The Yondiame strode through the crowded streets of Konoha that morning, his spiky blonde hair being the odd one out in the sea of citizens. His striking blue eyes shone in the sun's light like beacons. Ever since this striking sensei was announced the 4th Hokage, walking peacefully was a thing of the past; everywhere the young Hokage went was met with formalities and bowing heads. It seemed that becoming Hokage meant leaving humanity behind; since you were no longer treated like a human, but like a king, or god or something. It was far too frustrating for our Yondiame. He closed his perfectly hued orbs, sighed, and continued to stroll throughout his home of Konoha. His absence of vision had a consequence that faithful morning; whilst turning the corner, our Yondiame bumped into something…someone. The moment our hero felt himself run into someone, his eyes shot open and caught the falling object, it was a woman, no older than he. She had light brown hair that went half way down her back, so he thought; while catching her, his fingers combed through her soft hair. The woman opened her eyes to reveal a heavenly light blue hue glaring out to the Yondiame, seeing him, holding her as she fell, made her cheeks heat and a light blush appeared on the woman's gentle face. The woman then spoke, her voice soft and gentle,
"Yo-Yondiame-sama!" her soft voice seemed to sooth the tension of the formality, "I- I'm just, oh, um, I- I'm so sorry Hokage-sama!" she spoke; her voice remaining gentle, but hinting fear and huge apology. Our hero sighed and helped the woman to her feet, who began bowing in apology the second she had enough room. The Yondiame felt depression kick in; becoming Hokage was very antisocial, and sort of lonely. After a few bows, our Yondiame waved a hand in halt; she did as she was told and stopped bowing immediately. Our young Hokage sighed and helped the woman pick up her bags. "Arigato, Hokage-sama," The woman replied gently as he handed the bags to her, "Gomen for bumping in to you Hokage-sama, I should have been paying attention to where I was going. Gomen." She finished, bowing a little. The Yondiame looked to the woman and sighed,
"No need to apologize," he started, grabbing the woman's attention, "It was my fault; I should have been paying attention."
"But Yondiame-sama, I bumped into you, no doubt about it. There's no need to accuse yourself."
"Does a man walk in the streets with his eyes closed?" the Hokage spoke, the woman tilted her head in question and replied,
"No, I don't believe so, Hokage-sama…" the Yondiame laughed instantly, the young woman glared at him in question,
"Apparently, I do." The Hokage continued to laugh. The woman snapped her eyes open in shock,
"OH! Well, I didn't mean what I said before because I just, I, um, never thought that…GOMEN HOKAGE-SAMA!" she worrily spoke, followed by respective bowing.
"For what?" the woman's cheeks flushed with embarrassment,
"Erm…never mind Yondiame-sama…" she replied, her voice fading into depression. The Yondiame began acting childish,
"It's alright, you can tell me." He stated, his face baring a childish grin that made the woman blush further.
"Well, when you said does a MAN walk through the streets with his eyes closed, I replied no, I thought that you would take that as an insult…in some way…" the Hokage gazed into her eyes, then began laughing hysterically, the woman tilted her head in question; her light blue eyes narrowed and hair drooping over her left shoulder.
"Gomen…ha-ha…gomen…it's just that, I would never think of it that way…that, and your reaction was PRICELESS!" he continued to laugh; the woman lowered her head in embarrassment. Once her face was in the Hokage's view, he stopped laughing immediately. It was rude to laugh at ones embarrassment, even ruder since the woman was a complete stranger of HIS village and HE was the Hokage! "Gomen, that wasn't very polite of me." The woman raised her head and smiled to the Hokage,
"It's alright Hokage-sama." She then turned her attention to the sky; the sun was higher in the sky, probably close to midday. She bowed once more to the Yondiame, "Arigato for catching me Hokage-sama, but I must be dropping these off." She bowed once more the Hokage and went on her way, waving behind her she went, "Arigato Yondiame-sama" with those last few words, she turned the corner and was out of sight. After shaking his head slightly, he continued on his way through the streets of Konoha; closing his blue orbs once more.
A couple of days past since that moment; bumping into that stranger on the street. The Hokage couldn't seem to get her face out of his mind, mostly because of the priceless expressions she gave, but there was something more to it. Our faithful Yondiame was pacing around his office, thinking what was bothering him so. He came to a simple conclusion: he did not know the woman's name. He strolled over to his desk and searched through citizen scrolls; after hours on end of searching, he came across her scroll. Kaze Hikaru was her name, meaning Light Wind; enchanting name in the Hokage's opinion, but held suspicion. Why was her clan named after Kaze country? Was it coincidence, or did the clan bloodline have something to do with it? His perfect blue eyes continued down the scroll; she was but half a year younger than him, she was not a ninja but had the skills of a jounin, her current occupation was working as a librarian in the Konoha library. He closed the scroll and thought to himself. He could go to the library and search for an important scroll/her or spend his off time in his office, going through every citizen scroll in Konoha…
At the Konoha library, Hikaru was placing various scrolls and books into the enormous bookcases. Her light blue orbs were covered by thin-lensed, blue rimmed glasses that matched her blue kimono. It was mid length, barely going past her knees; its yellow rim just covering her knee caps. The kimono was decorated with white flowers that danced across her chest and thighs. Her hair was out and hung freely behind her back. She was just putting away a scroll in the 'S' section when she turned on her heel, to come face to face with the Hokage. She dropped the scrolls in her hands in shock and began bowing nervously.
"GOMEN HOKAGE-SAMA! I didn't see you there!" he waved a hand in ok and helped her pick up the scrolls, she laughed nervously, "well, after seeing me drop just about everything when I see you, I seem pretty clumsy, huh?" he shook his head,
"No, not really." She smiled at his remark,
"Arigato, Yondiame-sama."
