Knock knock.
"Naruto!" A voice drags out his name.
Naruto grumbles lowly as he slowly swings his legs around and drops off the bed. He'd been trying his best to ignore the knocking for the last ten minutes, but it had turned out impossible to sleep through the high-pitched voice calling his name. He stalks to the door while rubbing his eyes and yawning, nightcap still atop his head. He scratches his rear as he pulls open the door and stares at the young girl with soft hair the color of freshly fallen snow, who is smiling as brightly as the sun in his eyes.
"Nani, Mayuri, 'ttebayo?" He grumbles at her, but she only retains her smile toward him.
"Naruto! I have a mission for you!" The honeyed shades within her daffodil eyes express her joy, which is as bright as her smile, and the blonde perks up at these words.
"A mission? Great! What are we doing?" He runs back in the house, stripping off his shirt as he goes, and Mayuri follows him with a soft giggle.
"It's just a D-rank mission, but it's one I really want to do. I picked it out for us!" She grins at him, he never suspecting a reason behind it.
"Hmm… well, I guess if it's important to you, then as your friend, I'll just have to help you! Because that's my way of ninja!" He shoots out from his bedroom hopping on one foot as he tugs on his orange pants, leaving Mayuri to giggle as he falls flat on his face. He soon scrambles up and finishes tugging the fabric over his hips before sliding on his jacket, grinning determinedly in the mirror as he ties on his headband. "What are we doing, Mayuri-chan?"
"Well first we have to gather ingredients!" The young girl practically squirms in excitement. "Then we're going to make candles!"
"Candles?" Naruto blinks at her with a puzzled look. "Why would we need to make candles?"
"It's our mission!" Knowing that by itself will get him to agree, she grins. "So let's hurry! The first step is wick-braiding!"
Naruto holds up the latest wick he's managed to twist into a mess, frowning and looking over at Mayuri's, whose wicks are neatly twisted and holding together perfectly. Naruto hands his over for the stack, groaning as it unravels.
"AHH! Why is this so hard, dattebayo!" Naruto grows very annoyed and frustrated, understandably since he has only managed to successfully twist three wicks together that have stayed. Mayuri looks up from her own braiding and giggles softly.
"That's okay, Naruto. I think I've made enough for both of us!" She grins and rises, brushing off her bottom. "Now we should get some decorations!"
"Hn? What kind of decorations do you put in candles?" Naruto blinks up at her with wide, curious blue eyes.
"We can get pretty little stones from the creek and flower petals! And I have some ribbons to tie around them when we're finished! And maybe even on some of them, we can press seashells into the sides!" The young girl's grin reveals her absolute thrill toward the project, and Naruto rubs the back of his neck as he returns the grin.
"Hai, Mayuri-chan. Let's go get some pebbles and petals!"
Mayuri hums softly as she kneels in the meadow, choosing only the prettiest petals for her candles. She picks some small violet petals and big yellow petals, then some dainty blue petals and medium pink petals. She also finds a few white ones and adds those to her little basket, delighted when she finds different shapes in different colors, and her favorite find of the day is a small set of flowers she found growing in the shade that have twisting white and shades of red, almost looking as if someone tie-dyed the flowers. She diligently teases each petal loose, taking great care to keep from damaging them.
Naruto, on the other hand, does his task haphazardly. He doesn't see the harm in just tugging them off. If they rip, they rip. There are plenty more to replace them, especially since they're in a field. He picks the biggest petals he can find: some long yellow ones, big and round red ones, a few purple-y ones…. He grins as he finds a bush of bright orange flowers, leaning in and chaotically tugging them from all over the place.
Unbeknownst to him, that bush is actually a work area.
Naruto blinks as something tickles his neck, slapping at it and yelping. "Ow! What was… uh oh."
The blonde stares at the bee squashed against his palm, the stinger poking into his skin. He tugs it out and looks up at the bush, tan face paling as a few yellow and black insects rise from the mess of leaves and petals. They buzz angrily, and the blonde gulps.
"Hehe… nice bees…. Don't hurt me, dattebayo!" He abandons his basket by tossing it into the air and runs as he speaks, the bees wriggling their stinger ends before giving chase.
