Parent Trap

A/N: so in this chapter, we get to know a little bit more about June. and i'll let you know now: if you end up not liking her, she does get tortured in later chapters. *smiles* also in this chapter is someone else everyone's been dying to meet. i hope i don't disappoint.

THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed and supported this fic. it means so much to me.

enjoy!


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Parent Trap - Chapter 3
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June slammed her last patient’s chart down and leaned over the reception desk, her head on her arms in abject exhaustion. Her morning had not been the best she’d ever had, what with that Uchiha and his prissy assistant making her actually throw the man’s chart down the hallway. She hadn’t been reduced to fits of temper like that in a long time, and though she regretted it, it had at least gotten results. June lifted her head, placing her chin in one hand.

Uchiha Itachi.

That man was an ass, as far as she could tell. Seriously, did he think glaring at her would make her, what, read his mind or something? But… his situation was a little sad. And it irked her that Tsunade was so quick to write off his disease as incurable. In fact, June already had an idea as to what was going on with the man, but it was just a theory, and she still had to talk it over with a friend. But still…

“I hear you got a little angry with Itachi this morning, throwing his chart down the hallway and such?”

June moved her eyes to see Tsunade leaning her hip against the desk, and then looked away. “Yes, and I regret it. But his assistant pissed me off. They should understand that a patient can tell me a shitload more than any damn papers.” She scowled at the wall before her.

“Be sure to watch your mouth around those patients. I run a professional business around here. Now, what’s this I hear about Suigetsu and a phone call from a certain someone?” Tsunade leered at her. “A little dirty talk for courage?”

June laughed out loud. “We don’t have that kind of relationship anymore, Tsunade. Boy, you are out of touch, aren’t you?”

Tsunade scowled. “Well, excuse me. I’m not the one who moved away for medical school and never called or wrote. You and that boy both make me feel so unloved.” She sighed melodramatically. Then she frowned. “When did you two break up? Better yet, why? I thought you came back alone because he couldn’t just leave work. But to think it’s because you broke up…. Weren’t you happy together?”

June frowned, sighed, put her head in her hands, and then ran said hands down her face. “Yeah, we were, all three of us. Kinda. I was happy. I was in love. Still am, if I’m being honest with myself. But I could tell he wasn’t, not really, and I didn’t want to be the cause of that.”

Tsunade put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “How are you going to be, seeing him after all this time?”

“Oh, it won’t be that hard. We were broken up for quite some time before I moved back here. We still have a very healthy friendship. I’m just so surprised that he decided to move back home. And wouldn’t you know it? The day he arrives he gets a new job.”

“Yes, that boy has always had the devil’s luck, whether it came to passing his classes or avoiding jail.”

“Ah, yes. Perhaps. But I have missed them. I’m meeting him at the school in a little bit, and then we’re going to get him settled into his new apartment. After that, I’m making him treat me to a very nice dinner for all the damn phone calls I’ve been getting for the past two weeks. ‘It’s been so long since I’ve been to Konoha! What if I can’t get a job? Where am I going to live? What am I going to do if I run into baa-chan?’” June laughed as Tsunade’s eye twitched. It was going to be so much fun to watch their interaction again.

The beeping of her watch made June jump in surprise. She looked at it, smiling when it told her that it was time to leave for the school. She handed her chart to Karin and bid Tsunade a good day before heading for her locker to hang up her coat.

“Oh, Juniper!” June turned around, her eyes wide at the use of her real name. Tsunade was smiling at her from the reception desk. “Tell him that I better see him and his little angel pretty soon. He won’t like it if I have to hunt him down.”

June smiled, shaking her head. Her life was going to be a lot more interesting.

~*~

June drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she turned into a parking spot in the school lot. She immediately spotted the familiar, old, burnt orange station wagon parked erratically in a space near the teachers’ parking. Her heart rate picked up unexpectedly, and she clutched the steering wheel in a death grip. Then she let out a breath, trying to reign in her emotions.

But…

She’d already told Tsunade that she was still in love, but it wouldn’t be good if he still knew that. It would just make him uncomfortable and probably guilty, and she couldn’t afford to make him sad for the world; it would break her heart more than it already was.

That being the case, it didn’t mean that she couldn’t look good.

June tuned her rearview mirror toward her and reached up to take down her hair. The bun unraveled quickly with the weight of her waist-length hair, sending a cascade of the midnight black locks down her back. She ran her fingers through it to straighten out the crinkles, and then played with her bangs to get them to curl around her face. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her compact to get rid of the shine and add a new layer of color to her paling lips.