"No need for formalities, Hikaru-san." He stated, she was about to abide when she realized he knew her name,
"How did you-"
"Citizen scrolls." He answered before she could even finish her question.
"Oh…" the Yondiame handed her the scrolls and they both stood. She looked to her scrolls before speaking, "I hope you don't find this too personal, Yondiame-sa…Yondiame…but why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the Hokage building?" he shook his head slightly,
"It's not too personal, I'm here because I need to pick up a few scrolls for my students…well…former students." She seemed to be quite interested at that,
"Who are they? They must have been ecstatic when their sensei was proclaimed Hokage." She commented, a smile forming on her adorable face.
"I have two surviving students; Hatake Kakashi and Admarashi Rin."
"Who was the other?" she quizzed; sympathy in her voice in case he would sadden at the mention of a deceased student. As predicted; he frowned and sighed.
"One of the best ninja I had the pleasure of knowing…Uchiha Obito. He understood the true meaning of teamwork…the best trump card in the life of a ninja." His voice trailed into further depression. Hikaru lowered her head,
"Gomen Hokage-sama, I shouldn't have asked." He shook his head,
"It's nothing to apologize for, Kaze-san" she smiled to him and the two stood in silence for a moment. "Hikaru-san," the Hokage began, "Can you show me to the 'K' section?" she nodded her head,
"Sure, just as soon as I put these away."
"Let me help." Hikaru shook her head,
"It's alright Hokage-sama, I'll do it." The Yondiame was not about to take no for an answer,
"I insist."
"Alright…" she handed him half of the scrolls and the two finished the job in minutes flat. She sighed happily and thanked the Hokage for his help. She then led him into the 'K' section of the library where he collected the needed scrolls. A wave of silence washed over the two as they walked to the front counter. The Hokage was first to speak,
"Hikaru-san," she looked to him, "In your citizen scroll, it said that you had the talents of a jounin, yet you stay here in the library and work, why's that?" Hikaru shrugged,
"I don't know; maybe it's because I have such a low tolerance for pain and such low stamina." The Yondiame shook his head,
"That can easily be improved. I can train you if you want." Her light blue eyes flickered open and gazed upon the Yondiame,
"You- You want to train me?" Her head tilted to the side, the Yondiame laughed,
"Sure, why not. The Sandiame can fill in for me for a while, while I train you." Hikaru's eyes widened with joy, her face bared an ecstatic smile,
"REALLY HOKAGE-SAMA?" The Hokage nodded, receiving a very sudden hug from the overjoyed Hikaru, "THANK YOU SO MUCH HOKAGE-SAMA!" she squealed happily, then took his scrolls from him and ran off to the check out counter, returning seconds later. He blinked at her speed; she was almost as fast as him! He took the scrolls from her and they both departed for the training grounds.
Hikaru jumped for joy when she skipped into the grounds. The Yondiame was chuckling as she skipped, hopped and jumped like a rabbit on sugar. Hikaru calmed herself down as she re-approached the Hokage,
"Where do we start Hokage-sensei?" the Yondiame handed her his weapons pouch and used body flicker to place 15+ targets around the grounds. Hikaru was taken slightly aback by the Hokage's amazing speed. Her light blue eyes saw next to nothing as he whipped past her in the blink of an eye. Once the Hokage was done, which was in a matter of seconds, he returned to face her completely dumbfounded expression. Her expressions would fetch billions on auction, but brushed that aside as he remembered her excitement earlier,
"You must hit all of these targets, it doesn't have to be a bull's eye, you just have to hit one." Hikaru nodded and the Hokage body flickered out of danger. Hikaru concentrated for a moment; her eyes tight shut and her given weapons crossed against her chest. After a few seconds of concentration, her eyes shot open and all the weapons were released from her grasp. She threw them so swiftly; they were barely noticeable. The Hokage waited patiently for the weapons to come into view, after a few seconds, one of each weapon appeared on each dartboard, and to the Hokage's surprise…all were a bull's eye. His eyes shot open, jaw slightly hanging; never before had he seen such accuracy and speed since…well…HIM. Hikaru smiled and bounded off towards her sensei,
"How did I do Hokage-sensei?" The Yondiame closed his eyes, a smile soon appearing on his face,
"Very impressive, Hikaru." He dropped the –san, "You're defiantly jounin material." He leapt over the fence that protected him and the other villagers from the training grounds, "Earlier, you said that you need to improve on your stamina…" he began thinking for a second, "In that case, why don't we go for a quick run?"
It had been ten months since Uzumaki Arashi, the Yondiame of Konoha, had taken Kaze Hikaru as his student, she was now a powerful jounin. Her stamina had greatly improved, speed too, she almost became a miniature Yondiame. She raced him a couple of times, she almost beat him once, but she tripped on a tree branch and fell. Luckily, Arashi caught her before she could hurt herself further. Hikaru and Arashi became good friends over those faithful months, very good friends. Currently, the two were in the grounds; Hikaru sparing with Arashi's former students; Kakashi and Rin. The Yondiame was impressed by her; she defeated his former students in minutes, then healed them once she was proclaimed winner. Hikaru gained her medical skills from Rin and her ninjutsu skills from Kakashi. The three were also friends, but the two young jounin known as Kakashi and Rin felt that Hikaru and Arashi were a little bit more. They had attempted numerous dates between the two, but failed miserably since neither of them made a move. Anyway, once fully healed, Hikaru treated all three of her skilled friends for ice cream. Arashi had vanilla, as usual, Rin had strawberry cheesecake and Hikaru had chocolate. Kakashi didn't want to remove his mask so he ordered a small tub of strawberry for later. The four sat and chatted at the Ichiraku ramen stand once they were done, Rin commenting on how unhealthy it was to have dessert before dinner. Hikaru gave her favorite come back,
"But it is healthy to satisfy one's sweet tooth first." She retorted, winking playfully in her direction. Rin chuckled and agreed.
