Starting Over Once more
A/N: I'm fairly happy with this. This is part one. There will be a part two, but there might be another chapter between the first and second part. This will be the start of a group of one-shots. I'd be happy if my lovely, devoted reviewers would give me pairings and ideas to go along with the pairings. However, if you only give me a pairing, it might not show up, because, well, I will need ideas for it. Hopefully descriptive ideas. Also, please have an account if you aren't going to give descriptive ideas, so that I may brainstorm with you. Thank you.
PS: Sorry for the really long goodbyes. You can skip it if you want, but I think that some of it is funny.
One: hotshorty
Two-shot: Part one
Crossover: Naruto & Inuyasha
Pairing: Naruto & Kagome
I can't believe this, was one of the thoughts running through a blond 21 year olds head.
Naruto sighed as he walked through the village he had considered his home for so many years. It had never bothered him before, the villagers glaring at him. He knew that he had never done anything truly wrong for them to glare at him for. But now, they had reason, and he partly agreed with them. He was the reason that their precious Uchiha had left, and he was the reason that he wouldn't come back.
Like the Hokage had told him, he now had two choices. He could endure the villager's scrutiny and hate for the rest of his life, or he could leave the village and find a place where nobody had heard of him before.
He was leaving. He could have handled having the villagers hate him, but the looks that his teammate, Sakura, sent him when she thought that he wasn't looking…that hurt. She would throw him disapproving, disappointed looks, and he knew that she secretly loathed him for taking away her 'Sasuke-kun'. Finally, after two years of training to beat him, and 6 years of trying to beat him, Naruto had defeated Sasuke. But that didn't mean that the Missing-Nin would come back to Konoha. In fact, it had driven the raven further away.
So now, he was walking toward the gates of Konoha, fully intending to leave. On his back was a tan backpack, which held his clothing and necessities, along with a group picture of the rookie nine and their Jounin sensei, the third Hokage in the middle beside Naruto. Beside that picture was one of he, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune.
He had long since given up his signature orange jumpsuit for black cargo pants and a dark blue t-shirt. Over the shirt he wore a black leather coat, a birthday gift from Kiba last year. The Hokage's necklace complimented the outfit. He had moved his Hitai-ate from his forehead to his left upper arm, though he had no idea why.
Naruto saw 6 of the rookie nine, along with their sensei, standing beside the gate, along with Gai's team, Sai, two of the Legendary Sannin, and one legendary Sannin's assistant. They all looked up as he neared and he saw that Ino and Hinata were sobbing against one another, while Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Asuma were glaring at the ground, as if blaming the world's problems on it.
Shino leaned against a nearby wall impassively, but his shoulders seemed to droop. Sai stood a little away from the bug user, staring at the ground in a fascinated manner. Tenten and Kurenai stood side-by-side, both looking a little teary eyed. Neji stared off into space, looking extremely upset about something, while Lee and Gai both bawled quite loudly.
Kiba and Akamaru sat on the ground, moping, while Choji sat beside him, no food in sight. That, alone, was a testament to how upset he was. Shikamaru stood beside the large young man, staring at the clouds with a forlorn gaze. Kakashi stood off to the side of them all, patting the back of a quietly crying Shizune, Pakkun on his shoulder, who was looking like a kicked puppy.
Naruto briefly felt bad for not saying goodbye to Gaara and his siblings, but he wasn't about to take a detour to Sunagakure, that would just make him chicken out and come back home. He had sent a letter to Sunagakure this morning, so, hopefully, the ex-demon vessel wouldn't be too vexed with him.
"Yo," Naruto said quietly, raising a hand in greeting.
"You're really going through with this?" Kiba murmured quietly, his elbows on his knees as he looked up at his friend.
"Yeah," Naruto replied, averting his eyes so as not to melt under one of his closest friend's puppy eyes.
"Ruff!" the bark that Akamaru sent him sounded like a friendly insult, though the large dog's ears and tail drooped.
"You don't have to leave," Neji commented and Naruto sighed.