Now she felt ready.

Her car door slammed, and it echoed in the quiet lot. So did her heels against the concrete as she walked up to the school. Each step made her nervous again; she hadn’t seen him for months. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

“Kei! Are you okay?”

“No! It hurts!”

‘Hurt’ was one of those key words that a doctor, even an eye specialist such as her, was in tune with – like Superman and a cry for help. She changed her direction to look for the crying voice. She came upon two boys in an outdoor passageway, one clutching his knee, huge tears rolling down his face.

The other one looked at her when she got close, and she was surprised to see the same face as the other. And what shocked her even more was the fact that they both looked like that pompous yet pitiful ass that had been in her exam room earlier that morning. Well, regardless, there was a sad little boy in need.

“Are you okay?”

The tears stopped suddenly, and the boy looked up at her with very dark and watery eyes. “Who are you?”

June squatted down to be at eye level with him. “My name’s June. What happened?”

“He was following me and tripped.” June looked at the other boy and nodded.

“Well, I’m sure it hurts, but you’re a big boy, right? Will you promise me to smile? I’ll make your owie better,” she sing-songed.

“You’ll make it better?”

“Uh-huh.” June smiled at him and reached into her purse to pull out her small first-aid kit. She opened it and pulled out an alcohol swab and a bandage. She took his small hands away from the wound, tightening her hold for a second. “This will sting for a minute, yeah? Just close your eyes and grip my hand if it’s too much, okay?”

He nodded his head, his raven locks moving to cover his eyes. June used her teeth to rip open the alcohol swab and extracted it one handed, as the little cutie still had her other hand. The other, who was obviously his brother, held onto his other hand, patting it comfortingly.

She swabbed the wound, smiling wide when the boy cut off a cry and squeezed her hand. Now, the bandage was going to be a little harder with one hand. She tore it open with her teeth, again, and pulled off the adhesive cover very carefully with her free hand so as not to get it stuck to her instead of the boy. She placed it gently over the wound, making sure the edges adhered to his skin, and then smoothed her hand over the whole thing.

“All better?”

The cutie blinked his eyes, staring at his knee in wonder. Then he looked at up her and smiled the most disarming smile she’d seen in a while. It looked almost like-

“Thank you!” The little boy jumped up and threw his arms around her neck.

She hugged him back. “You’re very welcome. What’s your name?”

“I’m Uchiha Kei!” Ah, he was an Uchiha. Small world. “And this is my brother Touya!” She looked over, and the other little boy bowed.

“Well, Kei, you were very brave. I wish I had a lollipop to give you for such courage.”

“That’s okay! Oto-sama doesn’t really allow sweets.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear, “He doesn’t like them.”

“Ah, well, then, Kei, I’ll give you something just as sweet.” She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. When she leaned back, she saw the cutest blush cover his pale cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

“Your boyfriends get younger and younger, Junebug.”

June froze. No matter how much she had prepared for it, talked it out, told herself to get a grip, her heart still jumped up into her throat at that voice. She was sure her face was as red as Kei’s at that moment.

She quickly stood up, smoothing out wrinkles in her skirt that weren’t there – anything to put off turning around. She patted Kei on the head and sent them back to class, trying to cool down before the reunion of her life. Taking a deep breath, she turned around.

Just like all those years ago, when they’d met in high school, he blinded her. The ripped jeans and t-shirt were replaced by a suit and tie. The long, lank golden hair was now short and shaggy, kind of spiky, and the tanned skin was just as beautiful. But it was always the eyes that got her. That gorgeous blue couldn’t be matched in the clearest skies or the purest waters.

“Naruto…”

“That would be me.” He just looked at her for minute. “Am I going to get a hug, or are you just going to stare at me all day?”

June was in his arms in an instant, trying to hold back her tears. “Naruto…”

He chuckled. “Did you miss me that much?”

She hit him in the back with her fist. “Shut up.” He laughed and pulled away, keeping his arms loosely about her waist. “How long have you been here?”

“Not long. I met with Iruka-sensei during the recess break a few minutes ago. Now, I’m on my way to Sarutobi-sensei to get my paperwork in order, but Ayame’s got to be introduced to her class right now.”

“Well, let me do that! Where is my little angel?” June looked around him, spotting a blur of blonde as it disappeared around a corner. June smiled and unwrapped herself from Naruto, walking around him with her hands on her hips. “Uzumaki Ayame, you get out here and give me a hug this minute!”

