Chapter 2
A/N: It's a little AU where Naruto comes from, but it follows canon.
I See hype for this, God... I hope I don't disappoint
I'm moving at a comforting slow pace with the story.
Also surprised at the popularity.
Funfact: I wrote at least half of the first chapter while I was...Inebriated
"How could you have eaten so much?" Mito asked as she handed an unpleasant amount of Ryo over to Kenji. He smiled widely and deposited the ryo into the register.
Naruto looked at a stack of bowls, the top slightly teetered, threatening to fall over. He rubbed in his belly in satisfaction over the amount of ramen he ate. He looked over the red haired woman, her look in mild disbelief at the bowls.
He could imagine the succulent taste of the dish, the texture of the noodle on his tongue. Along with each and every distinct flavor that the miso pork ramen provided to his taste buds. The broth was near perfection to his opinion, and he would simply drink it after finishing the noodles and other ingredients. One thing was for certain 'It was amazing...' He nodded to himself in agreement. Except there was something missing, something he couldn't point his finger on.
"Sorry... I guess I forgot my money...If I have any" He replied embarrassingly. He could go for more, but he didn't want to keep Mito any longer that he had too. She had finished her bowl of ramen long before, and had looked in shock at how fast he had eaten his share and amongst others. He had gotten so distracted that he had completely forgotten he didn't have any method of payment for the noodles. Luckily for him Mito had agreed to pay for his meal. He felt a little disappointment that he had forgotten about it, he reasoned that he would make it up for her one way or another.
"It's alright..." He heard her say. She stood from her seat and straightened her white Kimono. He stood up himself and followed her out the flaps of the small ramen shop.
"Come again!" He heard Kenji yell out from within the restaurant. He had a hopeful tone of voice, satisfied from the amount of ramen he had eaten. He once again thought about what was missing. Something that could've been added to make it to perfection.
"Mito! I'll see you after!" He heard her sister call out soon after. 'Emi...Was it?' recalling her name. The duo walked together and she replied with her own goodbyes. He followed Mito and he quickly figured out that they were going a different direction.
He looked at the sky, It seemed the night had fallen instead of the dying rays of sunlight. Some street lights had turned on to keep the darkness away. The streets were mostly bare but occasionally a couple or so would come out from another street, enjoying their private walk. He looked back up to see the beautiful amount of stars in the sky, shining brightly as well as the crescent moon.
A smooth pleasant breeze came by and he felt it flick his hair calmingly. Naruto suddenly felt at peace, like tomorrow wouldn't matter and that he was relaxing somewhere and feeling the burning sun on his skin. He reveled in the feeling, and disregarded on why he was feeling such tenderness.
"Hey" He randomly called out. It felt natural to him as he turned to face the woman beside him. He flinched a little as he saw who was beside him, she turned her head towards him to look into his eyes.
He saw the unmistakable aura she held in her eyes. "Yes?" Oddly, he was expecting someone else. There was only the red haired woman beside him. Luckily she didn't notice the flinch he gave off but the feeling he felt earlier wisped away. He hid his disappointment, but confusion washed over him.
"Where are we going?" He asked. A question he had wanted to ask just disappeared and he had no hints as to what it was. He decided to ask an earlier concern, since they obviously weren't going back to her place. He was completely lost and had no idea what event might unfold before him. Night had taken over and he had no place to stay.
"We're going to see my grandfather"
"Oh for what?"
"Find a place for you to sleep in" She replied.
"Oh cool..." He certainly felt like an oddity here. He had woken barely more than hour ago and in some beautiful stranger's home no less. He peeked at woman beside him, who carried herself proudly.
She had beautiful smooth red hair tied in buns, but some swept aside that hugged her cheeks and jaw line. Her lips were pursed but he could tell they were quite supple and pink. Her skin was quite porcelain in comparison to his and she had a purple-ish diamond mark on her forehead. She wore some sort of small golden crown between her tied up buns. Under her white kimono she wore some sort red dress underneath and flowed gently above the ground. He wondered if he had ever met someone who dressed as elegant as she did. Despite her regal appearance she carried, she had this child-like curiosity in her eyes. He also just felt the warmth and tenderness within them.
"Don't worry, I'll visit you" She said reassuringly.
"...Thanks, So how long was I out?" He asked.
"Two days" She replied. He could tell she was eager to ask some questions, but was holding back. It was obvious as to why. 'I don't even know myself...what's my last name? He tapped his chin thoughtfully. Only one surname kept appearing in his head.
"So how does a Naruto Uzumaki sound?" As he continued tapping his chin. Although the only connection was that was only the surname he'd heard. He looked curiously at the red head. It did have a nice ring to it. He thought he saw an faint blush appear for a split second before it disappeared.