"You could stay. You are a Jounin now. You can get your own team to train if you want," Asuma said.
"Or you could open up a ramen stand," Choji put in.
"…Or study bugs…"
"Or practice YOUTH!" Lee and Gai chimed.
Naruto sighed once again.
"Or you could do what you want and leave the village to find happiness, though it seems like a lot of work," Shikamaru drawled, still staring at the clouds, and Naruto looked at him, smiling slightly.
"Know that whatever you chose, we support you," Shikamaru finished, before standing and putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder, giving him a small smirk.
"Because we're your friends. Though, that also means that we'll miss you and that you will be required to come and visit, or at least write," he added, before nodding at the blond and walking away.
"Yeah, cause if you don't, we'll hunt you down and tear you apart!" Kiba growled as he stood and walked over to him to pull Naruto into a rough, tight hug.
"Take care," Kiba whispered, before stalking off with Akamaru.
Choji sniffed as he stood up and walked to the blond, wordlessly handing him a bag of potatoes chips, before disappearing with a puff of smoke. Sai walked over quietly and handed him a small scroll before walking away, his shoulders drooping. Shino silently approached Naruto and put something in the blonde's fist, before disappearing with a swarm of bugs. Naruto looked down at his closed fist and opened it, revealing a crystallized, bright orange butterfly. He smiled slightly at Shino's strange ways of showing his emotions, before putting the three gifts inside his bag.
"I suppose that there are some things that one cannot change," Neji said quietly, gazing at the blond sadly.
"It's not that. It's that there are some decisions that one cannot undo, or take back. No matter how much you wish to," Naruto said soberly as he hugged the normally stoic Hyuga.
As he pulled away from the elder man, Naruto looked over at Hinata and Ino. He gave them a forced grin and sighed. Hinata seemed like she was hyperventilating, while Ino just seemed sad. He glanced back at the elder Hyuga.
"Take care of Hinata. Make sure she breaths," he advised and Neji nodded solemnly.
"I guess I'll be seeing you guys, eh?" Naruto told Kurenai and Tenten and blinked when the weapon mistress lunged and attached herself to his torso, shaking.
"Take care Naruto!" she whispered and he smiled softly.
"I will. Don't worry," he said as she released him.
"Good luck. I hear that the village that you're going to is lovely, but the Taikage is rumored to be very strict," Kurenai advised and he nodded.
Naruto walked over to Kakashi and Shizune, opting to skip Lee and his…enthusiastic sensei. Kakashi looked at him, his one eye showing sadness and a bit of panic as Shizune threw herself at the blond. Naruto caught her easily, thanks to years of nonstop training and battles.
"Don't you dare die! I've seen you go through too many fights and come out victorious for you to die on one little trip outside the village!" she said fiercely, and he didn't bother to correct her about the fact that the one little trip outside the village was to a village all the way past the land of waves.
"Yes, Shizune-nee-Chan. I'll take good care of myself," Naruto nodded and she released him from the choke hold she had on his head.
Naruto sighed as the strange woman went to stand beside Tsunade, leaving him somewhat alone with his ex-sensei. He looked at his fellow Jounin and sighed once again.
"I guess this is goodbye," he murmured and the scarecrow shook his head, eye smiling.
"Don't say that. I don't like good byes. Instead, say…'until we meet again', because we will. It's not like your leaving forever. You'll return…wont you?" Kakashi seemed to stiffen as if the thought that his ex-student would be leaving indefinitely hadn't occurred to him.
"Yeah…eventually. I don't know when I'll be coming back though," Naruto said uncertainly.
"As long as you come back before I die, I'll be happy. You never know, you may find yourself a special somebody in Shinkigakure," Kakashi suggested slyly, attempting to lighten the mood, which worked when the blond laughed.
"Whatever you say, Kakashi-sensei. I'll…uh…see you around, huh?" Naruto suggested, turning away from him and toward where the two Sannin and the last of the sensei stood by the gate.
