"Forgiveness says you are given
Another chance to
Make a new beginning."
-Desmond Tutu
"Take it or bugger off!
Your life is in the shitter anyway…
Don't you want to climb it off?"
-Unknown
Ichiraku's Ramen
Sliding open the door to his favorite establishment, he called out to the owner across the small restaurant. "YOO! OJI-SAAN!"
Teuchi turned his head from the cooker and grinned. "Look who's back at it again! Naruto! I see you've been doing some shopping. Ordering the usual?"
He peace-sign walking between the rows of chairs and tables while waving to the regular patrons. "Make it double, old man! You got a new customer in town!" He perked up, noticing a person of pinkish red hair peering over the blonde's shoulder. "Come on, don't be shy. Introduce yourself!"
The woman scowled at him as she shoved him away. "Say that one more time and I make sure you'd be too embarrassed to show your face."
A sense of familiarity was stirring inside him when he got a good look of her. She reminded him of a customer he had a couple decades ago. Turning down the boiler, he faced her with a thousand dollar smile. "My boy never fail to impress me. Heh!" He put his hands to his waist and puffed his chest. "The name's Teuchi Ichiraku. And I make the best Ramen in town!"
"Tayuya." She flatly said, dejecting the owner. Though she seemed to have a curious look as she look around the restaurant and tilted her head at the pot of boiling noodles.
Naruto leaned over the counter to whisper at his ear. "She never had ramen in her life. Make the best she would die for."
A wide determined smile plastered his face and he was engulfed in flames. "COMING RIGHT UP!" He turned into the flash, chopping ingredients, stir-frying dishes and all that jazz.
"Tou-san, did I hear you screaming?" The beautiful brunette assistant appeared from the back and whistled in amazement once she saw her passionate father zipping from one place to another. She then gasped candidly at the person sitting in front of the counter. "Naruto-kun! You're finally back home and safe again!"
"Oh-Ayame-chan, you look great as always!"
She giggled to herself and tippy-tap her way and grabbed the stunned blonde from over the counter and nuzzled her cheek against his spiky-yet, soft hair. "We haven't seen you for over two weeks and I got worried when our sales plummeted by 10%!"
He deadpanned at being treated as a promotional piece. "Is this what's it all about?" He muffled flatly, though feeling quite embarrassed at the love he was receiving not to mention the soft pillows on his face that he would happily sleep on for the rest of his life in this world and thereafter. Yes…even if she had that kitchen smell, her aroma would be the equivalent of a field of chrysanthemum and mountain top fresh air. "Uhhh, should we be doing this? Your boyfriend wouldn't like it if he suddenly came barging in."
She let go of him, put her hands on her hips and pridefully stood her ground before pointing at him. "The only person I'll allow barging into my life is you, Naruto-kun!" Declared the brunette with fire in her eyes.
"N-N-Nani?"
She smiled smugly at his gawking expression. "Oh don't be like that, Naruto-kun. I've known you for far longer than anyone else and I know you wouldn't pass the chance at seeing your lovely chef's beautiful body!"
Time stood still for both Teuchi and Naruto. They stared at each for the longest time until the old man broke into a perverted grin and the blonde felt a cold freezing shiver blitzkrieging down his spine. Ayame blushed when she finally caught on. "I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!" Teuchi laughed like a dolphin and went back to his work as Naruto breathed a huge sigh of relief, profusely trying to calm himself down. She sighed, deadpanning her gaze at the both of them as she pour out a glass of refreshments. "Jeez, I can't believe you two." It was only then she noticed there was another person watching the whole ordeal. "Oh? Haven't seen you around here before. Is she your friend?"
"I…guess you could say that." He took the glass and offered it to his companion. "She's not from around here so please be nice to her."
The female chef slide her feet to the redhead and kindly smiled. "My name's Ayame and I'm the daughter of that old man over there. Pleased to meet you."
The former Sound shinobi simply gave an apathetic look. "Tayuya. I like to play the flute and bust faces."
"Is that so?" Chuckled the brunette before humming inwardly. "My~you sure have nice hair." She motioned her to come closer causing her to raise a brow but complied nonetheless. "Did you know Naruto-kun like girls with red hair? He said it can be a turn-on as well!"
Naruto was watching in curiosity as he drank and suddenly was given a disgusted look by the redhead. He spat his drink. "W-What?! Ayame-chan what did you tell her?!"
The chef straightened her back giving him an innocent look. "Ooohh, nothing. Just something us girls should be wary about."
"About what?!"
"Don't worry about it! You two should enjoy yourselves while I help Tou-san with lunch. Jane~!" With a cheeky smile she turned around leaving the pair in an obvious state of disarray.
Naruto's head was in shambles as he watched her walk away, internally screaming for her to come back to lift away the awkward atmosphere. Tapping his glass profusely, he peered to the corner of his eyes to see Tayuya staring at her glass with a neutral gaze. Face scrunched and streak of red across her cheeks.
Gulping, he mastered whatever courage he had left and put it into words. "Hey, uuhh-"
"Don't talk to me."
That squandered him like a ton of bricks and he remained there for the next five minutes.