"I-It sounds perfect actually" Although he did catch the small stammer. "I really like your hair...It's like gold" She added almost nervously. He noticed that were plenty of red haired people around here. Occasionally he found the brown haired or raven haired individual when they walking to find something to eat.
"Hehe, thanks" He replied with a smile. He swept a hand over his unruly hair. He realized that he hadn't exactly looked over himself in a mirror as of yet.
"It might be a possibility" She added. "That you actually could be an Uzumaki"
"Really? How's that?"
"Your chakra, it's similar to ours" She explained. "No means of really confirming that you are though..."
"Hmm...Well, we'll figure it out eventually y'know" He replied. A calm silence swept over them. Mito added a nod and he decided to take another peek at her, he saw a different expression on her face. Her eyes were focused and her lips were slightly...unnatural compared to before.
With nothing to focus on, and with the lack of talk with their companionable silence. He attempted to recreate her expression. After a moment or so, he found that she was biting the inside of her right cheek and which made her lips slightly misplaced.
Getting the little mystery over and done with, his thoughts pranced about nothing in particular. 'This amnesia thing is boring...' He tried to contemplate, but it lacked cohesive direction. There wasn't much to think about when he couldn't recall anything. All it did was create more questions that couldn't be answered, he might as well share it with Mito later on.
Bringing his mind together, he focused about the dinner they shared together and felt himself slightly drooling at the thought of the dish. "Oh yeah, thanks for paying for the ramen" Wiping the hint of drool starting to form at the corner of his mouth.
"It's of no concern, I was the one who had forgotten you had money"
"So I do have some money huh?... I promise I'll pay you back" He figured that it was in the bag that he had left behind at her apartment.
"You don't need too" She replied, which surprised him a little.
"Really? But I want to" He was a met with silence looked over to her to see a contemplative look. A anticipating smile revealed itself after a moment.
"Well if you insist-"
"I do"
"Then I suppose I can come up with something" She replied. He saw a expression that showed him that she was anticipating for when he did. He speculated on what it might be about.
"Looking forward to it" He answered honestly. He wanted to be around her, since she was so intent on helping him with his memories. The red haired woman did carry a welcoming presence. He noticed her slow down on her pace and looked to her to see what it was.
"Here we are..." She added, looking in upfront. He followed her gaze to see a large building on an incline and stairs led the way to the top. It wasn't exactly grand but it did look impressive compared to the other buildings surrounding it. 'This is weird...' He was lost at what he was comparing the building too, the thought escaped from him before he could catch it. "This is the Uzumaki Mansion, this is where the Clan leader resides in and the village's leader"
"So are there two people?" He asked, only for the red head to shake her head.
"They are the one and the same" She took the lead once more and Naruto followed.
"Oh" He inspected the building more closely as they walked up the stairs. The building was three stories in height, although the third floor seemed to be smaller in width. He speculated that the clan leader resided on that floor. Four large decorated wooden pillars were supporting an open roof before the doors that led inside. Right above the doors were a large crest of a red swirl. Beside the stairs were grass and several flowers popping from out of the ground.
Naruto was brought out of his detailing when he noticed the woman was walking slightly in front of him. He would be blind if he didn't noticed her swaying hips, the obi tied around her waist only accentuated her bottom. He cleared his throat and furthered his pace to match hers. He quickly willed down the heat on his cheeks. "So...your grandfather is here right?"
"Yes, he's the clan leader " He reached the door first and opened it for her. "Thank you" He nodded and followed her inside.
'Damn it...'When he noticed she was in front once eyes trailed over before he quickly looked straight ahead. 'I'm no perv...' He felt a little awkward speeding up to walk beside her once more.
He focused on surroundings of the building to distract himself. After a short walk through a small hallway, they entered a large room. There was a pair of stairs that they took that led to the third floor in the middle of the room, while there was surrounding hallways that led to different rooms on each floor. The room itself was painted beige that was added with some brownish colors. He heard several people talking nearby, muffled by their distance and barriers. He briefly thought of the purpose of the building before reasoning that their intent was on caring for the village.
"So how long has the village been here?" He asked. Noticing the relatively new furniture and lack of worn items. They reached the top on the third floor, it was relatively smaller than the other floors as there was no hallways. There was only one open door, which was on the opposite side of the room.
"It's only been a few months since it's been formed, otherwise one of the first of the hidden ninja villages" He nodded.
'Hidden villages...' It felt familiar to him. He felt a little frustrated that he couldn't recall it. Quickly closing the distance, they entered the open doorway that had a receptionist just beside another closed door.
Mito walked up to a middle-aged woman, dressed in formal attire. The blond stood some distance behind and decided to inspect the room but was listening on their conversation "Excuse me, is my grandfather here" The woman took a brief peek at both the guest before shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, He left on an important meeting that the clans of Konohagakure wanted to discuss with him" She replied.
