This story is for a person who has a special place in my heart. It's my first one-shot fanfiction so please hang in there for me cuz I suck at writing stories. I'm a poet, not a story writer.
This takes place after the time skip, Naruto has his own home and he is living with Kakashi and Ino.
Problems and Solutions
Naruto lay on his new comfortable bed that he called the 'Wind Cushion.' As he lay there on his back, he wandered off into the blankness which is his mind.
"What's the matter, kit? I haven't seen you this depressed since your childhood days."
"Oh, shut up…You stupid fox part of my mind," Naruto softly said aloud.
The fox sighed in frustration at the 15 year old blond, "Was it what Itachi-Kun had said to you yesterday?"
Naruto's eyes started to well up with tears at the thought of the confrontation he had to make.
(Flashback…Ugh…I hate flashbacks…)
Naruto jolted toward his lover, ready to pounce him like the adorable fox-boy he was, "Ita-Chan!!!" He had already bent his knees slightly, ready for the kill, when he abruptly stopped and met his cheery, crystal blue eyes, with worried/sad, crimson-red eyes.
"…Ita-Chan? Is…Is something wrong?" asked the blond hanyou, straightening his knees and back from the odd position he had been in.
Itachi walked forward two paces before finally standing about a foot away from his teenage boyfriend. He sighed softly, "…Naru-Chan…What would you say if I wanted us to just be…friends with benefits? I want a yes or no answer and nothing else."
Naruto stood blankly at his 20-year old lover. He thought to himself, 'What? …We've been together for seven months…And he barely asks me now? What ever happened to me being his little kitsune for ever? Was it all a lie?'
Naruto's mind took several long moments to react to all the questions Naruto was asking himself. After he had finished processing all of the un-answered questions into his small brain, he looked up at Itachi, "Well…I don't wanna say 'no', because I'm afraid you would want us to have nothing between eachother and you would start hunting me down again, just because I fused with Kyuubi-Kun." He paused for a moment, and then tilted his head toward the ground. "I'm also afraid to say 'yes', because I want us to be so much more…" he trailed off as he looked at the tall man in front of him with teary eyes.
Itachi let out a deep and frustrating sigh, then looked down at the half-demon in front of him he said, "I didn't want you to give me a paragraph…I want a yes or no answer. Now answer me Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto tensed up for a moment when he heard Itachi say his full name. That brought back old memories. Though he wouldn't exactly call them 'good' memories… at the least.
The genin glanced up at the missing-nin before lowering his head again, "I…I don't know…But…Why are you even asking me this? I mean…I thought you were pretty damn content being with me. It showed through pretty well when you cuddled with me all night last Friday. A-And the necklaces we made eachother…"
Naruto held up a necklace with a picture of Itachi carved into a dog-tag shaped looking metal around his neck. He then gently poked at a similar necklace around Itachi's neck that had a picture of Naruto carved into the 1" x 2" dog-tag.
Itachi, as well as Naruto, deeply sighed.
Many moments passed before Naruto spoke up, "Ya know what…I'll just here your answer tomorrow. I need to get my training done. I've been slacking off. I'll get an answer from you tomorrow, Uchiha Itachi. Ja ne." and with that, Naruto had transformed into his fox form and went running off to his home.
(End flashback…w00t!)
Kyuubi sighed in frustration as the Naruto part of his mind remembered the uneasy conversation yesterday. He said to Naruto, "I asked how you were feeling, not for a damn flashback!"
Naruto growled at the fox, "I said shut the fuck up you stupid fox!!"
"Young brat!"
"Old fox!"
"Human!!"
"Demon!!"
"…Ungrateful runt."
"Conceited animal…"
…You can obviously tell they were running out of insults to say to eachother.
Naruto shifted his weight so that he now lay on his stomach with his arms criss-crossed under his chin. He let his eye-lids fall half-way down his eyes, while looking up at the waning moon in the sky. The hanyou was afraid of what Itachi's answer would be the next time hey met. He hoped that they would still be together like they have been for seven months and everything will be like nothing had ever happened yesterday. He glanced toward the other end of the room, where his room-mate slept and slightly smiled. 'At least I know my room-mate won't ever abandon me.' he thought as he looked at the person across the room. Yamanaka Ino could be a real stubborn girl sometimes, but she kept her promises. She'd had a secret crush on Naruto ever since he came back from training with Jiraiya for a year and a half, and recovering from the merge with Kyuubi for the rest of the remaining 6 months of that year and 6 months more. Naruto sighed heavily as he let his eye lids fall and his mind relax.
He better get his full four hours of sleep before meeting Itachi early in the morning tomorrow.
At about 4 o'clock in the morning, Naruto's eyes slowly opened as he still lay on his stomach. The groggy half-demon rolled off of the Wind Cushion, only to wind up falling face first into the wooden/metal floor beneath him.