"YOUR ORDERS UP!" Teuchi announced, reviving the blonde and see Ayame putting in the final touches before presenting it to them.
"Enjoy~"
- "Thanks…" They both muttered, splitting apart their chopsticks and stir it around their bowls. Before Naruto dig in, he looked to his companion to see how her first impression would be like. Raising the noodles up to her lips, she scarfed her red hair behind her ear and such a simple gesture made Naruto jumped a bit. Once the noodles touched her tongue, there was a brief moment shock in her eyes as she swallowed the rest. Naruto's heart sank when he saw tears were welding up in those brown orbs.
"It's good."
- "What?"
Said all three spectators, surprised when she continued digging into her food."I SAID IT'S GOOD!" Screamed the redhead with a mouthful of noodles, refraining the build-up tears from gushing out.
The head chef smiled proudly. "That's the face I'll never get tired of seeing. Heh!"
Ayame whistled. "Woah, she's digging it fast! Eat up, Naruto! Before it gets cold and you'll lose to her."
Naruto had a soft look on his face, remembering fondly of the first time he ate his first ramen giving off the same overjoyed expression. Refusing to let his tears taint the bowl he was consuming. With a small prayer, he thanked the god of foods for his fortunes.
"Itdatakimasu~"
"HEY OLD MAN! GET ME SECONDS!"
"Coming right up!"
Hours Later
Naruto left the restaurant with his wallet light but his feet lighter as he approach Tayuya from behind, noticing that she seem to be transfixed at the Sun ducking below the walls of Konoha. The village darkened and the lights lit up as villagers fill the streets to head for their nightly casual fun or simply returning from work to their homes.
"You'll never see such peace where I come from." Muttered the messy redhead, leaning on her feet with hands inside her pockets. "Even before it turns dark, you'll find a couple bodies in the alleyways and a bleeding man in the street. Someone getting stabbed or a child being kidnapped at broad daylight and no one would bat an eye. It's disgusting how apathetic people are…myself included."
Naruto was no stranger to such things when he lived his days as a wannabe thug. He stood beside her with a wandering look. "I'm sure they were waiting for change, maybe looking for someone to look up to."
She snickered humorlessly. "The only thing you'll look up to is a guy nailed to a cross or burned at the stake for blasphemy. Those who are strong enough or simply lucky to survive would be taken in and experimented. Just another day in Oto." She heard him snicker and faced him with a confused gaze. "Did I say something funny, shithead?"
He thumped his chest proudly and returned his foxy gaze. "Once I become Hokage, whatever you remember will become nothing but a flicker memory. I will bring the change that everyone yearns for and start helping those in need. I'll welcome anyone who gets in my way and we'll end in my way. Be it through talking or a full-on fist fight." He struck his own palm and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing.
This was not the same person she punched many years ago though he may still be a loudmouth, they actually now have real meaning and action behind it. As if though whatever came out of his mouth would bend anything to his will. She could hear the tremendous power in his voice, and the battle hardened music striving for peace in his heart. She could get used to listening to such an arousing tune.
Reflecting his expression, she folded her arms and step towards him without breaking their intense gaze. "You're a real bullshitter aren't cha, shithead?"
"Heh! You haven't seen nothing yet, Tay-chan."
"Keep calling me that and you'll find yourself without a tongue to lick your own ass."
"I'd like to see you try!"
A partial observer would have assumed they were about to initiate a romantic contact when their foreheads touched but the truth was far from it. Their thoughts and emotions were competing at the same wavelength, toppling and stacking on top of one another refusing to let each other up. Without uttering a single word, they leaned back and grinned at each other like they as if they came into a silent agreement.
"You're not as bad as I thought, shithead. Becoming Hokage, huh? With the things I've heard people say about you, that doesn't seem all that farfetched. You single-handedly saved the entire village, mind telling me the story?"
"Not at all." He chuckled as they make their down the street. "First, what would you prefer: Stay in a hotel or my apartment? I've got a spare room."
"I believe I also heard you're notorious for being massive pervert." She accused him jokingly.
He deadpanned. "That's what happens when you stick too long with your perverted master."
Later
"You're telling me you convinced Nagato – the leader of Akatsuki where Pedoman once a part of, and the man who painstakingly attempted to buttfuck the entire shinobi system, and the same person who asswipe the village into a fucking crater with a wave of his hands - to believe in you and sacrifice his shitty life to repent for his misdeeds?!"
"You're wording it out a bit poorly there but you summarized just about it." Stated Naruto as they climb up the stairs of the multi-storied apartment building.
"No wonder you have your own statue and a line of horny cunts ready to throw themselves at you!" Laughed the redhead as she slapped his buttocks which caused him to jump.
"Fuck! The hell was that for?!" Cried the blonde, rubbing his rear as they reach the fifth floor. "I don't mind the attention but the kind of things they try to show their 'affections' can be adorable to borderline psychotic!" He stopped in front of a door and reach his keys.
She curtly raised her brow. "Sounds like you have a stalker."
He nodded. "At first, I woke up without my pillow and boxers to getting my couch shredded to pieces because I had Ino sitting there. She even left a note to be more specific!" He exclaimed, inserting his key into the keyhole. "I don't know who she might be but I don't want to worry about it too much." He opened the door and entered with Tayuya peering over his shoulder in curiosity over her new home. "Well, make yourself at home."
