Chapter Text
Satoru had been nine when his mother decided to pull him away from one of his training sessions. It was rare of his mother to go against his grandfather and father’s wishes when it came to his training, she always bowed her head, fluttered her dark eyelashes and agreed to their wishes without complaint. But his mother had smiled sweetly to his grandfather, lying to him about father needing him. He had also believed his mother until she brought them to the clear blue waters of their pond.
Lilypad were scattered throughout the pond, lilies decorated near the pebbles as the ducks waddled through the still water. His mother gazed at the pond with warm, green eyes as she always did whenever they sat in these ponds. Out of all the members of his clan, his mother had always been the oddest one. Everyone knew it. His grandmother, when she had been alive, had lacked the subtle warmth that his mother bestowed on him. His grandfather gazed at him with hunger in his eyes while his father was indifferent to him. He was the heir and that was it.
His mother patted her lap, a silent request for him to lie his head on her lap. At nine, he was too old for such childish gestures, such weak gestures but the gentle plea in her eyes made him reluctantly rest his head on his mother’s warm lap. He felt her hands combing through his hair while her eyes stared distantly to the thick trunks of the oak trees that stood in the corner. It had been planted when his parents got married, a request of his mother as the servants had whispered. A sign of the strong love between his parents, though he wondered how his father loved his mother when he got flustered whenever his mother showered him with affection.
“Satoru,” his mother whispered in her rare, loving voice as she stroked his hair with gentleness and adoration. “Do you know your father and I are soulmates?” He shook his head and watched his mother smiled like a lovestruck teen. She always had that smile whenever his father was mentioned. “We are, you know or your grandfather would have never approved of our marriage. Your grandparents never believed in love matches.”
Satoru stared blankly at the drifting clouds. “Grandfather says he arranged your marriage to Father with the hope of producing an heir that has both Six Eyes and Limitless.” He drifted his eyes back to his mother, at the elfish features of his mother. When his father dared to express emotions in front of him, he always teased of how his mother was like an elf. So beautiful and out of this world with her lushy white hair and the constant serene look on her face.
“Your grandfather isn’t wrong—he did have great hope of your father and I will produce a strong child like you,” his mother agreed with a light laugh. She tapped his nose like he was a little baby, not like the nine-year-old he was. He scowled but his mother only kissed his forehead. “You’ll always be my baby, Satoru; no matter what your grandfather and father says.” She poked his forehead once more. “But do you know why he would arrange our marriage when my family is of a lower standing than your father’s clan?”
“Because your family produces strong members,” he parroted but the bittersweet expression on his mother’s face made him have a moment of doubt. This was what his grandfather would rant whenever his mother acted out-of-line. Whenever she pulled him away from training sessions. That if it was not for the potential strength of their marriage, his mother would never be able to enter this family. He covered his eyes. “Grandfather says marriage should be about producing strong heirs and that I should only associate with the strong.”
“When your father was around your age, he came running straight to your grandmother and told her about dreaming about me,” his mother said, stroking his cheeks. “I fell for your father in that dream because he was different from that indifferent boy I would occasionally meet in clan’s gatherings.” Satoru bit his tongue to point out that his father was still indifferent but chose not to utter it. His mother would never concede about his father’s indifference, always saying that his father loved him in his own way. “Your grandmother knew that it was a soulmate dream since her brother experienced the same thing. Soulmate dreams are rare, but they are unmistakable.”
He knew of his Great-Uncle, his grandmother and him had a falling out. His Great-Uncle did not even come for the funeral, despite his mother’s attempt to bring the old man to come to the funeral rites. “Did Grandmother stopped talking to her brother because of those dreams?”
“No,” his mother reassured him. “Your Great-Uncle did not marry his soulmate; he chose to marry the woman that your great-grandparents chose for him to marry.” Why didn’t he marry his soulmate like his parents did? His mother must have noticed his question because she stared distantly at the clouds. “Just because you’ve a soulmate does not mean you’ll marry them. Your Great-Uncle didn’t like the idea of being soulmates with a woman that lacked cursed energy and believed they were too incompatible to work out.”
He accepted the answer because his great-uncle’s logic made sense. Why marry someone who would need constant protection? The sun glared at him as if they found the reasoning to be foolish. Soulmates, if he believed the silly stories whispered by the maids, were meant to be equals. Meant to be perfect for each other. He glanced up at his smiling mother. “So Father and Grandmother knew you were Father’s soulmate from a dream? That sounds silly, Mother.”
“Soulmate dreams are different from normal dreams,” his mother explained. She looked at the family of ducks with a serene smile as she elaborated even more. “These dreams are special, Satoru. Not just anyone could have a chance to share a dream space with their soulmate; your grandparents never experienced it.”
Satoru stared at the subtle warmth of his mother’s green eyes. “Do you believe I’ll experience those dreams, Mother?” His mother had a strange expression, but he pushed on, pointing out the obvious. “I’m special, Mother. It would be more proof of how special and amazing I am because I get something that not even a normal Jujutsu Sorcerer can get.” If his parents could get those dreams, then he would get them as well. His soulmate, he decided, would be as amazing as him.