'Konohagakure...' He heard some talking between both Mito and the secretary. 'So it's another ninja village huh? That's pretty cool, I wonder how many other villages there are?' He mused a little about this. Before he noticed that Mito had turned to him out of the corner of his eye.
"What's up?" Turning his attention to the red haired woman. She held a slight look of disbelief.
"It seemed my grandfather will not be here for another few days..." It took a moment for him to click on his predicament.
"Oh..." He chuckled nervously. "So I guess that I just sleep on the streets then" He joked. She scoffed and shook her head at his distasteful joke.
"Nonsense... "
"Okay then...What now?"
Mito walked alongside the blond, well with her slightly in the lead. She didn't exactly think she would have suggested that he stay over at her apartment. He was someone that needed help, and she couldn't' turn him away. He didn't deserve to spend a night on the streets, or spend most of his money staying at a hotel. What kind of first impression would that send him?
She wasn't given a definite estimate on her grandfather returning to the village. She wondered how important their meeting was, since Shin seemed to have forgotten about their mysterious guest. She looked over to the mysterious blond, he was far too interesting for her own good. "So how do you feel so far?" The blue eyed man looked her in the eye.
"Well..." He worn a slight confused expression, along with a contemplative look."I feel really weird...Like I don't belong here" He replied.
'That's putting it a bit mildly, but he hasn't been here long either'.
"Perhaps that you can get accustomed to this place" Mito suggested. They were halfway towards her apartment. Several kids ran through an alleyway, playing hide and seek or tag. That was one thing that was missing from before. A feeling of safeness that their previous lifestyle that couldn't be accomplished before.
"I hope so...But I feel..." She turned to look at her companion. "I feel like something's missing...Other than my memories I mean" Mito was a little bewildered by his comment, but mostly fascinated 'What could it be?' Was it something that was a part of him? A companion? Or a personal item? For a moment she thought amusingly that it might have been the night cap he had in his pack.
"We might find something in your pack that I found alongside you"
"Maybe, I think it's something big though "He seemed to have forgotten about his little dilemma and simply relaxed. He put his hands over the back of his neck as they walked ever closer to her place.
'Interesting how nonchalant and unworried he is' She thought to herself. There was a chance that he might never recall the rest of his memories at all. Yet, even with the casual comment, she felt certain that he thought he would regain his past.
They walked the rest the of the way to her apartment in a companionable silence. She was followed up the stairs and to her door. Unlocking the door with her key, she opened the door to invite him inside. "Thanks again! I really like that you're a nice person!" He said rather loudly.
"It's what anyone would've done" She replied. He merely waved her off while he took off his sandals.
"Maybe, but that still doesn't take away that you're good person" He retorted. "I just see the kindness in you I guess" He added. "Even if you are a private person"
'That again?' She thought. He certainly was on the mark that she didn't exactly share details of her life to others. Mito wondered on what made her share things of herself, but she reasoned that it was to make him comfortable and to help him.
He walked off to the hallway without her leading the way. She was a little agitated that he went off, and not be like a normal guest and wait for her to show him around. He rounded off the hallway and into the guest room while she took off her sandals. Perhaps that's why she was a little drawn to him. Normal was a little stale. Naruto was nearly on the opposite spectrum on that scale, well as far she knew.
Mito walked through the hallway, the door was wide open to his impromptu room. He was in the middle of fumbling with his bag on the desk. He looked up and smiled after a quick second. "You want to see if I can remember anything right? let's check it out" He mentioned for her to come in.
'I'm I that predicable?' She did say that she curious in him, she felt regret that she had actually told him that. Her curiosity easily won over her frustration and entered into the room. She sat herself down on the side of the bed. Naruto came over and recklessly spilled the contents on the mattress. 'It's like he doesn't care at all' She was still somewhat amused at this, more especially at next comment. "Whoa do I actually wear this?" Picking up the toothy nightcap.
"I'd like to think so" She snickered. He gave a heartwarming smile before returning to the items. The next thing he picked up was the red black flamed cloak, which he quickly wore.
"It's pretty cool..." He said to himself. Turning in place as he inspected on how the garb fit him. She noted some kanji on the back.
"Mount Myoboku?" She said aloud, he looked quizzically at her.
"Where's that?"
"I don't have a clue..." She was a delighted to have found another clue to him. Perhaps a little interesting was such a shortcoming term to describe him. Figuring that pondering about it wouldn't bring out any results he continued on. He froze after a moment. "Did you remember something?" She said excitedly. Her thoughts raced towards what he might've recalled.
"Wait I know this!" She looked towards the items to figure out if any of the items were responsible. Her best guess was the tri pronged Kunai amongst the ordinary items. He seemed to reach for it, only to pass right by it and over to his stuffed frog wallet. "I call this Gama-chan!" He bounced the wallet on his hand, a proud and nostalgic smile on his face.