Mayuri looks up and smiles as he races by, scattered orange, red, and yellow petals raining down in the light breeze. She giggles softly as she shakes her head.
"Silly Naruto."
Bare feet tread lightly through a cool stream, each wading step creating a miniature current. Mayuri hums softly to herself as she uses a sifter to carefully filter the pebbles, picking out ones that are all about the same size as a marble. Delighted to find many shades and colorings, she happily dries each one individually before laying it within her small basket. She finds various shades of grey, some with sandy tones, and others with various streaks like red and yellow that will match some of the flower petals she already has. She takes care not to harm the selected stones so she can choose the very best for the candle bases.
Naruto, on the other hand, splashes through the water without a care in the world, his shoes and jacket lying on the bank to stay dry. His left hand scoops up a handful of sandy goo from the creek bottom before he shakes his fist vigorously within the water to clean the pebbles. He doesn't really bother examining them and just tosses them into the basket Mayuri gave him earlier.
He reaches back to scratch his bum, grumbling to himself. His right palm and rear end itch like crazy from where the bees managed to sting him, three times in total. Mayuri had been kind enough to tug the stingers out of his clothing and put the bandages on his poor hind end, despite the flush invading her cheeks. The pain had vanished with the swelling, and now the itching is close to driving him up a wall… or the nearest tree.
"GAH! Why does it itch so bad, dattebayo!" He kicks at the water in frustration as he shoves his hand down the back of his pants to scratch to sweet relief. Of course, it is Naruto's luck that his splashing sends a wave of water over a nearby cluster of daisies… from which arise a few angrily buzzing bees. Naruto's eyes widen and his body tenses upon hearing the buzzing, and he slowly looks over to the bank.
"Not again! Dattebayo!" He flees the area with bees hot on his tail after dropping his basket, which is carried lazily downstream by the water's natural current before Mayuri retrieves it with a soft laugh and a shake of her head.
"Silly Naruto."
Mayuri hums softly as she carefully opens a white box in the middle of a grassy field. There are many such boxes, and the owner has given her permission to help herself to her desired materials. She had told Naruto he didn't have to come along on this part of the mission. A soft buzzing surrounds her, and she works quietly and slowly so she doesn't startle the inhabitants of this particular box. At the sound of an all-too familiar voice, she pauses, eyes widening.
"Mayuri-chan! You didn't think you could really leave me behind, did you?!" Naruto is grinning like the idiot he is prone to being, waving like mad as he runs toward her through the field. Mayuri straightens and shakes her head, waving her hands at him, trying to make him understand he should stop. Of course, Naruto can be a bit dense at times and simply yells again as he passes the middle section of the many white boxes within the field. "Hello to you, too, 'ttebayo!"
Mayuri sighs and shakes her head as she and the blonde both begin to hear a droning buzz growing louder and louder. "Oh Naruto…"
"M-Mayuri-chan, what are we doing here…?" He stops dead and looks around nervously as swarm after swarm of bees rise from the boxes.
"Naruto… I'm gathering the wax for the candles." She watches as he turns and ninja-sprints in the other direction, yelling all the way as the hordes gather into one massive buzzing cloud and chase after him.
"Why is it always ME?! DATTEBAYO!" Mayuri sighs and shakes her head, unable to help the fond smile that graces her face as a soft giggle leaves her lips.
"Silly Naruto."
Mayuri looks up at the grumbling blonde beside her. He's covered in white bandages and scratching at every one of them. She had once again doctored him up, and her blush had been that bit darker as she stuck the bandages all over his body. She'd even taken the time to do her best to make sure every last stinger was out of his clothing. Naruto shifts then winces and reaches around, pulling a stray stinger out of the crook of his jacket's elbow.
"Now Naruto, this one's much easier. No bees involved." Mayuri smiles at him and shows him the jars and lids she'd gathered. "Now see, some jars will be greased inside like this. These we will glue the pebbles to as bases and squish them in. Then when the wax cools, we pull them out, and the lid becomes the base for the whole candle. Those are the special ones we'll decorate the outsides with using the ribbons and shells.