"Yeah, see ya around, Naruto. I'm proud to call you one of my students," Kakashi murmured, and the blond gave him a cheerful grin, before walking toward the last three.
As Jiraiya watched the blond walk toward him, he had no doubt in his mind that the boy was the fourth's son. His blond hair had grown to graze his shoulders lightly, now tamed slightly, yet still holding that same rugged look it always had. He had lost his baby fat and matured greatly, too much for one so young still. It sent a small twinge through Jiraiya every time the boy -no, the man- looked at him with his strong and determined blue eyes. He resembled the fourth too closely for his comfort, yet he was still Naruto. Hell, the young Jounin had spent too many years proclaiming it for him to be anything else.
The two stood there, looking at one another for what seemed like hours, before Naruto finally let out a small laugh.
"Heh, you always have so much to say in those perverted books, Ero Sannin. Did you finally grow senile?" he asked teasingly and the old man developed a tick in his eyebrow.
"You're one to talk Blondie. I don't see you having anything to say," he growled and the blond grinned.
"I suppose so. I always do seem to have something to say, even if my opinion isn't wanted," he chuckled.
"Yeah, you always were a loudmouth. Be sure that you don't talk the Taikage's ear off, or he may banish you from the Village Hidden in The Jewel, brat," Jiraiya scoffed and the blond sighed.
"I'll miss trading insults with you," he mused and the old man laughed.
"And I'll miss picking on you, shrimp! When you come back, I'll buy you a drink," Jiraiya promised and the blond glared at him.
"I'm as tall as you are now! How am I still a shrimp!"
"You'll always be a shrimp to me, brat!" Jiraiya said fondly, before ruffling the blond's hair and disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Naruto sighed and walked to Asuma, feeling very emotionally tired.
"Hey kid. You're really going through with it, aren't ya?" the smoking man asked and Naruto nodded.
"Well, all I have to say is…thank you. I don't think any of my team, aside from Shikamaru, would have ever made it to Chunin if it hadn't been for your influence on them. And Shikamaru would never have made Jounin if you hadn't given him initiative. You're really something special," Asuma commented nonchalantly and the blond blushed.
"Yeah, well, thanks for helping me master my wind element. I would never have been able to do it without you," Naruto mumbled and the elder Jounin chuckled.
"No, you would have. It would have taken you longer, but you would have. You're Konoha's Number One Loudest, Unpredictable, Hyperactive Knuckle-headed Ninja, and don't you forget it. You wouldn't have given up," Asuma said confidently.
"Now, get over there. I think the fifth is about ready to lock you up and never let you out of the village," Asuma said, nodding his head toward the fifth.
The man gave the blond a pat on the back encouragingly, and Naruto walked toward his self-proclaimed grandmother. Tsunade glared hard at the ground, completely ignoring Shizune, who was attempting to comfort her.
"You take good care of Konoha while I'm gone, got it Baa-Chan? And don't die of old age on me, cause I'm still going to be Hokage!" Naruto proclaimed and the woman's head lifted toward him.
"I swear, Naruto, if you call me old one more time I'm going to demote you to Genin!" she growled and he just grinned at her.
"I love you too, baa-Chan," he chuckled and blinked when he saw her blink back tears, glaring at the ground once more.
"Oh, come on! You're not that old! Why, remember those old geezers in Sunagakure! And what about the village elders here! They're older than dirt!" he said and saw her let out a small huff of a laugh.
"You, brat, are daft! I'm not crying because you called me old…I'm crying because you're leaving!" Tsunade said as she pulled him into a strong headlock, ruffling his hair with a fist.
"Ah! Baa-Chan! You're going to make me bald!"
Tsunade released the blond, only to pull him into a hug.
"Take care, Naruto. I've already informed the Taikage of your impending arrival. I called it an…extended vacation. Take as long as you like in Shinkigakure. When you get there, you will need to report to the Taikage," Tsunade sniffed as she let him go.
"Thank you, Baa-Chan. For…everything," Naruto murmured, before giving her a cheerful, yet fake, grin and walking out of the gates, leaving his childhood home behind.