Mito wasn't expecting this, completely blindsided that he had recalled something insignificant that didn't reveal much other than he was a little childish in nature. She giggled. Which had quickly grown to full blown laughter. He had an amused grin, eyes full of appreciation. He chuckled alongside her, as she quickly restrained herself. "You have a beautiful laugh" he added.
She gathered herself before she replied to him."Thank you..." She wasn't entirely sure how to respond to him. How was she supposed reply? 'Would a compliment suffice?' She wasn't well versed in that regard. Kunoichi were people and ninja like everyone else, seduction was entirely optional. She obviously chose not to specify in that manner. He seemed to have moved on before she could reply, he unrolled the sealing scroll. Which she remembered as the scroll that was kept full of the special kunai.
"Okay what's going here...I feel like I should do something" As he inspected the sealing formula.
"Here let me show you" She was given the scroll and he looked curiously at her. "You channel chakra on the formula, depending on the amount of chakra and bursts" She demonstrated it, and two kunai flew wildly a foot in the air. She was about to grab them before she was beaten to it. He easily caught them by their handles. He twirled the one in his right hand as he inspected.
"Huh...cool" He said. It wasn't impressive by shinobi standards, but a mere civilian would have struggled. 'So I guess he really is a ninja...' She guessed that he had only done it on instinct. "So what are these markings?" he asked. She had some time to inspect the formula itself, she came to the same conclusion as her grandfather
"I believe it's a space-time sealing formula, So I suppose it's used for teleportation" She answered him. He hummed while continued to inspect it. She noted how good the cloak fit on him, like it was especially made for him. There wasn't much that was answered today, and only more mysteries appeared.
He didn't seemed to have recalled anything that related to his past, other than his wallet. 'So what is it that's missing in him?' A constantly growing puzzle, along pieces that were blurred and only revealed itself after some time. It excited her. "You didn't recall anything else?" She asked curiously.
"Nah..." He replied. He set aside the kunai while he prodded the other items. Which were insignificant and didn't reveal anything else. She yawned tiredly and stood up from the bed.
"I think I shall go to bed now" He looked up at her.
"Alright, good night" As she turned towards the door.
"Good night"
Mito lay in her bed, her hair was freed from her buns and she was dressed in a conservative nightgown. She thought about today's events, it was a bit odd now.
Sure the blond was sleeping here once again, but he wasn't unconscious this time. She also invited to stay over. While she was satisfied with it looking like a date, undoubtedly she wasn't okay if someone she practically met today was seen entering her home and looking like... She felt her face flare up at the thought. She certainly felt...desires to be intimate with the opposite sex, but only with a man she loved. It was only very recently- the forming of the village- that she even begun to search for someone of potential. It was a peaceful time and there was no threat of war on the horizon since every new village was focusing on recruiting clans and constructing.
It was clear to her really. He was right, it wasn't everyday that she met someone who fell out of the sky AND someone who was suffering from amnesia.
She thought about his strong jaw line and adorable whiskers, oceanic blue eyes that spoke of immeasurable depth. His enticing lips and firm voice. He was very peculiar and she wanted to find out more and help him along the way. It certainly was a bonus that she found him attractive.
She recalled her thoughts on when he said their clan name. 'Naruto Uzumaki...' When he had said it, for some odd reason. She thought of how he might obtain that name...Marriage. It was only for a split second but it had made her flustered. So she just spluttered whatever that came out to distract herself and only for her to comment on his wild blond hair. He certainly looked exotic in this place, the wasn't really people with golden hair in Uzu.
She wondered what he was doing, since he had just woken up not long ago. She wasn't as tired as she initially thought. Perhaps she would need to be a good host and figure out something he could do to entertain himself. She sat up from her bed and turned on the lamp and thought about what he could do. She had several books that he could read, she wasn't sure if he would like any of them. Most were fiction, and delved into aspects of life and morality. She didn't think he would like little romance she had.
Mito thought that perhaps he would enjoy a few games of shougi or Go with her. She didn't particularly have many opponents to test her skill. Deciding that she would ask him herself, she walked to her door and absentmindedly straightened her hair. The door opened silently, she wondered if she would live here long enough for it to creak. She walked across to the door opposite and knocked quietly. There was no answer and she knocked once again. Still no answer. She thought briefly that he might've gone for a walk, she turned the knob and peeked through the door to confirm her theory.
Mito nearly faulted when she saw him lightly snoring, dead asleep on the bed. 'How is that possible?' She thought as some drool escaped from the corner of his mouth. She nearly let out a snicker when she heard a 'ramen' escape from him.' I suppose he really enjoys the dish' She realized what she doing when he tossed and turned over the blanket. Revealing that he wore orange boxers.
Her face turned red and she quickly closed the door to the guest room and walked back to her own room. 'He's unpredictable...'As she slid under her blanket and turned off her lamp. Mito thought once more about her new guest while she waited for sleep to take her. She didn't remember the last time she had laughed like that, carefree almost.