There was a high-pitched giggle, and then there was a flash of orange that she couldn’t follow before she had an arm full of cute little blonde angel. Her hair was in pigtails that fell to her shoulders, and her blue eyes shone just a beautifully as her dad’s.

“Junie! I’m a ninja!” She took in the orange jumpsuit with blue and white lining and the blue, ankle-covering sandals that showed her orange tipped toenails. June raised her eyebrow and shot the look over her shoulder at Naruto.

Naruto shrugged. “She’s a ninja.” Naruto walked up to them and put his hand on Ayame’s head. “Be good, munchkin. June’s going to take you to your class, and then we’ll all go to our new home.”

“A home with Junie?” Ayame asked hopefully. It stabbed June in the heart.

“No, sweetie. Just the two of us.” And that hurt much more. But June could handle it. What surprised her was the look of sorrow in Ayame’s eyes; it seemed like Ayame wasn’t so much sad that June wasn’t going with them, but that no one was going with them. That was… odd, to say the least.

“All right, kidlet. Let’s let Naruto go on his way and get you acquainted with your new classmates.”

“Yeah!” Ayame threw her arms around June’s neck. “I’m going to be the best student in the class, dattebayo!”

June looked at Naruto, who looked away before rubbing his neck and laughing nervously, and then she threw her head back and laughed.

~*~

“Excuse me, Iruka-sensei.” June bowed as she walked into the room.

“Ah, Fujimiya-sensei. What can I do for you?”

June liked Iruka. She never had him because she’d gone to a different elementary school, but she’d met him through Naruto when they’d met in high school and received a father-like love that she’d never gotten from her own.

“Oh, gods! Is it Kaka-?”

June was quick to cut him off. “No, no! Iruka-sensei, I’m not here in a professional capacity! I brought Uzumaki Ayame to meet her classmates.”

The man seemed to deflate in relief before her eyes. Really, the man was just a ball of love, even for the man that didn’t even know he was alive. Then he pulled himself together and turned to the combined classes.

“Class, I’d like to introduce a new student to Leaf Academy, Uzumaki Ayame.”

June pushed the little girl out from behind her toward the center where Iruka stood. Ayame seemed shy at first, but then, as Iruka smiled at her, she became the energetic elf that June knew her to be, turning a brilliant smile toward the class and giving them all what Naruto called ‘the good guy pose.’

“Tell us a little about yourself, Ayame-chan,” Iruka asked quietly.

“Um, Tou-san and I just moved here from Suna. He’s a teacher! He’s going to be teaching here. And, um, I like ramen and candy, and I like to play ninja with my friends.” Ayame stopped, her face cute in her confusion. “But none of my friends are here, so I guess I’ll have to make new ones to play with!” She smiled brightly again.

“What about your mom?”

June blinked the same time Ayame did, and she looked around to see who had asked that. Her eyes widened when she saw the little boy from earlier, Kei, watching Ayame intently. Touya sat silently beside him with his eyes closed.

Ayame looked down at the floor for a minute, and then looked up with that smile still in place. “Well, I don’t have one, really.” She leaned forward like she was going to share a big secret. “But Sakura-chan said that my mom’s a cold-hearted bitch-whore who deserves whatever fate she gets.”

The whole class ‘oo-ed,’ as children tended to do when someone said a bad word, and Iruka-sensei nearly had a conniption fit. June, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes. She, or at least Naruto, would have to have a talk with both Ayame and Sakura some time soon; Sakura didn’t need to be saying that kind of shit to a five-year-old, and Ayame didn’t need to be repeating it.

“Ayame-chan, watch your mouth,” she admonished.

“But Sakura-chan said so!” Ayame stomped her little foot and scowled in June’s direction.

“Don’t take that tone of voice with me, young lady.”

Ayame flinched away slightly and hung her head. “I’m sorry, June-chan.”

“Hey, Ayame-chan!” June and Ayame both turned to the voice, blinking their eyes when they saw Kei nearly falling out of his chair, hand waving back and forth. “You can be our friend! We don’t have a mom, either!”

~*~

June watched as the movers deposited the last boxes in Naruto’s new apartment and thanked them as they left. After closing the door, she turned to survey the new digs. The apartment was huge, mostly due to Western influences, she noticed.

The wood-floor front entrance had two carpeted steps that led down to the living room. The floor was covered in a plush, off-white carpet that would catch the sun and brighten the room when the dark blue curtains lining the far wall were opened. The furniture was upholstered in dark blue suede, solid glass tables to either side of the couches and armchairs, as well as before them. The entertainment system was a black behemoth against the right wall, its contents those of the most sophisticated and top of the line electrical equipment.