"That is true, but still." Hikaru shrugged and ordered a bowl of chicken ramen, Arashi miso, Kakashi beef and Rin shrimp. Hikaru was glaring at Kakashi the whole time she ate her ramen; since she had never seen Kakashi's face before. Before Hikaru could catch a glimpse of the boy's face, Arashi asked her if she would like to come with him to the Hokage monument to get his face carved into it. Hikaru turned to face him and replied,
"Sure thing Arashi-kun." She replied smiling, she turned back to Kakashi…who had already finished his food…
"HUH!" The confused shinobi yelled, Rin and Arashi chuckled,
"Trying to see his face?" Arashi quizzed playfully, Hikaru nodded, "Good luck with that…not even I'VE seen it…" Hikaru's gentle eyes widened to the size of ramen bowls and her jaw dropped slightly. Arashi laughed and lifted her drooping jaw back up, receiving a small blush in return. "I may be fast, but my vision is not. Kakashi IS fast, but even faster when it comes to revealing his true face. It makes me wonder what's actually under there." He chuckled to himself, hand no longer under Hikaru's chin, but resting on her lap slightly, causing her to tense heavily and blush further, "One time, Rin and Obito tried to pull his mask down when he was asleep, and to their surprise, THERE WAS ANOTHER MASK UNDER IT!" Arashi laughed, Rin joining in the laugh as well. Kakashi simply blinked, bored; then something caught his eye… and ears. Hikaru was silent, glaring at something. Kakashi's visible, brown eye widened, he 'psst' –ed over to Rin and began whispering into her ear. Rin's laughter silenced and she glared at Hikaru's lap; where her former sensei's hand was resting. The two young jounin looked to each other and smirked schemingly. The two excused themselves from their sensei and friend and departed as quickly as possible. Arashi gazed to their departed direction gloomily, "I guess we have to pay…" he replied, his voice matching his expression. He turned to Hikaru, who was still glaring at her lap. Curiosity took over and Arashi looked to her lap…to find HIS hand resting on it. His perfect blue eyes widened and his hand was quickly removed. An amazing shade of red brushed across Arashi's face, he looked to Hikaru and apologized, dearly. Hikaru's blank expression morphed into a smile,
"It's alright Arashi," the Yondiame's blue orbs widened further; since when did he call her Arashi…without formalities? Hikaru turned to him, her smile fading at his shocked face, "Is something wrong Yondiame-sama?" She spoke before taking another bite out of her ramen and scrunching her face at the bite. Arashi's wide eyes narrowed in sadness; they had become such good friends in the last ten months, and she still referred to him as 'the Hokage'? He sighed,
"It's nothing…" he replied sadly, Hikaru's light blue orbs narrowed angrily,
"I know something's wrong, Arashi, you don't fool me." She stated firmly, a smirk appearing on the Hokage's face once more,
"Alright, alright. It's just that, well, we've been friends for a while now…and you still refer to me as 'Hokage-sama' or 'Yondiame-sama'." Hikaru blinked, her expression beamed confusion,
"Oh…I didn't realize that it bothered you…" she cast her gaze upon the counter and narrowed her eyes gently in thought, "If I may inquire, Arashi-kun, why is that so depressing?" Silence fell between the two; only the howling wind and rustling leaves could be traced. Arashi's face morphed into total depression… he sighed sadly and spoke,
"Well, let's just say, that when you become Hokage, you're no longer considered… human…" Arashi stood, reaching into his pocket and paid for all four bowls of ramen. He sighed and slowly began to walk away. Hikaru sat there for a moment; she never realized how…lonely…Hokage life could be. She narrowed her eyes in pity and stood. She marched gracefully over to Arashi and took a place beside him, looking to his depressed face.
"I'm sorry Arashi-kun…" she started, wrapping her arm around his. His eyes opened slightly and looked to his arm, then to Hikaru who was smiling sweetly, "If you had told me sooner…no… if I actually stopped to think about it…I would have realized...gomen for misunderstanding you, Arashi-kun." Her smile showing hints of sadness. Arashi closed his eyes or a moment, a smile slowly creeping onto his face,
"Arigato, Hikaru-chan…"
The two walked silently through the Konoha streets; arms locked and understanding expressions shared. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon; making Arashi's perfect blue eyes turn violet and Hikaru's lighter blue eyes turn lavender. The wind danced past the two; grasping Hikaru's hair and unleashing it onto Arashi's side. He cast his now violet orbs to the woman grasping his clothing, she was smiling…so peacefully…Hikaru diverted her attention to the sky, where shades of pink, yellow, orange and purple were painted across the sky. Hikaru sighed and stopped walking. Arashi felt his friend halt and did so himself. He looked to her again, her smile was brighter, more passionate. He smiled to himself, it was a beautiful sight indeed. He too looked to the sky and stared gently in awe at the hue of the setting skies.