"Then the jars themselves can be cleaned and filled up to make jar candles. Those won't have any decorations except a ribbon tied around the lip of the jar. And all you have to do is pour the wax!"
"Then what about the petals, Mayuri-chan?" Naruto scratches his stomach idly as he listens.
"The petals will be in all the candles but mixed in with the wax. That will be the scent!"
Naruto nods and takes the tongs from his best friend. "I think I can do this."
Mayuri happily settles down and begins to stick the wicks to the insides of the lids before gluing pebbles around the circular edges; she makes sure to give them a few moments to dry before handing them off with their jars to Naruto. The blonde works as carefully as Mayuri, the pair soon producing all of the jar-less candles. To decorate the outsides, Mayuri carefully heats a singular spot on the outside before pressing small shells into the softened wax.
While they finish cooling, Mayuri sticks the wicks into the bottoms of the cleaned jars and holds them upright as Naruto pours wax into them. They work carefully and diligently for hours, and twilight settles over the village as Mayuri happily ties the last ribbon around the final jar.
"Naruto, we're finished! Now we can sell them!" She rises and moves toward the stretching blonde and kisses his cheek. "Thank you for your help."
She leaves him standing with a goofy grin on his face as she takes the candles inside to prepare for tomorrow's market day.
Naruto grumbles to himself as he slides out of bed and scratches his derrière, hearing a knock on the door. He knows who it most likely is, and as much as he wants to ignore it and go back to bed… he'd never do that to his Mayuri. Even if she had told him yesterday that he couldn't keep any of the money. That had really irked him, making him wonder why he'd done all of that work with her if he wasn't going to get paid… especially considering all the stupid bee stings! Granted, they all were his fault entirely….
Naruto pulls open the door as he scratches at his stomach, night cap still atop his head. "What do you want, Mayuri-chan? It's too early again."
"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun!" Mayuri exclaims breathlessly, daffodil eyes wide with joy. Her snowy fringe falls lightly across her eyes and forehead as she thrusts out her hands, which contain a small white box with an orange bow stick on top. "I hope you like your present… because I spent all the money we made on it!"
Naruto blinks and stares at her in shock; he hadn't expected this. He accepts the present and gives her a bashful smile, considering the fit he threw yesterday over the money. He slowly opens it, eyes widening as he sees within a stack of papers… but not just any papers.
"C-coupons for an extra-large free bowl of ramen?" The ramen-loving blonde looks up at the beaming girl.
"Yes! Enough for you to use one a day for a whole year! And Teuchi-san said that you can use each coupon to either get the extra-large bowl or two large or three medium or five small! And each one comes with extra naruto and pork slices!" She hesitates, not yet seeing a smile on his face. "D-do you like it, Naruto?"
Naruto gets a watery smile and throws his arms around her. "Mayuri-chan, this is the best gift EVER! DATTEBAYO!"
Mayuri blushes and giggles as the blonde gives her a kiss on the cheek.
"Silly Naruto."
Extended ending
Mayuri dances impatiently as she waits at the gate for the familiar blonde with whiskers across his cheeks. She hasn't seen her Naruto in almost three years, not since he left with Jiraiya on his special training mission. She has missed him terribly, especially since she and her best friend Arianna had to get up to mischief without him. It was never as much fun without him.
"Mayuri-chan!" A deepened yet entirely familiar voice reaches her ears. Her soft yellow eyes light up as she rushes out the gate with a laugh.
"Naruto-kun!" Moments later, she is being swung around by the ecstatic blonde.
"Mayuri-chan! I'm so happy to see you!" Naruto finally sets her down, she now able to see just how much taller than her he has grown. He slides off his knapsack and rummages around inside.
"I'm so happy to see you, too!" The girl beams with joy, her snowy locks longer now and framing her heart-shaped face. She blinks in surprise as the male presents to her a hastily-wrapped bundle with a yellow bow on top. "Hm? What's this, Naruto?"
The blonde gives her a sheepish smile and rubs the back of his neck. "It's a birthday present for you. You know, since I haven't been here for the last three years."