His mother took a deep breath. “I believe everyone has a soulmate, Satoru but it doesn't mean that everyone’s soulmate is alive or have been born yet.” She ran her hand through his hair, her eyes softened just a little bit more. “For your sake Satoru, I hope you do have a living soulmate.” She hesitated for a moment. “And I hope you’ll have the brains to keep them around, be it as a friend or a future partner.”
He scowled. “What does that mean, Mother? I’m smart.”
“You may be smart but relationships, even those of a soulmate, is filled with challenges,” his mother explained. “Your father and I may have had an arrange marriage but there was a time when I was very close to breaking off our engagement.” His eyes widened and his mother looked straight ahead. “Soulmates, Satoru, are still individuals and no matter what you hear from the servants and even from the other clans, your soulmate can still reject a match. It requires effort, understanding and seeing them for who they are and not the perfect person that you think they should be.”
He frowned and muttered. “That’s stupid. My soulmate has to be perfect and strong just like me.”
One minute, Naruto had been dozing off as Iruka-sensei droned on about their neighboring countries. It was going to be on the test as he had warned them. More specifically her as her teacher had his eyes locked on her when he uttered the upcoming exam. She knew she should have tried to stay awake but his voice had been dull, the same boring tone that always made her eyelids as heavy as lead. She didn’t know why or how but she found herself standing in front of a massive building.
The building was so much like the classical clan compounds in the village. The ones that belonged to the richer clans than the more middle-classed clans. The walls loomed over them, threatening, but the gates were open. The metallic gates glittered in the sunlight, beckoning her to come into the compound. Dreams, she knew, should not feel so real but there was a soft breeze pushing her straight towards the gates. The breeze smelt unnatural, like the sweet bean paste in Manju.
For a time, she walked through the clan compound, noting the distinct lack of people in the compound. If this was her dream, she should be seeing people. Like Hinata. Like her arrogant cousin, Neji. Even Hinata’s father would be here but there was no one in this large compound. She saw no one until her eyes caught glimpse of a white-haired boy in a beautiful dark blue kimono, playing with pebbles by himself. He looked nothing like her classmates, like her seniors. In a sea of dark hair, light blond hair and brown hair, none of her classmates had snow white hair.
No one, in the village, had white hair like his.
She slid the door opened and slowly approached the beautiful white-haired boy. With the sunlight smiling down on him, his hair looked so much like snow. So pretty and soft for her hands to touch. The water rippled with each passing pebble and yet it remained still at the same time. This was definitely a dream, she knew. Water did not behave in such an unnatural way. The boy yawned, leaned back on his hands, and Naruto took it as her chance to approach him.
“Hey,” she called out to him. He jerked his head at her and she found herself staring at the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Bluer than her own eyes, though it was much colder than her own, but not the same coldness as her classmates or their parents. His eyes were the reflection of the sea on a clear summer day, captured into a ball or what she assumed the sea would look like. “Do you know where the hell am I? Where is everyone? Cuz this place is way too lonely to be my dream.”
The boy cocked his head to the side, his eyes held boredom and interest. “This is supposed to be my home but in my dream my Grandfather would be in my dream, telling me not to slack off and to resume my training.” His voice took an edge of laziness. “Or my mother would be attempting to announce I’m getting another sibling; I had that nightmare before.” He wrinkled his nose, flickering another pebble. “But no one from my clan is here, not even the servants.”
Naruto took a seat beside him, picked up a pebble and looked at the crystal blue water of the pond. “Must be nice to dream about your grandfather and mother,” she flicked the pebble while the boy stared at her with blank eyes. “But no offense, your Gramps sounds like a jerk if you’re dreaming about him yelling at you not to slack off but if this is supposed to be your dream, then shouldn’t they be someone here? If this was my dream, I would be dreaming about wearing the Hokage’s hat and laughing at all those jerks in my village who kept insulting me.”
“Hokage?” He raised his eyebrows at her as he picked up another pebble. He stroked the smoothness of the pebble as the winds now carried the sweet scent of mochi. “What the hell is a Hokage?” The pebble jumped across the pond, though the waters still did not ripple from the movement. No dip. No circles. Just another reminder of how strange, this dream was. “Sounds like a made-up word to me.”
She puffed her cheeks. “You sure you come from a clan? Every ninja clan knows what the Hokage is, even our neighbouring countries know what it means!” He just stared at her without any emotion and she wondered what the hell was wrong with him to show no emotions. “The Hokage is the strongest ninja in the whole of Konoha, the leader of the village, the one that everyone looks up to! Someone you can’t just disrespect!” She jabbed her thumb against her chest. “And one day that is going to be me!”
He tilted his head at her, lingering on her hair before drifting to the whisker marks on her cheeks. “Aren’t ninjas supposed to be quiet? You’re way too loud to be a ninja.” Her mouth parted while the boy looked at her. “And are you the strongest ninja in your village after the Hokage? Cuz if you’re weak, then there is no point for you to make that claim.” It might be a dream but she felt her blood boil at those cruel words. He must have noticed it because he elaborated even more. “Training can only take you so far if you don’t have the talent, it’s better to have a dream that you can easily achieve.”