"Hikaru…" Arashi started, receiving an enchanted 'hmm' from Hikaru as she turned to face him, "We'll be able to see the sunset better from the Hokage monument, care to join me?" Hikaru smiled gently,
"Sure Arashi." Before Hikaru could take another breathe, Arashi picked her up bridal style and carried her to the monument; his speed was unusually slow, but still fast. Hikaru let herself get caught up in the moment and closed her eyes as the wind brushed through her hair. Once at the top of the monument, Arashi settled her feet on the soft grass. Hikaru stood up straight and cast her gaze upon the picture before her. The view was breathtaking: The sun was half covered by horizon, the sky was a paint pallet of purples, pinks, oranges, yellows and reds, and birds soaring through the sky perfected the picture. Hikaru sighed deeply, unknown to her, Arashi was watching her from behind, glaring hopelessly at her. He let himself become entangled in the moment and wrapped his arms around Hikaru's waist. Hikaru was too enchanted by this picture to complain, she simply rested her hands on top of his and looked to the setting sun once more. The wind picked up, swaying Hikaru's hair to the left along with her blue kimono and Arashi's coat. The moment was perfect…simply perfect…
"Hikaru…" Arashi started gently, receiving another, yet more relaxed and entranced 'hmm', "Thanks for being here to see this with me." Hikaru turned her head to face Arashi, she smiled and buried her head under his neck and sighed,
"No problem," She whispered, her voice somewhat tired, "No problem…" she finished, letting her body fall onto Arashi. The shocked Arashi caught her and worrily glanced at her face before sighing in relief: she was defiantly asleep. Her eyes were softly closed, her lips slightly parted to breathe and the breathe that caressed his face was slow and steady. Arashi smiled inwardly: she looked so…beautiful in this light. Arashi carefully lifted Hikaru bridal style and slowly made his way to her apartment. Once again, Arashi ran unusually slow, but still fast, looking to Hikaru's sleeping frame almost through out the whole trip. After a few minutes, on the other side of Konoha, he had reached Hikaru's apartment. He carefully removed one hand from underneath Hikaru and reached for the door handle: it was locked. Arashi sighed and reached into Hikaru's left hip pocket and pulled out a small key, he fit it into the key hole and turned it, being careful not to do it too quickly or the sound would wake the woman in his arms. The door clicked only slightly, but Hikaru still shifted: burying her face into Arashi's chest. Arashi looked to her and sighed happily. He slowly made his way inside, he had never seen her home before, only met her outside it. What he saw amazed him: it was very clean, pictures hung from the walls with absolute no crookedness, the air even smelt fresh! It smelt like the lavender that was always in her hair. Arashi decided to stick to his task and made his way further into the house. He continued until he found the bedroom where a white, queen sized bed lay with white end tables on either side of it. A white closet perched against the west wall and a light lavender framed window on the east wall facing Konoha's monument. The light lavender frame matched all four walls and ceiling.
Arashi wanted to tour around Hikaru's house further, but immediately decided it against it when Hikaru stirred in his arms. Arashi strode over to Hikaru's bed and placed her on top of it. Arashi whispered a goodbye and was about to leave when he heard Hikaru stir again. He turned around to find her shivering slightly. He strode over to her once more and kneeled beside her, placing a hand on her forehead gently; her forehead was warm.
"When did she get to warm?" Arashi spoke quietly, Arashi sighed and gently pulled the covers from under her and lifted them over her. He made his way to the kitchen where he found a bowl and filled it with water, then found a small hand towel and dipped it in the water. He made his way back to Hikaru's room to find her shivering even more. He instantly lay the water filled bowl on the bedside table and put the towel on her forehead. After a few hours of intensive care, Hikaru was no longer shaking; her forehead returning to normal temperature. It was past midnight by then…and Arashi was there the whole time to help her. Arashi stayed an hour longer just in case before arising from beside her. He was in the doorway when a tempting urge began to pull him back. He stood in the door frame for about five minutes before slowly turning around, standing beside Hikaru, lowering his head and kissing her cheek. A smile formed on his lips, his eyes relaxed. He then turned and slowly made his way out of her, somewhat perfect abode.
Hikaru woke the next morning at 7:00 a.m. Her head a little sore and her eyes a little watery. She stretched her arms out and cast her gaze upon the Hokage monument. She sighed happily thinking of the sunset…but for some reason…she didn't remember much, other than the sky and Arashi carrying her there. Her eyes widened as she remembered Arashi: today she was supposed to go with him to get his face carved into it. She remember his exact words, 'It begins at Seven fifteen, don't be late, because those idiots won't wait.'. Hikaru kicked off her bed sheets and raced to her closet where she retracted a white kimono with lavender flowers across the chest and lavender liners. In eleven minutes, she had had her shower, her kimono was securely on her, her hair brushed along with her teeth and her ninja sandals securely on her feet. She picked up her purse and shoved her brush into it; knowing that she would be needing it for when she begins running. She gathered all the speed she could muster and raced towards the Hokage monument.
Arashi stood patiently outside the Hokage building, it was now seven thirteen and there was no sign of Hikaru. Truth be told, he didn't expect to see her there due to her previous fever last night. Just as he was about to turn around, a rush of wind flew past him before screeching to a stop. The Hokage shielded his eyes from the dust, when he reopened them, he came face to face with a tired, panting Hikaru, her hair slightly a mess. Arashi laughed,
"I thought you wouldn't make it." Arashi admitted, Hikaru smirked,
"A true friend would never miss something so important." Hikaru stated as she pulled her hair brush from her purse and began stroking her hair with it.
As if on que, at seven fifteen sharp, the Sandiame appeared before the two, smiling to both as they laughed at a joke he had missed. She bowed to the Sandiame, he nodded, Arashi greeted verbally, he replied verbally. The three were led to the mountain face where dozens of sculptors and artists were waiting. The second a single sculptor caught a glimpse of the Yondiame, he signaled the others and they all surrounded him. They practically carried him to the mountain to begin the sculpting. The Sandiame and Hikaru were left behind; the Sandiame shook his head whilst Hikaru extended her arm earlier trying to reach out to Arashi, a sympathetic smile forged on her face.
