I'm already there
Background info: Naruto is out on a mission and is not due back for a year. Back in Konoha is his wife Hinata and his twin daughters, now two years old, Lyra and Emiko. On the mission with him are Gaara and Shikamaru. Gaara is married to Sakura and is expecting one child and Shikamaru is dating Ino. The three left almost a year prior to this story.
The story:
Out in the desert the Shinobi watched and waited. Enemies were surrounding them day and night and this night was no exception. The villages of Mist and Cloud had turned against the villages of Sand and Leaf and now showed no signs of stopping the war that had begun. As the battle raged many were lost, others injured. The lucky ones were alive and alert while in their tents. In tent B there was the three most talented ninja the sand and leaf had to offer. Nara Shikamaru, Shubaku no Gaara, and Uzumaki Naruto. The three had been friends for years and now they had come together to defeat a common enemy. They were part of the handful how where the lucky ninja, the ones who had yet to fall. The three sat in the tent listening to the sounds of the enemy camp not far away and remembering what they had left behind.
"This is so troublesome. Why don't they just give up? We outnumber them even though they have taken down a good number of out comrades," said Shikamaru.
Gaara looked up at his friends, "We can't give those people the satisfaction of us backing down. We will stand and fight."
"There stands the greatest Kazekage I have ever known," joked Naruto with a smile on his face.
Gaara smirked, he knew he could keep on going but he counted on Naruto to help him convince the fellow Shinobi to continue the fight till the end.
Naruto was quiet for a little while and then spoke up again, "Just think guys; when all this crap is over we can go home. We can go home to our loved ones. What's the first thing you two are going to do when you get back?"
Shikamaru pondered for a moment, "I'm going to propose to Ino. I want to marry her and have a future with her."
"I want to hold Sakura in my arms and tell her I love her. Then I want to stay home so I can be there when she gives birth."
"Gaara, you must have come close to reading my mind," said Naruto, "Cause when I get back I want to hold Hinata tight and never let her go. I also want to hold my daughters in my arms and be a good father to them. Lyra and Emiko are only a year old and they barely know me."
"Don't beat yourself up Naruto. It's too much of a troublesome task to beat yourself up. I'm positive that Emiko and Lyra love you very much, even though they are only a year old."
Naruto cell phone vibrated on his bunk and he made a dive for it. He already knew who it would be. Shikamaru and Gaara came to stand beside him.
"Hello?" Naruto answered the phone.
"Naruto-kun!" came the cheerful reply.
"Hinata!" Naruto was beside himself with joy. It had been a week since he had last talked to his wife and it was hard to be away from her.
"Naruto-kun, can you ask Shikamaru if his laptop is working?"
Naruto's face was puzzled. Why in the world would Hinata ask a question like that?
"Um…Shikamaru?"
"What?"
"Hinata wants to know if your laptop is working."
Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Hinata know that computer is always working. The man with a 200point IQ is not going to let his laptop die on him."
Hinata's voice echoed from the phone, "I need you to set up a video link. We have something to show you!"
The three guys looked at each other, "We?" they asked in unison.
Female giggles where heard over the phone as Naruto pushed speaker.
"Would you guys just do it?" said Sakura laughing.
"Sakura what's going on," asked Gaara using his serious tone.
"You will have to set up the video link if you want to find out," came Ino in a singsong voice.
Shikamaru booted up his computer and set up the link. Instantly a duel screen window popped up. One side was dark the other showed Hinata, Ino, and Sakura sitting in Naruto and Hinata's living room smiling at their men.
"What's going on Hinata? Sakura? Ino?" Naruto asked.
"You will see," said Sakura smiling, although her eyes never left Gaara's face.
The side screen that was dark lit up and turned light blue, fancy white writing appeared. "To the men we will always love. Forever yours, Ino, Hinata, and Sakura. A song began to play.
He called her on the road
From a lonely cold hotel room
Just to hear her say I love you one more time
A picture of Hinata and Naruto, Sakura and Gaara, and Shikamaru and Ino from the Christmas party appeared on the screen. Each person had a smile on their faces and arms wrapped around each other.
But when he heard the sound
of the kids laughing in the background
A video of Lyra and Emiko playing with their stuffed foxes played along with the song. Each little girl had a smile on her face.
He had to wipe away a tear from his eye
A little voice came on the phone
Said daddy when you coming home
He said the first thing that came to his mind
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend
And I know I'm in your prayers
Oh I'm already there
Another video played; this one had Hinata, a very pregnant Sakura and Ino playing with the twin on the swing set in the backyard of Naruto and Hinata's house. The little girl's laughter filled the air along with the slow song.
She got back on the phone
Said I really miss you darling
Don't worry about the kids they'll be alright
A video of Lyra and Emiko with pancakes on their head and flour on their faces played with Ino, Sakura, and Hinata laughing hard.
Wish I was in your arms
Lying right there beside you
But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight
And Ill gently kiss your lips
Touch you with my fingertips
So turn out the light and close your eyes
Individual pictures of the couples played with the song. There were pictures from Hinata and Naruto's wedding, Sakura and Gaara's engagement and marriage and even pictures from date that Ino and Shikamaru had been on.
I'm already there
Don't make a sound
I'm the beat in your heart
I'm the moonlight shining down
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share
Oh I'm already there
We may be a thousand miles apart
But I'll be with you wherever you are
Pictures that were taken the day Shikamaru, Naruto, and Gaara left flashed by. Tears were visible in the girl's eyes and Emiko and Lyra were both in Naruto's arms.
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share
Oh I'm already there
Oh I'm already
There
One last video played; this one was inside the house Sakura and Gaara lived in. Emiko and Lyra where in their highchairs, food was in their little hands, they smiled at the video camera and said, "Daddy!" The screen went blank and the girls smiled. Lyra and Emiko appeared on the screen, both crawling up into their mother's lap.
"We love you," said the three women staring at their husbands/boyfriend who were utterly stunned and trying not to cry.
"We love you too," said the guys when they found their voices.
"Come back to us all soon," was the parting words the girls gave along with blowing a kiss. The two little girls in Hinata's lap waved. The entire window closed as the girls closed the video uplink, their words echoed in the guy's heads.
"Let's get home soon," said Naruto. Shikamaru and Gaara, although they did not say anything, made it clear they agreed with him.
-The End-
Authors note: I do not own Naruto or the song in this story. The song is called "I'm Already There," and it was written by Lonestar. The name Emiko means Smiling Blessed Beautiful Child and the name Lyra means Harp Player. Both of those characters belong to me.