'Mount Myoboku...' It sounded a little familiar, it was something distant she couldn't pinpoint. It flitted around in her head in wait for a specific object or word to help jumpstart her memory. She disregarded it and decided to wait for it to come around. She was also interested about the seal on his Kunai, curious to see how it functioned in action. Wondering if it was anything similar to the 'shunshin' jutsu, which was accelerated movement. Although it differed as the seal allowed transportation...'Perhaps of the person with the technique?' It was clear that he had shinobi training. Perhaps some training and chakra exercises would help stimulate his abilities. Her thoughts roamed about the blond through the night, until sleep overruled her.
She heard some loud irritating knocking. Repetitive and in a specific manner, it felt like her sister had arrived at her house. She opened her eyes to find the her room had brightened from the morning sun. Mito felt like the sun had risen too early, a brief look at her clock revealed she had woken up an hour later than she usually woke up. 'Odd...' at eight in the morning she regularly felt rested. Another hour for sleep felt like bliss to her at the moment.
"Come on Mito!..." She heard the low muffled yells from her little sister, accompanying it the loud knocks. She felt a little sloppy as she rose from her comforting bed and quickly searched for her robe, since she still wore a her night gown. She did her best to wipe the sleep from her eyes and she picked up her brush and hair pins and walked out her door. She walked down the hallways and heard the fiddling of a door handle behind.
"Bathroom..." Hearing a low mumble from Naruto. Reaching the door she quickly unlocked it and opened it to find her sister, Emi. She was free from her work attire, and was dressed in casual attire. A red sweater with black pants.
"Finally, I did say I was coming ov-" Her eyes widened in surprised, she followed her gaze to see the blond in his boxers and t-shirt stumbling into the bathroom. "Did you...No" Emi trailed her words as she let herself into her apartment. Mito looked back at her sister in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" She asked. Still trying to recover from her sleepiness.
"Well, one thing it looks like you slept with him!" Emi said bluntly.
"W-What?!"
"Come on, he's half-naked and inside your place, you still look tired and I thought you were usually dressed by now" Emi continued as she entered her kitchen. "It's a bit logical from my point of view" Mito went pale.
"It's-"
"Don't worry Mito, I know you're not like that" She cut in as she inspected the bottom cup boards. "It is pretty suspicious though..." She added. Mito had already figured that out for herself. "So tell me about this guy, he popped out of nowhere and you were with him" Mito quickly gathered herself, she still felt a little flustered. She knew that it would go like this. She decided to focus on brushing her hair to tie into her buns.
"That's quite accurate actually"
"What do you mean?" She heard the flushing of the toilet and the subsequent sink.
"exac-"
"Damn that was awesome!" She heard the blond say loudly, he seemed to have proceeded into the guest room. Emi looked wordlessly at her, Mito giving a sheepish look. They heard a closing of a door and she began talking once again.
"Not really a person like yourself is he?" As she returned to prodding the cup boards.
"...No..." Mito admitted. He was far from being eloquent, he didn't really respond to social cues...most of the time. His table manners when he began to eat were atrocious.
"You don't have any flour" As she ceased her searching. She stood up and walked over to the fridge and inspected briefly. "Or any blueberries"
"I forgot..." Mito replied. She recalled that she was supposed to go get some more yesterday. Emi had a knowing look, no doubt to talk about the blond.
"So what was that about him not knowing his own name?" She asked.
"He has amnesia, and about before... he really did appear out of nowhere" Mito replied. Now that she thought about it, did the kunai had any sort of correlation with it?
"You're doing it again..." Interrupting her thought process.
"Doing what?"
"That face you always do when you're interested in something" She had odd smile on her, along with mischievous sparkle in her eyes. " So someone has caught your attention huh? Now that's fascinating"
"And?" Mito felt a little defiant, but she certainly wouldn't let her little sister see the heat that was starting to form around her cheeks.
"And you're not feeling bad, I thought you were interested in Hashirama, he's a clan leader and a powerful Shinobi" She prodded. Mito sighed, she always began to get like this whenever romance was involved. She always insisted on finding someone, saying that she deserved to have happiness. Mito was perfectly content on taking her time, rushing through things wasn't exactly her way of doing things. She tried to formulate a reasonable response to answer her sister. "It's because he has amnesia huh?"
"Well..." She didn't quite know how to respond to that.
"Admit it, you think he's far more interesting than the 'God of Shinobi' Right?" Mito heard the door swing open.
"Emi...He's still inside" She whispered to her. Still she found herself agreeing with her sister. It was quite petty, but the way she 'met' Naruto far exceeded the way her and Hashirama met.
"Fine, fine" The blond quickly made his way to where they were.