"Poor Arashi…" Sarutobi, the Sandiame, spoke with pity, "Thank GOD it only happens once." Hikaru still paid attention, but her gaze was cast upon her poor, defenseless Yondiame. Sarutobi looked to her and smiled, "You must be the young lady Arashi told me about," Hikaru nodded, still keeping her eyes on her friend, but her head turned to the Sandiame. Sympathy was written across her entire face; for Arashi was being pestered, flattered, and practically smushed by wannabes, who called themselves artists,
"Is he going to be ok?" Hikaru's voice was filled with worry; Sarutobi looked to her, then to Arashi, then back to her and laughed,
"He'll be fine…" he turned to leave… "If you are there for him…" Hikaru's eyes snapped open and her head whipped around to look to the Sandiame who had already disappeared. She began looking around frantically, then turned back to where Arashi was sitting. She took steps closer, but a straying artist told her to stay at least six feet away from Arashi in all directions. Hikaru frowned and looked to the ground. Many hours past and the monument was finished; Arashi's face carved into it. Hikaru sighed and waited for Arashi…but he never came out from the crowd of artists. Hikaru began to worry: she took a few steps forward, entering the 'restricted zone' set by the artists. Instantly, an artist shot at her and began yelling at her,
"STAY OUTSIDE THE RESTRICTED ZONE, GIRL!" Hikaru was on the verge of crying; his voice so harsh and mean. She lowered her head and opened her mouth to speak, only to have him shout at her again, "GET MOVING GIRL!"
"ENOUGH!" Arashi yelled from behind the artists. He caught a glimpse of Hikaru's face; which now had a single tear running down it. Arashi's eyes narrowed, "Good sirs, the sculpture is done, the premises is safe for her to enter." The artist retorted,
"Hokage-sama, we simply CANNOT this stranger-"
"You mean my best friend?" Arashi shot at him, the artists' jaws dropped, "What is it that a citizen of Konoha, such as yourselves, cannot do when everything is done and over with?" Arashi finished, the artists stared at him with dumbfounded faces. Arashi stood and made his way to Hikaru. He extended his hand and wiped the tear of her face, "Let's go Hikaru." He spoke quietly, she nodded and the two walked away; leaving the artists at a total loss for words.
The two walked in silence for a while; waiting until they were fully out of the artists' view. Once fully out of view, Arashi wrapped a hand around Hikaru's shoulder and pulled her in to him, she blushed slightly and looked up to him,
"Thank you Arashi…" she smiled, Arashi grinned to her and replied ecstatically,
"I should be thanking you! If you hadn't come to fetch me, I've commit suicide from their torture!" Hikaru laughed, Arashi loved hearing that laugh,
"It couldn't be that bad, Arashi-kun…could it?" she glared at him sympathetically,
"It was…" he began… then noticed the sun was beginning to set, he then tightened his grip around her shoulder and pulled her in closer, remembering the day before, "Thanks…" Hikaru blushed and wrapped her arms around him,
"Any time Arashi…chan…" Arashi froze in his tracks. Hikaru giggled and pulled herself away from him before poking his chest playfully, "Are you sure they didn't get to you? You've decided to become their art." She poked him again playfully; he remained frozen. Hikaru laughed again, Arashi looked to her now; she was laughing one of those…truthful laughs…the pure laughs that are easily recognized. She was about to poke him again when he grabbed her arm and hoisted her into him; he body falling into his chest, she blushed.
"Does a sculpture to this?" he asked before planting a kiss on her forehead. Hikaru felt a Hawaiian tsunami of a blush crash upon her face. Arashi laughed, and Hikaru blushed so hard, her cheeks were on fire. Arashi brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and released her from his grip, still holding her arm gently. Hikaru looked to him with her soft blue eyes; they slowly turned lavender as the sun tucked itself further into the horizon. Arashi was grinning foxily; his face looked good with the setting sun. She had a tempting urge, her chest felt warm…her heart felt very warm…she did something she never thought she'd ever do. She wrapped her free arm around Arashi's neck and kissed his lips! Arashi, now releasing her arm, widened his orbs. What was going on? Was he dreaming? Suddenly, she felt her other arm snake around his neck. After another second; his eyes closed and he held her tight. They broke the kiss a few seconds later to catch their breath; Hikaru moved her arms onto his chest and rested her head under his neck and sighed. The setting was perfect. Arashi pecked her head and held her tighter; this was…perfect. The two pulled away for a moment and looked into each other's eyes. It wasn't long before they kissed once more. Unknown to them, three sets of eyes were on them; one was that of the Sandiame through his crystal ball, another was that of Hatake Kakashi and the remaining of Admarashi Rin. The two jounin high fived and gave each other a thumbs up whilst Sarutobi laughed happily.
A few days passed since that moment. Throughout the past couple of days; he was very light headed. Caught up in his own little world. The same went for Hikaru; every time the two saw one another, heavy blushes covered their faces. When in the presence of the three who actually witnessed the moment; the former spectators somehow found a way to leave the two alone together and the same routine followed: They would sit in silence for a few minutes, then talk about something random, then somehow end up hugging or kissing. Another few days passed and Arashi and Hikaru were labeled girlfriend and boyfriend. The news spread through Konoha like butter on toast, bringing great shock and joy to Konoha. Each of the spectators of that faithful night felt that the pairing was of their doing, since they did manage to get them together at some point. Rin felt it was of her doing since it was her who added the light poison to Hikaru's food which made Arashi take care of her, Kakashi thought it was his doing since it was he who told Rin to do so, and the Sandiame felt that the village's amazing view and aurora set the sparks to a flame. The two jounin somehow found themselves arguing about it when the Sandiame showed up on his daily walk around the village and listened in. The three began acting very childish as they argued on who had done the two the huge favor. Bad timing; Arashi and Hikaru, who had been dating for a few weeks now, were walking together when they over heard the three.
