Mei wiped the sweat from her forehead with a disgusted expression, looking at the treacherous oven where a delicious chicken was cooking, which her mother ordered her to prepare to welcome a certain half who was equally, if not more, treacherous than the cursed oven.
She had protested, not understanding how the hell Sakura went from being sad and scared, to then furious when Tetsumaru finally deigned to call, only to get up at dawn with a rediscovered love for house cleaning and her incredible son, whose service to society and Professional Heroes saved many lives.
Was she crazy? Or were mothers crazy by default? Or was that how women were?
When Mei pointed out to her mother how angry she had been the night before, she simply put a finger to her lips and tilted her head, looking at the kunoichi with lost eyes and an innocent expression.
—Cook for Tetsumaru— she said tenderly, but Mei felt deep down that disobeying was not an option for her.
So while Sakura and Sasuke took care of tidying up the mess they had for an entrance, Mei was a prisoner of the kitchen.
Where was the damn justice?
Mei grumbled to herself, preparing the salad with disdain and promising herself to make the misogynistic bastard, lover of Heroes and tights, pay as soon as she had the chance.
But for her mother's sake, she kept silent and obeyed. Occasionally, she directed piercing looks of disappointment at her submissive father, who nodded to all of his wife's whims.
Get some balls, man!
Suddenly, Mei almost dropped the spoon she was stirring the salad ingredients with as she felt a faint signal that hadn't been there for days.
A tickle in a corner of her mind, like a signal slowly becoming clearer. Without realizing it, her mood was comforted by a warm sensation of fullness.
She pretended everything was fine, returning to her chores with a furrowed brow in a stubborn display of displeasure that was slowly fading.
From the side, Sakura narrowed her eyes as she watched her bitter daughter complete her chores with a slightly different posture, a renewed emotion, and a sparkle of expectation in her eyes.
The woman smirked, signaling to her husband to set the table.
The minutes passed, and Mei finished her tasks, waiting with crossed arms and a grimace she struggled to maintain for the chicken to be ready and for the one responsible for her unfair treatment to finally arrive.
The intensity of his presence invaded her mind, the familiar unnatural touch of the connection pulsed, waiting for one of the parties to open it and share what they felt, what they thought.
Mei refused to give in, ready to put that fool in his place. He contradicted her, ignored her, left her behind. Who the hell did he think he was?
Yes, a good welcome meal and lots of pampering from his mother might await Tetsumaru, but from Mei, he would only get retaliation.
—Retaliation, I tell you!— she exclaimed impulsively, but not in her mind, but in Tetsumaru's.
Unintentionally, Mei opened the connection and sent that promise to her other half.
She quickly closed it and cursed herself, blushing at such stupidity. Still, she remained attentive to a response that never came.
Her eyelids trembled and a vein pulsed in her forehead, her breathing rate increasing second by second. Mei opened the connection again.
—Hey, hey you!— the girl called, still receiving no response. —Haa!? When did you grow balls, Tetsumaru!? Do you think you can just come in with your stupid arrogant face and ignore me so blatantly without consequences!?
—...
No response. Indignation enveloped the kunoichi's face, who was about to leave the house to go give her other half a flying kick, when Sakura appeared out of nowhere slamming a ladle into Mei's head.
—Aack! What the heck, Mom!?
—The Chicken— Sakura said in a neutral but threatening tone, her face inches from Mei's, drilling the girl with a penetrating gaze that only a mother can use.
—O-okay— Mei nodded awkwardly, slumping her shoulders in absolute defeat and returning to her task of guarding the chicken.
—Get ready, Tetsumaru, because I swear you're going to pay triple for all the crap you—
Mei's thought was interrupted by the sudden and novel sensation of Tetsumaru swiftly approaching her location.
Probably using Shunshin, Tetsumaru blinked in the kunoichi's mind, his presence growing so overwhelmingly that she didn't know how to react.
In a matter of a few jumps, he was already at the entrance, his presence illuminating Mei's consciousness and resonating with the half of the soul she carried in her new shell of flesh.
The first thing Sasuke, Sakura, and Mei saw was sand seeping through the holes covered by sheets and tablecloths that the family had placed, since the services Nezu had promised hadn't arrived yet.
The Satetsu knocked down some sections, forming a dark and solid door again, a door that Tetsumaru casually opened to enter the house.
Mei gritted her teeth, turning with a huff towards the kitchen to wait for the damned chicken in the oven while her mother squealed and jumped into her son's arms, and her father enthusiastically followed, giving the little Hero a warm welcome.
—A-are you okay, nothing happened to you, right, no injuries, no accidents, no one hurt you, right!?— Sakura asked quickly, smothering Tetsumaru in hugs and an exhaustive check of his condition.
There was a pause whose origin Mei didn't know and forced herself to ignore, until Sakura's scream reverberated in her ears and the kunoichi had no choice but to turn around and peek discreetly.
—My baby!!— the woman exclaimed, pulling away Tetsumaru's robe to reveal a bandaged shoulder. Other than that, the shinobi had no other injuries.
—Sit down, Tetsumaru, I'll go get alcohol and some band-aids and, and!— Sakura ordered in a near panic, rushing up the stairs while Sasuke questioned the origin of the wound.
—Hm, one of those undead monsters bit me— was the brief reply.
—What!? And are you really okay!? You already treated the infection, right!?— Mei suddenly asked through their link, completely forgetting her refusal to deal with him.
Tetsumaru's calm gaze shifted from his father toward her, which caused Mei to flinch and look away, returning to her position in front of the oven.
—Ahem! Well son, I'm glad you're home. I'll go see what your mother is doing— Sasuke said, also going upstairs and leaving the two halves alone.
Mei's heart raced as soon as she felt Tetsumaru walk towards the kitchen, her emotions spinning out of control in ways she didn't even know were possible.
She did her best to remain aloof, refusing to look at Tetsumaru, who was now standing behind her in complete silence.
The girl's cheeks flushed against her will, all the frustration and anger she felt completely forgotten.
—Hello— Tetsumaru said through their link. —I'm back.
Those words were enough for Mei to sigh and turn around, meeting her other half's gaze head-on.
A second later, she jumped into his arms and melted her lips into his.