"Ugh, and why haven't I thought of another way to get off that thing? Because I'm too busy running around with Ita-Chan, and training with my comrade to do so." Naruto answered to himself as he slowly emerged from his fall.
Today wasn't going very well for the kitsune and, somehow, he just knew it was going to get even worse.
5 miles of running and 1 bathroom break later, he met with his boyfriend, err…Friend with benefits…Err…just plain friend? Anyways, he met up with Itachi and sat in the middle of a small lake about 2 feet from the Akatsuki member.
"Took you long enough. I was waiting for an hour." Itachi deadpanned.
Naruto glared at him for a moment then said, "Well I'm sorry if I have a room-mate who wakes up easily."
Itachi shrugged, "Eh, not my problem. But that's not what we came here to discuss, now is it?"
The kitsune shook his head lightly, "Nope. So…What is your answer?"
The missing-nin took in a deep breath and said, "First, let me ask you this…If you had to…Had to choose between me and Obouto, when you were with him of course…Who would you choose?"
"Well that's easy-" Naruto smiled softly, "-I'd pick you. Hands down."
Itachi gave a confused look at the hanyou, "Why? Didn't you love my foolish brother as much as you love me?"
Naruto shook his head, "Nuh-uh. Sasuke-Teme never really got all that intimate with me and he didn't really care as much as you do. Plus-" Naruto added, "When I found out that he broke up with me, not because he chose Orochimaru-Baka over me, but that he had used me, that changed my whole perspective on him."
Itachi nearly flipped his lid, "WHAT?!?! Why was I not informed of this?!"
Naruto winced at the loud noise his…partner was making, "Hey, hey! These ears aren't just for show y'know. But in the matter…You weren't informed because you weren't there the day he broke up with me."
"It's not my fault all of Konoha hates me, well it is, but that's not the point. The point is-" Itachi pointed a finger at the blond, "-Why didn't you tell me the day he dumped you?"
"Well I thought you would see that I was pissed off and that Sasuke-Teme hadn't even laid a hand on me since." Naruto said in a somewhat criticizing tone.
Naruto looked up at the Uchiha, "You're getting off the subject of why we came here. Now tell me…Why did you ask me that question yesterday?"
Itachi lowered his head, "I still like Kisame-Kun. And he's a really nice guy but I don't know who to choose so I ask both you and him the same question, hoping to get the right answer from one of you but…"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "But what…?"
"But-" Itachi slowly said, "-But you both gave me the right answer. He said almost the same thing as you, except for the necklace part of course. I mean…I want to be with you because you have filled places in my heart that he can't, but it's the same thing with him…"
"…"
Naruto slowly got up and stared down at the water, "I see. Well Ita-Chan, take as much time as you need to think this over…"
The Uchiha looked up at the hanyou with a puzzled look.
Naruto looked at Itachi with a somewhat sad smile, "No matter what you choose, I'll be happy for you and I will always love you, no matter what." And with that, Naruto disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
It was Monday, July 16, and Naruto was in his room, scribbling something on a piece of paper shaped into a card.
"Hey, Naruto-Kun, whatcha doin?" his room-mate, Ino, asked.
Naruto didn't look up at her but said, "Today's 7 months that I and Ita-Chan have been going out."
Ino knew about the couple and swore on her Bloodline Limit that she would keep the secret safe. She thought they made a cute couple actually, despite the whole break-up between Naruto and her old crush. Yup, she had front row seat for that show alright.
Ino smiled at Naruto. Naruto looked up at Ino and stared for a moment before scrunching up his nose, "And why are you smiling Ino-Chan?"
Ino gave him a neko-grin before saying, "You two make a cute couple. But anyways, give me a sample of what you're writing him."
Naruto countered back with his fox grin and said, "No."
Ino huffed at the blond boy, "Why not?"
Naruto imitated his room-mate, "Because it's something personal."
Ino hissed as Naruto countered with a growl until it died down and Ino smiled while saying, "Ok. I know what you mean when it comes to something personal. I hope everything goes well with you two."
Naruto gave her a warm smile and said, "Thanks."
That night, Itachi was lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling when he saw something from the corner of his eye. He caught the papers swiftly as he glanced at the cover. "To my uruwashii itoshii(1)," he said softly. He looked at his handwriting and noticed that Naruto had written it. How the blond kitsune got through Kisame, he would surely never know. He opened the card and started softly reading aloud to himself,
I love how I can be a total dork around you and yet you still make me feel absolutely amazing. And because of that, I am kind of crazy, head over heels, leaving me breathless, absolutely butterflies in my stomach, 1oo percent in love with you. Happy 7 month anniversary Ita-Chan, and hope to see you soon!!
♥,
Naru-Chan
(1): Beautiful beloved.
Please review!