"ARE YOU KIDDING! Thanks to my poison; Arashi took her home and took care of her until 1:00 in the morning before leaving! And he kissed her cheek before leaving!" Rin spoke
Hikaru and Arashi who were listening blushed. Arashi received a kiss on the cheek from Hikaru.
"NO WAY! If I hadn't told you about Arashi resting his hand on her lap that never would have happened!" Kakashi spoke
Arashi pecked Hikaru's cheek and smiled.
"I believe that the scenery and buildings refracting shaped the sun's light to create the picture that brought the two together. Besides, they had just come back from the monument where Arashi had his face carved into it. If I hadn't asked him to become Hokage, absolutely ZERO of this would have happened." Sarutobi replied, him having the most point.
Arashi and Hikaru looked to each other and smiled before kissing each other's lips. They returned their attention to the three who had agreed on Sarutobi's remark and were now talking about something they shouldn't be hearing…
"Do you think they will get married?" Rin spoke gently, Arashi and Hikaru's eyes widened and glared at her.
"They only started dating a few weeks ago; how can you be talking about that already?" Sarutobi asked, receiving a shrug from Rin,
"I think they will." Kakashi spoke after a silence. Rin nodded along with the Sandiame. Arashi and Hikaru had blushes on their faces and were now looking to the ground in shock and thought. The two decided that it would be the perfect time to leave…NOW. The two didn't speak, or look to each other the whole walk to Hikaru's apartment. Hikaru whispered a goodbye when Arashi decided to put the moment behind him,
"That's not how we say goodbye," he spoke childishly. Hikaru smiled and kissed him lightly. Arashi pouted, Hikaru laughed and gave him a longer kiss. Just as she was about to pull away, Arashi grabbed her and held her against him; elongating the kiss. Eventually, their lips broke apart and they smiled.
"So…you aren't bothered by what they said?" Arashi closed his eyes and planted a kiss on her forehead,
"Does that say it?" Hikaru gave him a playful smirk,
"Not quite…" She was about to pull away when he gave her another kiss on the lips. Their lips broke apart once more and he smirked again,
"How about now?" Hikaru laughed,
"I'll think about it." She replied playfully before pulling him into the house for dinner.
Arashi awoke that morning next to Hikaru. He wanted to pull away and get a glass of water, but noticed that Hikaru had wrapped her arm over his chest. Arashi sighed and brushed a stray hair off her face and kissed her forehead. Hikaru moaned slightly and pulled in closer to Arashi. He smelt her hair; the same lavender he loved filled his nose. He closed his eyes for a moment in a trance. Looking from above: Arashi was on the right, head slightly above Hikaru's and his blonde hair messy. Arashi faced the left and down slightly whilst Hikaru's face was aimed at Arashi's chest. The two were held close together: Hikaru's back arching slightly closet to Arashi's body, his left leg resting over Hikaru's. Arashi's arms were around her back, pulling her close whilst hers were resting on Arashi's chest. Both were underneath the covers. The perfect romantic picture. Arashi thought for a moment and sighed: just lying there, with her so close, was better than anything. He sighed into her hair, causing her to stir and open her eyes gently. She looked up to him and gave him a quick butterfly kisses; she then snuggled closer to him and sighed. They both closed their eyes and sighed. Unknown to them: two young faces were spying on them through the window for a split second before pulling away at the picture. It was Rin and Kakashi; both panting and blushing heavily.
"Ok…let's not spy on them for a while…" Rin finally spoke,
"Good idea." Kakashi spoke hurrily before taking off, running far away from the apartment: assuming what they were doing in the same bed together in such a position…Kakashi's perverted mind was weakened that day, if he hadn't assumed what he assumed; he would probably be as perverted as Jiraiya. Anyway, Arashi and Hikaru rose from the bed a few minutes later and went to eat breakfast. The two never had more than a foot's distance between them, they stayed close together; Arashi even held Hikaru's waist when she cooked. They didn't separate; even when they had their shower (A/N: … yea… well, what Kakashi and Rin assumed…um…assume as you wish). They stayed close the whole day, but not so close in public; usually when alone or our out of everyone's view.
It had been four days since that day and it was now the fourth of January. Hikaru had been feeling weird lately, she felt sick from time to time; threw up once or twice. Arashi was getting concerned,
"Hikaru, do you need a doctor?" Arashi asked as he snaked his arms around her waist, only to have her bat them away as she raced to the bathroom to barf. Arashi sighed, "I'll take that as a yes…"
Hikaru cleaned her face and emerged from the bathroom. Arashi grabbed her coat and wrapped it around her shoulders; Hikaru smiled to him and thanked him. They walked down the streets of Konoha when they came across Kakashi and Rin. The two caught a glimpse of their former sensei and girlfriends' faces.
"Is anything wrong?" Rin inquired, rushing over to her ex-sensei. Arashi shook his head and Rin gasped, "WHAT IS IT? IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIKARU?" Rin panicked, Kakashi put a hand over her mouth, signaling that her reaction wasn't helping.