"Yo! Morning Mito, and Emi right?" She gave her greetings and her sister carefully eyed him.
"Morning to you too" Her little sister replied.
"Right! I remember my name now, it's Naruto" He replied. Mito could almost feel the energy that poured off him, from every word he said. Energetic and almost carelessly.
"Oh really? It's nice to meet you, a fitting name considering the amount of ramen you ate yesterday"
"Oh yeah, that was some amazing ramen yesterday, not really as good as Ichiraku's though" Mito quickly turned her entire attention towards the blond at the new information.
"Ichiraku?" The young blue eyed man turned to her.
"Huh..." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "No idea where that came from..."
"Guess it's another ramen stand or something" Emi suggested. "Also don't let Kenji know you said that" She added.
"Oh man, if that Ichiraku's is better, than I want some of that ramen" He replied.
"He can get really serious about his noodles" Emi whispered. Mito ignored this and prioritized to see if he recalled his memories.
"Anything else Naruto?" Voicing her thoughts.
"Hmm.." He looked at the ceiling as he contemplated. "Nah, nothing" He finished. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emi raise her brow.
"Hey Naruto" Emi questioned. Capturing both the individuals attention. "You're a guest, so can you do us a favor"
"Yeah sure, what is it?" He replied without hesitation. Emi dug into her wallet and pulled out some Ryo.
"Can you go get some flour and blueberries for us?" Emi quickly explained where the nearest grocery store was located. Mito knew what she wanted to do. Emi wanted to have some 'girl time' and talk about the blond that slept over.
"No problem!" Giving a salute, he quickly put on his sandals.
"Naruto, you really don't have to do this" Mito voiced.
"It's alright, this is easy stuff" He waved and proceeded outside without any further arguments from her. The door slammed shut, effectively leaving her alone with her sister. She didn't like the 'boy-talk'.
"Well I have to say" Emi started to speak. "He just went out there without even asking why" Mito did have to agree, it revealed something about his character. Although the specifics weren't clear, was a no questions type of guy? Which was something typical of a shinobi. Or did he simply do this because he wanted to help? Regardless of the importance. "Well there's that look again" effectively bring her out of her contemplation.
"What look?"Mito asked. She thought about how her expression changed. Was it noticeable? or subtle?
"You really do want to know everything about him don't you?" Her sister questioned. Effectively starting her - what Mito felt like it was- interrogation.
"What are you talking about?"
"Face it, you lit up like a child seeing sweets when he said 'Ichiraku' " Once again she was at a loss of what to say.
"He has amnesia, I want to help him"
"Sure, but mostly for your own self-interest" It reminded Mito of what Naruto had said yesterday, and how he easily saw through her facade. It made sense for her sister, since they known each other for their entire lives. Except he was able to do that hardly an hour after they officially met. "So how did your date end yesterday?"
"It wasn't a date...I don't see anything romantic between bowls of ramen and sitting side by side" Mito retorted.
"Yeah... It's mostly done when you're comfortable with one another or between friends" Mito reflected on this. With his warm chakra, she did feel incredibly calm and comfortable around him. It was a little odd. "But you're not friends, and that totally was a date" Mito sighed.
"Why do you insist?" She asked. She already knew of the answer, Emi wanted her big sister to be happy. Emi ignored this and continued.
"Well did you flirt with him? and him with you?" She asked.
"No..." She said unconvincingly. She reflected on yesterday, the comments they had made to each other. She definitely wasn't one for dating. "He did say... I have beautiful laugh and that I was a nice person... among other things"
"There you go..."
"That was flirting?" Mito asked.
"Yeah obviously" Emi replied. Mito looked at her sister. This realization hit Mito like a ton of bricks. How could she have bed so oblivious to it, there were sure told signs that he was. Even she had returned the mutual courtesy. 'But...' to her, it didn't really feel like he was just flirting. It sounded more like he was just stating the obvious. Just absolute genuine comments, at least she felt that way about it. He didn't seem to be the deceiving type, despite being a shinobi "You were flirting with him too weren't you?"
"Yes..." She said quietly. He wondered if he knew about it, did he know that he was flirting? 'He couldn't as oblivious to it' Worse of all, they were supposed to go on another 'date' today. The thing was... She was greatly looking forward to it.
Naruto sat on the chair of the bakery shop. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt familiar about this place. He'd never been here before obviously, perhaps it was the bakery shop? Or the smell of the place? He decided to wave it away and focus on the beautiful red haired woman that sat across from him.
When he had came back from helping them with their shopping, Emi had said goodbye and proceeded on her way. He thought that at least they had something to do that involved eating what he had bought. Instead Emi had simply said that it was later and they she had forgotten something. Mito had looked nervous at that time for some odd reason as well. She seemed to had gathered herself since they had arrived.