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"Name and purpose, please."
Naruto sighed as he looked up at the ANBU that the female voice belonged to.
"Naruto Uzumaki, Jounin of Konoha. I am here for an audience with the Taikage."
It had taken him two weeks to travel to the village, and he was immensely relieved to be out of the forsaken forest. He saw the Jounin atop the pearly stone gates exchange glances, but the ANBU motioned for him to leap atop the gates, where she and the Jounin perched. Channeling Chakra to his feet, he jumped to stand beside the female ANBU and saw that she wore a bird ANBU mask.
"I'll take you to the Taikage," the beautiful voice behind the mask spoke and Naruto heard the Jounin behind her stutter slightly.
"Tori-sama, myself or Miroku-san could take him to Taikage-sama," the female Jounin said softly and the ANBU looked back at the brunette.
"He requested me to guide Uzumaki-san to him, Sango-Chan. I'll be fine," the ANBU said kindly, and nodded for Naruto to follow her.
It was strange. As they lept over buildings toward a large tower, similar to the Hokage tower, Naruto couldn't feel even the slightest Chakra being channeled to the ANBU's feet. He stored that information away in the back of his mind as they entered the tower. As he followed her up spiraling stairs, he noticed that she had black hair, which was pulled up into a tight bun, and that she didn't wear Shinobi sandals. Strangely, she didn't wear standard ANBU clothing either. She wore what appeared to be a slim v-neck white sweater and form fitting khaki pants. Naruto chalked it up to ANBU in other villages not being required to wear certain clothing, and reasoned that you didn't have to wear Shinobi sandals to move properly. What he couldn't explain, however, was that he could see no weapon on her person, aside from a sword that was strapped to her back in it's sheath.
The ANBU knocked on a large door and he heard a grunt from inside. The woman took this for admission and opened the door, holding it for him politely. Naruto nodded in thanks and entered the large room, which was almost identical to the Hokage's room in Konoha. He heard the ANBU close the door behind him and glanced behind him to see that she had also entered the room, and was now walking past him, toward the man sitting at a large desk.
"I have brought Naruto Uzumaki," she said calmly, moving to stand behind the desk, to the right of the man, who he assumed was the Taikage.
"Tsunade has informed me that you wish to stay in Shinkigakure for the duration of your…vacation," the silver haired man spoke to Naruto, who nodded.
"She also informed me that you do not wish to be on active Shinobi status while here. That is acceptable. I assume that you will be needing lodgings while in my village?" the Taikage demanded and the blond nodded once more.
"I have already arranged it for you to stay within my manor, where myself, my sister and brother live. Kagome," the silver haired man said the name with his head tilted back toward the ANBU, indicating that she was 'Kagome'.
"Yes, Sesshomaru?" the ANBU asked quietly, shocking Naruto.
She refers to him on a first name basis?
"Take off your mask, if you will. He will be staying with us for some time. He will be seeing your face at one point or another," Sesshomaru stated and the ANBU reached up to untie the mask.
For some reason, Naruto found himself holding his breath as she pulled the mask from her face. Would the face match the heavenly voice? Naruto nearly feinted. As the woman pulled the mask from her face, the bun that held her hair fell free, revealing a beautiful woman with waist length raven hair and bright gold-green eyes. High cheek bones, and a straight nose complemented by a small, pointy chin. She reminded him of an angel.
"I am Kagome, Sesshomaru's sister," she said quietly, her full, light pink lips curving to show off straight, white teeth with slightly longer than normal canines.
"Though Kagome wears an ANBU mask, she is not a ninja," Sesshomaru commented and the woman nodded at Naruto's shocked expression.
"It's true. I rather prefer to heal and garden. Though, I do know a bit of martial arts and I am a master swordsman, thanks to Sesshomaru," Kagome said and Naruto blinked.
"Why do you wear an ANBU mask then?" he asked and Sesshomaru sighed.