"We don't know what's wrong; we're on our way to the doctor now." Arashi replied, hugging his girlfriend closer to him. Kakashi sighed and decided to join them whilst Rin went ahead and informed the hospital of his arrival and to have a good doctor ready for him and Hikaru. The three arrived at Konoha hospital, to their surprise: Tsunade was Hikaru's doctor and Jiraiya was waiting ever since he overheard the news from Rin. Kakashi, Rin and Jiraiya sat in silence whilst Arashi paced up and down the waiting room.
"Calm down Arashi, I'm sure she's fine." Jiraiya finally spoke, trying to calm his successful student down, but failed miserably. Arashi continued to pace across the room worrily. Jiraiya sighed and motioned for support on his statement from Kakashi and Rin.
"I agree with Jiraiya-sama, Arashi-sensei." Rin spoke, "Hikaru is strong, she can pull herself through anything so this should be no different." Kakashi nodded. Arashi's steps slowed, but he continued to pace; he was, indeed, worried. Jiraiya looked to the former students and sighed,
"Tell me; how much does he love this woman?" Rin and Kakashi looked to the ground,
"No words are powerful enough to say it…all I can say is…very, very much." Kakashi answered, Rin nodding gently. Jiraiya looked to his student; he had never seen him so worried before. He must love her more than anything in the world. After another silence; Tsunade reappeared and motioned Arashi to come inside. Arashi complied and hurrily followed Tsunade. Jiraiya put his ear to the door whilst Kakashi and Rin remained seated. Suddenly, Jiraiya began to smirk. "What is it?" Kakashi inquired. Jiraiya looked to him and smirked further,
"I heard you two spy on them…so tell me…did you see anything?" Jiraiya asked, his perverted face slowly creeping into view. Kakashi narrowed his eyes in thought, then his and Rin's eyes snapped open as they remembered what they thought the saw…
"No way…" Rin started, "Is she…pregnant?" she said the final word almost in complete whisper, Jiraiya nodded and Rin fainted while Kakashi just glared at him wide eyed.
"Pervert…we didn't see anything, but we had a hunch when we saw them asleep together on January 1st." Jiraiya nodded at Kakashi. Kakashi went to the water dispenser and got a glass of water to dumb onto Rin. He splashed her face and she woke instantly, "We can't let them see us like this, or else they'll start asking questions." Kakashi stated emotionlessly as he threw the cup in the trash. Jiraiya nodded and signaled the two to act normally as he heard footsteps from the other side of the door approaching. It was Arashi; who was looking to the ground, eyes wide. Jiraiya inquired innocently; then received a punch in the face from Arashi.
"You know perfectly well Jiraiya." Arashi stated firmly. Jiraiya got up and apologized greatly, then received a smack on the back of the head from Tsunade. Hikaru reappeared from the room as well; coat wrapped firmly around her shoulders and face diverted to the floor, cold. Arashi then went to her side and walked her home; not saying another word to the four in the waiting room. Once they were gone, Tsunade was first to speak,
"Don't take her expression the wrong way." Everyone diverted their attention to her in question, "She was ecstatic to be having a child, HIS even. She was just shocked to hear it. Every first mother has that expression when they hear." Everyone nodded in understanding and turned to the doors which Arashi and Hikaru had passed through earlier, smiling.
Hikaru walked through the hospital doors into the Konoha streets; head still aimed at the ground. Arashi looked to her in sorrow; was she upset to be having his baby? Arashi closed his eyes and sighed,
"You ok Hikaru-chan?" he started, "Do you…want this-"
"Of course I do." Hikaru snapped at him, "I want this more than anything!" Arashi stared at her in shock, then smiled before planting a kiss on her forehead,
"You want the baby more then me?" Hikaru glared at him and nudged him,
"I want YOUR baby. Yours. No one else's. Absolutely no one else's." She finished kissing his cheek. Arashi smiled and held Hikaru closer. Arashi was about to draw her into a hug when he felt something in his pocket; something he planned on giving her.
The two arrived at the house in a few minutes where Hikaru went to the kitchen to begin experimenting on what food the baby liked. Third time's the charm: after eating salad and vegetables, she settled for pork ramen…and there was no more throw up! Arashi laughed and joked about how he/she would become a total ramen addict…he had no idea how right he was. Hikaru ate ramen galore and carried out her normal routine before going to change into her nightgown. That night, Hikaru stayed up and watched the stars from the balcony. Arashi appeared behind her and wrapped a blanket around her; since a spaghetti strap, silk gown wasn't going to shield her from the cold.
"Thanks Arashi," Hikaru started, kissing Arashi's lips and wrapping his hand around her waist, "I can't believe this is actually happening." Arashi smiled and laughed,
"That what's happening?"
"That all this happened: Me, little old Kaze Hikaru, falling in love with the youngest and most hansom Hokage of them all and having his baby. Even having you as a sensei was an amazing breath through, even encouraged me. At the beginning of this relationship; I thought I was dreaming. Now that all this has happened…sigh…if this is a dream; when I wake up, I'm going to make sure all this happens." She finished, receiving a passionate kiss on the lips from Arashi.
"Am I that dreamy?" he smirked playfully, receiving the same passionate kiss from Hikaru that he planted on her earlier.
"Believe it." She whispered playfully. She and Arashi looked to the stars for a moment; they were all burning so brightly…almost as if the heavens were on fire. Arashi looked to his pocket for a moment then realized that he had to sooner or later.