Naruto clenched her jaw. “And what’s your dream, asshole? Bet it must be something super easy so you don’t have to worry about failing.” She glared at those mocking blue eyes while the winds began to pick up its pace, screaming in all directions as cold blue eyes stared back at her. “Because only a spoiled brat like you would say something like that! I bet you never had to work hard, everything comes naturally for you.”
“Yup,” he agreed with a shrug. “And if I had to pick a dream, I would like to live somewhere where no one is constantly yelling at me to train or where everyone keeps saying mean stuff about my mother. She lets me have fun when she can, everyone else just wants me to be the perfect heir.” His face brightened. “And maybe find an equal ‘cuz all the kids from the other clans are just weak and boring. Or they are jerks because they are jealous that I’m destined to be the strongest.”
She stared at this arrogant boy. “Or maybe they are jerks because you’re an asshole. No one likes someone who thinks they’re better than them.”
“But it’s true, I’m stronger than them,” he declared with a tone of complain. “Everyone knows it. Grandfather says that I’m the strongest person to be born into our society, everything changed when I was born.” His words came out as a grumble. “Not my fault that they can’t keep up with my strength, not even Father can keep up with me.” His eyes focused on her. “And since you’re a ninja, I bet you can’t keep up with me either. No one can.”
His words were filled with arrogance, just a little bit similar to Sasuke whenever she challenged him to a fight, but there was a hint of loneliness in him. Like he felt as alone as her. An arrogant jerk, he might be, but he was as lonely as that oak tree standing in the corner. She gazed at that tree with determined eyes. “You know I can whoop your ass right here and right now to prove to you that I can keep up with you.”
Amusement coloured those blue eyes. The boy clasped his hands behind his head while his lips curved just a little bit, a teasing smile. “Whoop my ass? That doesn’t sound something like a girl should say, you know guys like girls who are a little bit meek.” He glanced at her orange tracksuit before staring straight at her eyes. “You know you would be cuter if you didn’t say words like assholes and ass all the time and if you wear a dress.”
She didn’t know whether to scream at this irritating boy or to turn red at how easy the words had spilled out of his mouth. “First off, a dress won’t allow me to kick boy’s asses without them looking at my underwear,” her voice rose as the clouds began to circle around till they resembled storm clouds. “And second off, why should I be a little bit meek for some guy? I ain’t changing myself for some boy!”
That stupid smirk didn’t falter, instead it simply grew as his blue eyes twinkled with mischief. She curled her hand into a fist as the boy began to talk, unaware or uncaring about her fist. If Hinata was here, she would tell her to let it go, but her best friend was not here to act as her moral compass. But that growing twinkle of mischief tempted her. “I’m just saying that if you wanna get married one day, then you should act—”
She didn’t wait for him to finish the sentence before she hurled her fist against the boy’s face. His bone cracked underneath her knuckle, it was strange because dreams shouldn’t feel this real. She glanced at her knuckle, watching with a sweet smile as blood dribbled down his nose. The boy brushed his hand against his nose, eyes completely stunned, but she just raised her chin. It was wrong of her but she couldn’t help but smile in triumphant. “Still want to finish that sentence, Mr. Tough Guy?”
He blinked, wiped his nose, and then tilted his head with his hand still on his bleeding nose. “You punch more like a guy than a girl.” His tone was softer and less arrogant. Apparently, he needed a good punch for him to choose his next words carefully. “And why does it feel so real? And why didn’t I wake up from this strange dream.”
It was all good questions, but she didn’t have the answers. She just wanted this dream to end. She just didn’t want to spend another minute with an asshole like this. A moment of confusion shifted into her mind. Why would she dream about a pretty boy like this? Why would she dream of someone who behaved like an absolute asshole? Her whole school was filled with them. She needed to figure out how to get out of this dream.
“Don’t ask me, Jerk.” She scowled at him. “I need to wake up before Iruka-sensei realizes I dozed off. If he notices, he’s going to humiliate me in front of everyone—again.” She groaned, burying her face in her hands. “And if I don’t wake up soon, he’ll start asking me questions. I won’t know the answers! Worse, I’m sitting next to Shikamaru, and he’s probably asleep too. Great. Just great. I’m completely on my own here.” With a deep breath, she glared at him. “You better not show up in my dreams again, got it?”
The boy stared distantly, throwing another pebble into the pond. “If we meet again, then it means you’re stuck with me forever.”
Stuck with him, forever? With this jerk? She balled her hand into a fist and looked at the stone walls of the compound. It loomed over her like a mountain, towering and something for her to overcome. The utter cold silence pressed down on her, overwhelming her to the point her knees threatened to buckle. She didn’t want to always come back to this lonely clan compound, to be stuck alone with him. It felt too lonely. The lack of people was enough to make her want to run away from this place. She turned to look at the boy.
“Like hell I’m getting stuck with someone like you. This will be our first and last meeting.”
(It was not.)