"As the Taikage of Shinkigakure, I have many enemies. As such, I force my sister and brother to wear masks when they leave the manor, however, they are free to take them off once in a safe location, so that nobody knows their identities. It is safer for them and me," Sesshomaru said and Naruto nodded.
"I think that I will take Uzumaki-san to the manor now, Sesshomaru. He has been traveling for quite a while," Kagome said and the Taikage nodded.
Kagome twisted her hair back into a bun and pulled her mask back on, before walking toward the door, motioning for Naruto to follow. The blond bowed to the Taikage, before rushing after the fast non-ninja, ANBU masked woman.
"So, your other brother, Inuyasha, is he cool with this?" Naruto asked her as he struggled to keep pace with the woman.
"He's not cool with most things, but he doesn't have a say in the matter. You'll learn to ignore him after a while. It's necessary if you're going to be in his company more than five minutes, Uzumaki-san," Kagome answered cheerfully.
"Just Naruto, please," the blond said and she smiled behind her mask.
"Alright then. Call me Kagome please. I suppose titles don't mean much for roommates," she said and he nodded.
Naruto blinked as they came upon a large, mansion like building.
"This is the Taishou Manor. Come, I'll give you a short tour," Kagome said as she opened the door and let him enter before herself.
Naruto gaped at the lush interior, and blinked when Kagome pulled her mask off, her hair falling free as well. She threw the ANBU mask across the room, surprising Naruto, but it landed on the couch. She motioned for him to follow her and Naruto found himself admiring the way her firm stomach moved as she walked ahead of him.
"This room leads to our inside pool, the one beside it is the changing room. The door to the left of the entrance leads to the kitchen, but you'll hardly need to go there, as we have servants that can bring food to you by pressing the blue button on the wall in your room. Next to that door is the dining room. Breakfast is at 7 am, lunch is at 12, and dinner is at 7 pm. Feel free to have snacks in between there. Don't feel obligated to come to any of the three set times, because, I don't. Inuyasha is cranky in the morning, and Sesshomaru is rarely home for dinner. I usually eat an hour later.
"The second floor is where the guest rooms are. You can pick any one of them, they all have private bathrooms connected to them. My own room, along with Inuyasha's and Sesshomaru's, is below us. The manor goes a couple stories below ground. If you need anything that the servants cannot handle, please, come see me. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are rather…antisocial, but I love company," Kagome said, smiling and Naruto grinned back at her.
"You sure seem different from the Taikage," he commented and she shrugged.
"Sesshomaru and Inuyasha take after our father, I take after our mother, both in looks, and personality," Kagome said and he laughed.
"Still, you seem to hold them both in high esteem," he observed and she smiled shyly.
"I'm the youngest. Our mother died giving birth to me, and our father died by assassination when I was 13. He was the previous Taikage. Sesshomaru was 20 at the time. Ever since then, Sesshomaru has been Taikage, and he raised Inuyasha and myself, Inuyasha being 15 when our father died. Our father is a rather sore subject with my brothers. I suppose that I should let you get yourself cleaned up. When you are finished, would you like to go out and get something to eat? My treat, of course," Kagome offered and he nodded happily, grinning.
"Yeah, I'd love to! An hour okay?" he suggested and she nodded, making shooing motions.
"I'll wait for you in the kitchen," she chirped.
An hour later, Naruto bounced down the stairs, blond locks still slightly damp, wearing tan cargo shorts and a white t-shirt, forgoing the leather jacket. He walked into the kitchen to find Kagome sitting at the table, wearing tan shorts and a red t-shirt. She smiled as she stood up, grabbing her mask from the table and pulling it on, fixing her hair into a bun once more.
They didn't say anything until they had slipped out of the house, walked a few streets, and into a dark alley, where Kagome pulled her mask off and slipped it into a sealing scroll, which was then tucked into the back pack on her back. Without the mask, she looked like any other tourist or villager, her hair now loose.
"So what do you want to eat?" she asked as they left the alley to roam the streets.
