"

I scrunch my nose, showing I have zero desire to discuss this with him. "That's not important. I've gotten used to it by now. I wouldn't be surprised if my father was still creating humans behind my back"

Iruka gives me a look of confusion. "He said he'd stop, right?"

I look down at the floor and nod my head. "Yeah, but I don't think he's going to"

He scribbles something down in his notebook with a frown on his face. "I'm assuming you and your father don't have the closest relationship given the amount of time he spends at work"

"Yup", I say as if it didn't bother me at all. "But he's a very loving person. I just wish he was around enough to show it"

He continues to write things down. "And your mother must've been pretty busy too. I'm aware of her pregnancy...so she must be home often, am I correct?"

I nod my head. "Yeah, but she's been sleeping a lot and hasn't been talking to my brother and I lately", I begin. "I think she has some issues of her own"

"Yeah...I think she's just because of her pregnan-"

"No, she's just embarrassed", I cut him off. "The whole world knows that she's a terrible mother. What doesn't help is the fact that they also know she's having another kid"

He begins to look a little uncomfortable. "Yeah. That could be it too", he says nervously. "How far is she into her pregnancy"

I shrug. "I think two or three weeks. She told me about her pregnancy before she told my father, which is extremely weird"

He immediately goes back to writing in his notebook. "Does she have a poor relationship with your father"

I hesitate before answering. "I'm not sure. I've never really thought about it", I begin. "But aren't we supposed to be talking about Sasuke?"

He stops writing and gives me a warming smile. "This is family therapy, it's about more than just your relationship with your brother"

I shake my head at him. "Then how will anything be solved if I'm talking to you one on one? Wouldn't it make sense to have the entire family here?"

He clicks his tongue. "Patience. I need to get everyone's individual prospective"

I roll my eyes. "Good luck trying to get my father in here. He works so much that he'd only stay for about ten minutes"

"That's not what he told me", he says confidently. "He said he'd cut back his work hours just to get this family back together. He seems very determined"

"Good to know", I say sounding only a little impressed.

"But you seem eager to talk about your brother. I'd really like to know why you two don't get along"

I sigh, knowing I'd have a lot of talking to do. "We actually don't fight as much as we used to", I begin. "He's not as bad as I used to think he was"

"Well I've heard differently", he says to prove a point. "Your father told me about the broken coffee table and your hand"

I look down at the cast that covered my wrist and my knuckles. "He doesn't know the truth", I say quietly.

He raises an eyebrow and picks up his pencil again. "And what would the truth be?"

I swallow, and prepare myself for what's to come. "Sasuke and I never fought that day"


Returning home didn't feel as good as I thought it would, but I was shocked to see my dad was in the kitchen cooking. I don't remember the last time I'd ever seen that. The funniest part about it was the girly pink apron he was wearing.

"Nice look", I say teasingly.

He smiles and continues to chop up the onion on the counter. "Nobody looks better in an apron than I do"

"What about mom?"

She walks through the kitchen with an annoyed expression on her face.

He chuckles and stops cutting. "She's got nothin' on me", he whispers.

I somehow end up laughing at what he said, and go over to the stove where the water was boiling. "Need any help?"

He shakes his head. "I'm fine", he admits. "How did everything go?"

"Eh", I say sounding not too thrilled about the visit. "It could've gone worse"

I sat in the kitchen until dinner was ready, and was excited at the fact that he'd cooked my favorite meal.

"Dinner's ready!", my father shouts.

It takes a while, but eventually we're all gathered in the kitchen.

"What's the occasion?", Sasuke asks.

I'd been thinking the same thing he'd been thinking from the minute I was my dad in my mother's apron.

"Glad you asked. You will find out after dinner", my father says as he puts the ramen filled bowls on the table.

She seemed to be a lot more distressed than usual, and I was beginning to wonder why he was so excited and she wasn't.

"Sai's coming back in two days"

My head immediately snaps towards Sasuke's, and he seems to be unfazed. Sai's...coming home...he's finally coming home…

"Hey! I thought I was going to tell them!", my father complains. "I thought we talked about this...we were supposed to tell them after dinner"

My mother rolls her eyes. "Does it really matter when they find out?"

"Sai's...He's coming back!", I yell as I run over to my father and hug him. "I thought he'd be gone for months! But he's finally coming home!"

"Yup! Now the family will be complete again!"

My mother gives a distressed smile as she sits down to eat. "I hope that the amount of arguing doesn't increase because of this"

"Don't be so negative!", my father says accusingly. "If anything, I think things will be better!"

"I think so too", I agree. "And he'll be attending school, right?"

Neither of my parents respond and slowly back out of the hug I have my father. "Right?", I ask impatiently.

"We're working on it", he says nervously. "It's not an easy process, but we will make sure he goes to the same school as you and Sasuke"


A/N: Words can't describe how proud I am of this story. It's almost at 200 followers, and I just hit 101 favorites. At this point, the story is only half way finished, and a lot of progress will be made. A lot of people wanted Sai to come home, and I was planning on putting that towards the end of the story, but I'd thought it would be more interesting to do that now.

As for the very few negative reviews I've gotten for this story, they honestly don't even bother me at this point. I've got too many loving followers to care :D