"So, why we're here again?" He asked her. She had this curiosity that was almost impossible to be rid of in her eyes. She always looked at him like that, he wondered if it was simply because he was suffering from amnesia - like he was a game- but there was also genuine worry with it. This time she had a playful and a bit childish look in her pupil-less black eyes.
"Because you owe me cinnamon buns" He raised his brows. "What? They have a delectable taste"
"Right, I still owe you for buying me ramen" he smiled in amusement. He felt a little nudge in the back of his head. Like he should be remembering this for some reason. Even though it was impossible since he never met the woman before yesterday. By this time the waiter came by and quickly came and dropped off the cinnamon buns.
Prior to this, she had already paid for it with his money. The shop itself was very homey, it seemed to be built for comfort as they sat on large comfortable seats and there was tall dividers that separated each table for privacy.
He watched as the woman known as Mito picked off a bun and took a careful bite off the treats. She closed her eyes and slightly moaned in pleasure as she did. He chuckled and she seemed to remember that she wasn't alone. A cute light blush flashed across her cheeks and she wiped her face with a napkin." I... I got carried away..." She replied embarrassingly. Her blush quickly disappearing
"Heh, it's alright, it cute y'know" He said. This time a darker blush appeared on her face.
Naruto found himself looking at a different colored eyes. There was no sound, and his surroundings seemed to be hazy and unfocused. This girl in front of him wasn't Mito. She had long midnight hair and pale pupil-less lavender tinted eyes. To Naruto, she was as breathtaking as the red haired woman. She had a slight happy smile on her face and when they locked eyes for a moment, he found warmth and love and happiness. She looked shyly away and an a rose colored tint appeared on her cheeks. The smile widened slightly. 'Who is she?' Naruto thought to himself. Her pink, inviting and luscious lips moved but no sound came out. She brought a cinnamon to her mouth and took a small bite. 'Is this what felt familiar?'
"Naruto?"Mito said questionably. He found himself looking in black pupil less eyes, a different color and different emotions replaced the lavender eyes. Curiosity etched in her eyes but concern was more prevalent.
"I just remembered something that's all" Composing himself as he replied.
"Can I ask what?"
"Yeah, there was someone who seemed to have liked cinnamon buns just as much as you did" he smiled at her. It felt... right to say, he had said only on a whim but it felt like the truth. "I don't remember her name though" He watched her slightly deflate at the new information, her eyes flashed with some disappointment but she still carried a small smile.
"Her?" She asked. "What did you remember exactly?" He thought about the midnight haired at what they were doing.
"Hmm... doing what we're doing now"
"What do you mean?" He didn't understand what she meant by that.
"Sitting here and eating I guess" He replied. "I just saw what she looks like a bit"
"I see..." Mito added. 'Weird' He thought. He grabbed a bun for himself as he looked out the window of the shop. The bakery was located just outside a small park. People enjoying their selves as they walked through along with their families.
He thought about the girl in his memory. 'Those white eyes of hers...' He felt like it was a little special than others. 'Man...All this is so confusing' Where was this person? Did he know other people? Would they freak out when they saw him? 'So many things...'
"Even if you haven't really promised, thanks for helping try to get my memories back" He said the woman. At least he had some help, a person who wanted to. It meant a lot to him.
"Like I said, it's interesting" She answered. Taking another bite of her snack.
"So what do you enjoy doing?" He asked. Recalling what she had said last night, about getting to know her a little more. She thought about her answer for a few moments.
"I enjoy studying and learning fuinjutsu" She mentioned to the pale purple diamond shaped mark on her forehead. "This is actually a sealing jutsu"
"What does it do?" He asked. She seemed to get into a trance, showing him that she was a little passionate about it.
"It's called 'Strength of a Hundred Seal' Whenever I use a jutsu, which require chakra. I don't have to utilize any of my own"
"Wow that's pretty cool..." Thinking about jutsu made him get hyped up. "Could you show me any of your jutsu?"
"It's what I thought of earlier, perhaps you can remember something if we train together"
"What kind of training?" He asked.
"I can show you examples of my own ninjutsu, and along with chakra exercises" She seemed to be anticipating as much as he was. Could he remember anything? What excited him most was that he could recall any sort of cool Jutsu. 'I hope it's going to be awesome'
"I can't wait for it" He wanted to get started right now, screw the cinnamon buns.
"But I thought perhaps that you would want to visit where you had fallen first" Mito suggested.
"Eh... Alright" He relented. Although training sounded more exciting, he did want to see if anything could come out of it. 'Why do I get this feeling that I don't belong?'
"Wow this was far" The blond commented. "Really long too"
"It's a walk that I enjoy" She proceeded through the meadow. It was relatively quiet, the chirping of bird and the distant waves crashing against the shore was all there was. She took a deep breath of the pleasing aroma while Naruto followed her.
"Blegh!" He burped loudly. "Good thing we ate more before we came" He didn't bother apologizing for such rude behavior. She sighed and continued towards the site where he had fallen.