"RAMEN!" he cheered and she laughed.
"Either you and Inuyasha are going to be best friends, or bitter enemies fighting over the last cup of instant ramen," she chuckled and took his hand, leading him along the busy streets.
"Why? He likes ramen too?" Naruto asked and she snorted.
"He worships instant ramen. Not too fond of the fresh stuff, but he loves the instant ramen," she said and he wrinkled his nose.
"He's not a true ramen lover then. I love all kinds of ramen!" he chirped and she smiled.
"Ah, that was wonderful Kagome-Chan!" Naruto exclaimed as they both walked through the door to the manor, Kagome pulling off the mask again.
"I'm glad that you liked it Naruto-kun," she said and heard a growl from the kitchen.
"You going to start bringing home guys now, Kagome? I think you've been hanging around Jakotsu too much. Bankotsu says that he brings home a different guy every night," a rough voice called and she smiled.
"No, Yasha. This is the Konoha Nin that Sesshomaru said is staying with us," Kagome answered cheerfully, and the kitchen door flung open to reveal a black haired man wearing white pants and a red shirt, golden eyes glaring at both.
"Be a good puppy Inuyasha, and go finish your ramen," Kagome said mildly and the man's eyes widened.
"Kuso! My ramen!" the man yelled, dashing back into the kitchen, making Kagome laugh and Naruto blink.
A few seconds later and the man came back out, cradling a hot cup of ramen to his chest as he slurped happily. Kagome smiled and motioned towards Naruto.
"Inuyasha, this is Naruto Uzumaki, Jounin of Konoha," Kagome said and said blond shivered just slightly, liking the way that her heavenly voice said the words.
"Jounin, huh? This kid? Is Konoha that weak?" Inuyasha scoffed and Kagome growled at him loudly, making him flinch.
"Do you want me to tell Sesshomaru that you are disrespecting Konoha, Inuyasha? Tsunade has been a friend of his for a long time, and I happen to like her. Do you really think that it is wise to disrespect her village in front of me?" she growled at him lowly and Naruto looked at Kagome in surprise, his earlier ire at the man for insulting his village pushed aside in curiosity.
"You know Baa-Chan?" he asked and she smiled.
"If you mean the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, then yes. I do. She used to visit Shinkigakure before she became the Hokage," Kagome said and Naruto blinked.
"She doesn't owe you money, does she?" he asked nervously and she laughed.
"No, but I believe that Miroku owes about two hundred dollars to her. He hid for a week, afraid of being teased for losing to the 'Legendary Sucker'," Inuyasha stated in a deadpan voice.
"Baa-Chan won!" Naruto gasped and he shrugged.
"About two hours later, her pet pig died. I hear that she got another one, though," Inuyasha said and Naruto blinked again.
Tonton's her second pig? He thought in surprise.
"I liked Tsunade, but I must say, her assistant was rather…enthusiastic about her job," Kagome said and it was Naruto's turn to laugh.
"Shizune-nee-Chan is definitely that. I'll never understand how she came to be Baa-Chan's lackey though," Naruto said.
"I'm home."
The three turned to see Sesshomaru walking through the front door, glaring at the floor. Kagome bounced over to him and started talking quickly, first asking about the man's day and then telling him about going to eat at the ramen stand.
"Give him a brake Kags, he just got home," Inuyasha called to her and she faltered a bit, seeming shocked.
"What do you know that I don't?" Kagome demanded of the black haired man, who stammered a bit.
"N-Nothing…"
"Something must be going on. You never side with Sesshomaru on anything. Usually you would be bugging him with me," Kagome said wisely and the middle brother gulped.
Sesshomaru sighed and decided to spare his younger brother some slack. He placed a hand on Kagome's head lightly.
"Calm down Kagome. Inu-baka is only feeling generous with his good mood because his clay pot is coming over," Sesshomaru smirked, referring to Inuyasha's 'porcelain-skinned baby' as his brother so fondly referred to the cold village woman.
"Whatever jerk," Inuyasha mumbled, stalking out of the room.