"Naruto, you didn't have to get me anything." Mayuri smiles at him as she unwraps it.
"I know," he smiles at her in response, "but I wanted to… and I made it all myself."
Mayuri gasps as she unveils a jar-less candle clothed by an orange ribbon. She sees pebbles pressed around the base and shells pressed unevenly into the sides; the wick is coming unraveled, and the top of it is entirely lopsided. And upon closer inspection, Mayuri sees within the set wax several orange petals, and…
"Naruto, are those bees trapped in the wax?"
Mayuri smiles as she and Naruto sit in her kitchen. His special candle is lit and sitting in the center of the table as they eat the ramen they brought home from Ichiraku, courtesy of Teuchi and Ayame. The snowy-haired angel looks up over her ramen at the blonde across from her. Blue eyes meet daffodil, and the two exchange a smile.
"This is the best birthday I've had since you left, Naruto." She grins at him before taking another bite.
Naruto, of course, hasn't changed all that much and speaks through a half-full mouth. "I'm glad, 'ttebayo!"
Mayuri giggles softly then blinks, going quiet. "Do you hear that?"
Naruto frowns and swallows, a faint buzzing reaching their ears in the otherwise quiet apartment. His face pales. "No… it couldn't be…."
Up from the melted wax comes crawling the two bees that had chased him and gotten caught as he poured the wax. They shake and groom the wax off their wings before rising in flight. Naruto nearly upsets the table as he scrambles up to get away. Mayuri stares in shock before helplessly laughing. Neither of them had seen this coming. The blonde doesn't get far after he trips over his own chair and falls on his face, and the bees take their silver-platter opportunity. One stings his rear and the other stings his cheek, and then they both buzz out the open window.
"OW! That hurt, dattebayo!" Naruto struggles to right himself, glaring at the window. Mayuri continues to giggle as she comes closer and kneels to help him up.
"Silly Naruto. Let Mayuri kiss it all better!" She smiles and pulls the stingers from his cheek and rear before kissing his cheek. "There! All better now!"
Naruto sits up gingerly and gives her a crooked smile. "Actually, they still hurt a little."
"Then maybe I can kiss it all better again." Mayuri grins and kisses his cheek once more. Her lips linger, and his hand automatically darts up into her snowy tresses. After a moment, Mayuri begins to trail her kisses down his jaw and neck. "Where else does it hurt?"
"M-my chest." Naruto whispers, gulping as she slowly unzips his jacket and pushes it over his shoulders. The girl… no, young woman… slowly trails her lips down to his chest, and her hands follow by tracing her fingertips over the well-defined muscles of his torso.
"Where else does it hurt, Naru-kun?" Mayuri looks up at him from under her eyelashes.
"My… stomach." Naruto begins to wonder just how much more he can get away with as the girl kisses further down, lips brushing around his navel as she makes sure to kiss every one of his distinct abdominal muscles. After a moment, he grows more daring. "And… my lips."
The honeyed depths of Mayuri's eyes flash with interest as she lifts her gaze, and she slowly straightens from her crouched position. She leans in and temptingly brushes her lips against his, both sets of eyes slowly shutting. As she starts to pull away, she feels his hands grasping her arms before finding herself flipped onto her back with a gasp. Naruto's lips press firmly against hers, much more eager this time as his hands slide onto her sides and trail to her hips. Mayuri's hands slide up his back and tangle within his spiky blonde locks, a soft groan escaping both sets of lips.
She doesn't stop him as he begins to strip her, instead helping him with his clothing. They've danced around their attraction to each other for far too long, and it has all built up to this moment. Bare skin meets bare skin; legs and arms tangle until they can no longer for sure tell which belongs to who. Soft gasps and moans join with grunts and growls, which all mingle with the soft glow of the candle atop the table.
Mayuri snuggles into Naruto's strong, warm chest hours later, both forms resting beneath the soft cotton sheets of her bed. The smile hasn't left her face since appearing after that special moment together. A low rumble emanates from Naruto's chest as he speaks.
"Maybe bees aren't so bad… 'ttebayo."