"You're undefined" Mito commented.
"Meh" He shrugged her off. She controlled her nerves as they exited the meadow and into another part of the forest. "That was a beautiful place though"
"Indeed" She replied. Naruto was the first person that she had shown the field too. While it didn't hold much significance, it was a pleasant area that helped calmed her. Just a place that she could relax in. They hadn't talked much on their near two hour journey here, several comments here and there. Although the cerulean eyed blond was a little restless, and constantly complained about the time or distance to get here.
"Is that it?" As he paced past her, walking towards the indentation in the ground. The area was in the same state that he had seen him in, leaves and dirt strewn about. He stood directly over the crater while she joined him.
"Yes" Mito replied. He nodded, and simply glanced around the area before resting his gaze upon the depression. "When I found you here, you had these orange markings on the corner of your eyes" She added, hoping to help jumpstart his memory.
"Hmm..." He inserted his hands into his jacket, and wore a concentrated look on his face. After a minute of silence, he looked up directly into the sky. "Nothing's coming for me..." He took in a deep breath. "I'll be honest..." Mito noticed the change in his demeanor. "What if I don't remember who I really am?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if I can't remember anything else, and it will never come back" The wild haired talked. "I'm not worried about that though... I just, can't stop thinking " He crossed his arms as he continued to stare into the sky. He seemed to try and gather his words "Even if I never recover my memories, could I just -y'know' - Start over?"
"I suppose... but what about your family, or friends?" She wasn't entirely sure if she added a significant other "I'm sure you'll recover them"
"I guess..." He didn't sound entirely convinced. It was little odd, before he sounded so sure about himself. Where was this doubt coming from?
He exhaled loudly and swung his arms. "Maybe if I could remember something if I fell from the sky again" He chuckled, doing a turn around on his personality. He turned around and started the trek back to the meadow. "Let's go check out that place again"
"Okay" And joined him by his side. In their lull of conversation, she was reminded of earlier at bakery. Who was that girl with him? He didn't seem to realize, or ignored, or didn't care that they were SortOfOnADate. He seemed to had been doing the same with that girl, she didn't bother trying to speculate their relationship. Mito was a little curious as to what she looked like and that perhaps it might lead to a clue, if he recalled anything distinct. She resolved to ask him at a more appropriate time.
Making their way to the flower filled field, he led the way near the central part of the field. He suddenly plopped down on the ground, the grass and any unfortunate flowers bruising away from the weight. Mito looked curiously at the fellow. Who was nestled on the ground. "Come join me" He said to her, eyes shut closed.
"I much rather not" She replied. She was a little concerned of dirt potentially getting into her hair. She might be a Kunoichi but she didn't want to get unnecessarily dirty, the most that she would do was to sit down. She sat down a comfortable distance away from him, his outstretched left arm within reach. He peeked with a sideways glance and raised his brow.
"That's boring" He replied with a annoyed tone of voice. "Come on just lay down and feel amazing..."
"I don't see how that would make me feel spectacular" She retorted.
"Well... all you see are the clouds rolling by in the sky, the heat on the sun on your skin" He sighed contently for a moment. "I just feel...one with Nature y'know, and nothing really matters other than right now..." He said softly. She was a bit bewildered from his sudden change in the dynamic of his character. She smiled wistfully.
"If you say so" She relented to him. She quickly disposed her buns in her hair and the small crown nestled between them. Her hair fell down to her shoulders and placed the items to the side. "Is something the matter?" Seeing him with an odd look on his face.
"Uhh...You really look good like that y'know" She realized that she had been seen without her usual buns. He had completely taken down her guard without her realizing, when did she get so comfortable with him?
"Thank you" She was able to control the heat. She was still unused to the sincerity in his words. She quickly reasoned that putting her hair but into place would be a little unbecoming. She leaned back and place her head on the grass. She looked up into the cerulean sky, some white fluffy clouds hovered over the land. She felt the comfortable heat on her skin and face. She did feel a little calmer actually. She didn't necessarily feel one with nature though. "I sort of see what you mean" She said to him.
"Of course I'm right..." He replied confidently. She looked at the blue sky, she was slightly reminded of the blonds' eyes. She turned to him and she saw a content and nostalgic smile on his face. She wondered if he remembered anything at all during his time here. Mito couldn't deny that she was physically attracted to him. He turned to look at her, with his cerulean eyes. Despite his amnesia, it was obvious that he was a honest, virtuous person but also an odd character. She turned to look back up at the sky, and that perhaps, in future she may fall for him.
A/N: I still attempting to form a solid plot line, so I don't entirely know the length of the story, estimating 150 k words. Although I'm entirely shitty with guessing. Heck it might go longer. In fact I'm writing this story differently than my other works. More detailed and slow paced.