She walked into the apartment, eyeing the doorway next to the entertainment system. It led off into the bedroom and bathroom area; there were three rooms back there, two bedrooms, one study, and two bathrooms. Well, one bathroom. The other was connected to the master bedroom.

Turning to the left June eyed the bar that almost separated the living room from the kitchen. It was off-white as well, with flecks of blue throughout it, and lined with dark blue barstools. The kitchen was the same color motif, accented by blue appliances and a black refrigerator and black dishwasher. The counters were marble swirled with blue, big surprise, and the floor was tiled. June had a feeling the bathrooms would look much the same.

All in all, none of this could be afforded under Naruto’s salary. And she said as much to him when he popped out from his room in a button down shirt and a nice pair of slacks.

Naruto laughed at her. “You’re right. But you see, I’m in no position to get an apartment right off the bat, and I couldn’t intrude for however long on someone here, like you or Iruka, so,” he swept his hand out to indicate it all, “Compliments of Gaara.”

June’s eyes widened. She put her hand up to her mouth, trying to keep the fear inside. She swallowed. “You didn’t… didn’t have to do anything to get all this… did you?” she practically whispered. Gaara was not someone you asked favors of in Suna, friend or no. There was no telling how he would get it or what he would require of you in order to get it, and June could honestly say she had never wanted anything badly enough to ask the head of the Suna mafia.

Naruto’s eyes widened, as well. “Of course not! Gaara just…” Naruto hesitated, seeming to not want to continue. Then he let out a deep sigh and motioned for June to sit down with him. “June, Gaara did this to make sure Ayame and I are comfortable. He cares about us. He cares about… me.”

June let her confusion show on her face. “You have a lot of people who care about you.”

Naruto winced. “Yes, I do.” He sighed again. June was becoming concerned. “But, Junebug… Gods! This is harder than I thought it was going to be.”

“Naruto…”

Naruto closed his eyes. When they opened again, they were serious and sad, and they nearly stopped June’s heart. “After we broke up, I was an emotional wreck. I mean, you just kinda dropped it on me out of the blue.”

It was June’s turn to wince. She knew it had broken Naruto’s heart when she’d told him it was over, but he never knew it had broken hers even more. He had gotten over it, she could tell, but she, apparently, never had.

“And Gaara was there to pick up the pieces. For quite a while before you moved back here, he and I fooled around. And then when you left, we kinda made it a bit more serious, more intimate, if you will.”

June swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.

“And then we broke up, amicably, mind you. But it was because I wasn’t in love with him, not that he didn’t love me. As exampled by this apartment.” He looked deep in her eyes. “June. Are you okay with this?”

June closed her eyes. After all this time, she finally knew why she hadn’t been able to make Naruto happy. Kind of hard to do when the gender he wanted wasn’t the one she was.

“June?”

Her eyes snapped open. Naruto’s voice was filled with concern, but also a trace amount of fear, and she realized that he was waiting for her reaction, needed her reaction, needed her to be okay with it.

“Oh, Naruto. I would never be mad about that. It’s your life. You get to choose who you love.”

A smile lit up Naruto’s face, and he pulled her into a backbreaking hug. “Thank you, June,” he whispered. Then he pulled back, the smile turning into a grin. “Now, how about some dinner?”

“That sounds nice,” she answered, her own soft smile directed toward him. But they would certainly come back to this topic later.

They got up and called Ayame from her room, heading out the door to whatever restaurant was high class enough for June to approve of, but still served ramen for the Uzumaki family. As Ayame ran ahead to the elevator to push the button, June slipped her hand into Naruto’s. A playful smile crossed her lips.

“Naruto, I now know about your secret love life, and I’m fine with it, but I have to ask: why Gaara?”

TBC


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pasts that can't be relived, unrequited loves, mafia connections, naruto... yeah, this chapter has it all, ne?

i hope everyone can understand june a little better now, maybe like her. and let me let you in on a little secret: the reason june threw itachi's chart down the hall is completely naruto's fault - he has that kind of influence on people, haha.

i also hope that everyone enjoyed naruto and ayame's grand entrance, not that i didn't set it up from chapter one: yes, naruto is the new teacher. huzzah! the next chapter is from his point of view, so i hope y'all look forward to that.

well, that's about it. see you next chapter!

thanks for reading!