"I think that I'll spend the night at Sango's then," Kagome mused quietly and Sesshomaru shook his head.
"The monk's wife is away on a B rank mission and will not be back for two days," he said and she pouted.
"Rin?" she asked and he shook his head.
"With the monk's wife, along with Shippo and Kanna," Sesshomaru stated and she sighed.
"I guess I'll stay with Miroku then," she said in a forlorn voice.
"You will not stay the night at that perverted monk's apartment!" Sesshomaru growled and she rolled her eyes.
"Fine, then I'll stay in a tree!" she shot back and Naruto blinked.
"I take it that you don't like your brother's girlfriend?" he asked and both scoffed.
"If you can call that psycho slut a human," Kagome mumbled and Sesshomaru barked a chuckle.
"Why don't you two go to the Midsummer Festival Tonight?" he suggested and Kagome brightened considerably, before turning to the blond.
"Oh, Naruto-kun, will you go with me! Please!" she pleaded and he grinned.
"Sure!" he chirped and she laughed happily, flinging her arms around his neck.
"Hey, now! None of that in front of me!" Sesshomaru scorned as he headed for the stairs.
"Sesshomaru!" Kagome yelled, blushing lightly, as Naruto turned tomato.
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"It's so pretty out," Kagome murmured, looking up at all of the fireflies that glowed over the crowd's heads.
"Yeah," Naruto agreed, looking at the woman next to him, a small smile on his face.
The two had just arrived at the festival, Kagome wearing a spaghetti strap black dress that went to her knees along with ankle strapped, open toe black heels. Naruto wore a pair of black jeans and a black, long sleeved fishnet shirt with his black Shinobi sandals. He reminded himself of Shikamaru, as it was the kind outfit the shadow user normally wore.
But at the moment, his entire being was tuned into the woman next to him, taking in her scent, her appearance, her aura. Her. It was amazing, just being next to her.
The summer air was heavy and sweet
You and I on a crowded street
There was music everywhere, I can see us there
As he watched her bouncing from person to person around them, he knew. This was why he fought to protect his village. This was the reason that, even though he was shunned, he cared for the village's life. Because it was life. Even if the villagers within it were mean to him, they were alive, as Kagome was alive.
He wanted to protect her, even if she probably didn't need protecting, he wanted to be the one that she fell against when things got too tough. Probably, he reasoned, it was because of her laugh. Like the tinkling of bells, so untainted and pure. It flowed over his skin, like water.
In a happy little foreign town
Where the stars hung upside down
A half a world away, far far away
I remember you were laughing
We were so in love, we were so in love
Naruto blinked when she suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him into a large area that had couples standing in it. When music came on, he felt a slight jolt of panic, now understanding what she was planning.
And the band played songs we'd never heard
But we danced anyway
We never understood the words
We just sang oh la la la la la la la oh
And we danced anyway
But as Kagome took one of his hands, placed his other on her side, and laid her free hand on his shoulder, he found that his fear was unneeded. He was slightly dazed when she started to guide him through many steps and spins. It was a carefree thing, the way that they danced.
They say you can't go back, baby I don't believe that
Come along with me, come on and dance with me
Maybe if I hold you close
Baby we could just let go
Of these things that tie us down, we'll come back around
As they moved fluidly along the dance floor, Naruto found that he was having the time of his life. He didn't think that he had ever been so happy and carefree.
Do you remember we were laughing
We were so in love, we were so in love
As he gazed at his dance partner, he felt his heart swell in an unfamiliar way. Kagome had her hair free, hanging loose around her waist in ebony waves, and seemed to glow in the light of the small paper lanterns and fireflies. Her golden-green eyes danced as she stared into his own cerulean eyes.
And the band played songs we'd never heard
But we danced anyway
We never understood the words
We just sang oh la la la la la la la la la oh
And we danced anyway
And as they stared into each other's eyes, Naruto found himself falling deeper into her golden-green orbs, and, unknowingly, in love.