"Hey, Hikaru?" Hikaru 'hmm' –ed and looked to him, he sighed, "Truth be told: I think I'm dreaming too…me, the Yondiame of Konoha, falling in love with the most beautiful creature in all five great ninja countries, training her, loving her, fathering her baby…and if she accepts it…marrying her…" Hikaru froze and felt Arashi's arms snake away from her side. She looked to him to find him on one knee, hand in pocket. Her heart raced, she knew exactly what he wanted,
"Kaze Hikaru…I love you." He spoke as he pulled out a small blue box from his Hokage coat. Hikaru gasped. "Will you marry me?" Hikaru was at a loss for words…she then swooped down and kissed his lips. The two kissed longer than they ever had before. Hikaru pulled away and hugged Arashi, her voice was so high in joy when she spoke,
"OF COURSE I WILL!" Arashi could barely contain himself; he felt tears roll down his face as he hugged Hikaru tighter. When they parted; both faces had tears of joy running down them. They wiped away each other's tears before pulling each other into another kiss.
Nine months…forty weeks…two hundred and eighty days had passed. The Kyuubi began attacking Konoha last week. Hikaru burst into tears as soon as she heard that there was a chance of death for Arashi. Arashi was out fighting and she was in labor. The Sandiame; being the gentle man he was, ordered Jiraiya to bring Arashi back whilst he took his place. He complied and the two left for the battle field. Tsunade and Rin were by Hikaru's side as she contracted; Rin timing her breathes and Tsunade checking her cervix. She was already dilated seven centimeters and Arashi was nowhere in sight. Eight centimeters. Nine centimeters. Ten centimeters. Baby almost out and still no Arashi. Before the baby's shoulders could emerge; Arashi burst into the room and ran to Hikaru's side.
"Just in time." Tsunade commented, "She's doing great; once she gets past the shoulders the rest is gonna be a breeze, ok?" she spoke to Hikaru, who was currently screaming in pain, and clinging to Arashi's hand for dear life. Jiraiya stayed on the other side of Hikaru's bed, across from Arashi, and chanted for her to push along with Arashi. Minutes later, a baby's scream filled the room followed by the clapping hands of Rin and Jiraiya. Tsunade cut the baby's umbilical cord and cleaned him up before handing him to Hikaru. Hikaru felt funny…she couldn't see straight,
"Urgh…Tsunade…" she moaned, "Why's everything so…blurry?" Tsunade's eyes snapped open,
"HANG IN THERE HIKARU! RIN, GET MORE NURSES IN HERE, STAT!" Rin did as she was told and bolted out the door. Arashi knew what was happening, Jiraiya too. Arashi clung to Hikaru and told her that everything was going to be fine. Hikaru knew it wouldn't…she just knew it… she smiled for a moment,
"Naruto…" Jiraiya and Arashi looked to her, "That's it…Naruto…" Arashi looked to the bundle in her arms, realizing she was referring to him, "Be strong, become a hero, my little Naruto…" she began to close her eyes,
"NO HIKARU! YOU CAN PULL THROUGH THIS!" Arashi yelled, knowing what was going to happen, but refused to accept it. Jiraiya knew it as well…he looked to his former student and narrowed his eyes in sorrow, Hikaru began to laugh a little,
"Arashi…do you know what this is?" Jiraiya looked to her confused, "this is the end of my dream…the best dream anyone could ask for…" she smiled as she closed her eyes further until they were completely shut. Naruto began to cry once she closed her eyes, Arashi frantically began to search for a pulse…but found none. Tsunade placed a hand over her mouth and began to cry slightly; she already lost the two people she loved most…now Arashi lost his… Arashi looked to his dead spouse in shock; tears began to leak from his eyes. Tsunade took Naruto from Hikaru and handed him to Arashi,
"Arashi," Tsunade spoke firmly, "He needs you…just like you needed her." Arashi's face was still stained with tears as he turned to his son. He got up from his dead wife's side and took Naruto in his arms. Jiraiya placed a hand on Arashi's shoulder and the nurses Rin searched for arrived. Tsunade turned to her; her eyes stained with tears as well. Everyone understood. Tsunade then turned to Hikaru and pulled the hospital blanket over her head. A jounin burst into the room; it was Kakashi. He came with news from the third about how Arashi was needed on the field. He looked around the room for a moment; tears had filled the eyes of Tsunade, Rin, Jiraiya and various nurses…and a flood of tears were rolling down the Yondiame's face, a small baby in his arms. Kakashi understood instantly as he cast his gaze upon Hikaru's bed. Jiraiya looked to Arashi,
"Arashi, you must go." Arashi looked to the floor, and then raised his head; tears were down his cheeks, but his eyes were narrow in anger. He marched out the hospital with Naruto and summoned Gamabunta. He handed Naruto to Sarutobi and fought the Kyuubi. He performed various hand seals and a bright light came from his hands. He had captured the Kyuubi in a temporary container in his hands. He dismounted from Gamabunta and ordered Sarutobi to follow him to the sealing room behind the Hokage monument. Sarutobi placed Naruto on a small cushion and lit the candles to perform the ritual. Arashi looked to his son; so innocent, so weak, about to receive the most powerful source of power imaginable. Before Arashi performed the hand seals, Sarutobi spoke,
"Why seal that monster in your own child Arashi? If it fails, Hikaru's hard work would be for nothing!" Arashi stopped in an instant and turned to Sarutobi,
"Because Sarutobi; he will be considered a hero…" he looked to his child, who was crying slightly, "Just as Hikaru wished…" before the Sandiame could say anymore, Arashi had performed the hand seals and began transferring the Kyuubi into his newborn son. The Sandiame covered his eyes as a bright light erupted from Arashi's hands. Seconds passed and the light cleared, revealing a dead Arashi and a crying Naruto with a special seal on his belly button…