He turned on the lights to reveal they have entered a modest looking living room with the kitchen on the right side, and a dining table between them. They dropped their shopping bags on the table as he led her down the hallway and opened the door on the right side. Flipping the light switch, he gestured her in. "This will be your room. It's not much but you're free to decorate it however you like."
She calmly walked in and stood at the round white fluffy carpet in the middle of the room, admiring every single common furniture leaning against the blue walls. "This is…my room?"
He shrugged his shoulders before folding his arms. "Of course, unless you want to stay at a hotel, I wouldn't argue. As long as you're under my protection, you're free to do whatever you wish. Just don't run around killing people."
She snickered, approaching her white fitted bed. "Tch, you think I'd betray your kindness? Please, I may enjoy killing people I despise but I'm not that low." She sat down at the surprisingly soft mattress, soothingly running her hand down the blanket with a small smile. This atmosphere was foreign to her. She lived her life under a rock, sleeping on blood stained floors and beds someone died on. Yet, this warm sensation she hardly understood was immediately welcomed by the same person who yearn for it, herself. She felt lucky being picked up like a flower in the middle of desolate field. Her heart was heavy, weighing her down like an anchor because she finally knew it, she felt safe.
Naruto quietly left her to her own devices, knowing it was a bizarre experience for her to be given such a chance in life, he knew the feeling all too well.
"Naruto, thank you."
He heard her soft voice called out his name for the first time, expressing her genuine gratitude which made his heart skip a beat. But why did it feel like he heard it before? Shrugging to himself with a smile on his face, he began to prepare supper.
Teaching himself how to cook was probably the most cost-saving and fulfilling way to redeem from his bad habits at eating instant foods. He had Ayame to thank to for forcibly pushing him in, out of all people. Ingredients out of the fridge and onto the kitchen top, he began to work his hands. Whilst cooking, he noticed more than half of the shopping bags on the dinner table were gone and assumed Tayuya had taken them in.
When the luscious smell reached her nostrils, she went on her feet and peeked her head from the hallway to see him blissfully working out a light dish. They were about to have dinner together alone, she thought as she retrieved her goods from the table and lightly placed them into her room. She peeked her head again, curiously wondering what he was making as he mixed rice with water after rinsing them before boiling it. Porridge? Siding with seaweeds, mushrooms and sliced chicken? Could that be it?
"Hm?"
He turned his head when he felt a pair of eyes watching him and saw nothing unusual. Shrugging it off, he continued slicing the mushrooms.
'That was close'. Thought the redhead as she stood in the shadows, peering her eyes once from the corner once again. 'He didn't seem to notice me…good.' When he placed the seasoned sliced chikenbreasts onto the frying pan, it sizzled causing the smell to hit her nostrils like a freight train. 'They smell so good! I want to help him!' She took stealthily took a step forward but her ninja skills and the wood floor betrayed her when it creaked.
Naruto turned his head again, this time with a raised brow. Like an NPC from a poorly designed game, he chose to ignore it and flipped the slices on the frying pan.
'Didn't you say you want to help him? The hell's wrong with you?! He treated me to lunch and I almost wasted his wallet and now he's cooking for me? God, am I dreaming or something? I-I just want to take a closer look…No…I shouldn't get in his way.' One should acknowledge that her mind was of a teenager at the peak of her hormones with the body of a well-formed young woman.
When a part of the dish was done, Naruto turned around with a tray in hand to find the table was cleared. "Did she put them in my room as well? How thoughtful of her." He muttered, looking down the hallway of her closed bedroom door as he placed the plates onto the table before heading back to the sink.
In truth, the anxious redhead was crouching in front of the sofa like a tiger who stayed still after its prey felt a disturbance. When she heard the tap water running, she breathed out a sigh of relief and peered her eyes over, again. Once the coast was clear, she crawled on all fours all the way back to her room.
20 minutes later
"Hey Tay-chan! Dinner's ready!"
Tayuya tensed and sat up from her bed, bolting towards the door and when she was an inch from the door knob, she pulled herself back. 'No! He might think I'm desperate and weird if I suddenly turn up. Okay…just…relax.' She paced around the bedroom, making random shuffling noises and seemingly taking her own sweet time because of…you know…reasons.
1 minute later
"Thanks for putting my stuff in for me." Said Naruto, pouring drinks for them.
"Don't mention it." She replied flatly, pulling the chair and sat down as she take in the sweet aroma. Wait, three bowls? She raised her brow at it. "Is there someone visiting later?"
He pondered for a moment before realizing. "Oh - I forgot to mention that I have a roommate. Remember what I said about not being worried anymore about my mysterious stalker?" She nodded. "She's handling it and the harassment eventually stopped."
"She?"
He nodded and glanced at the clock. "She should be home any moment now."
Tayuya leaned back against the chair and folded her arms giving him an expectant look. "Is there anything I should know about her?" She should have thought about it, why would he leave his home unguarded making it easier for people to invade his personal property without repercussions.
"She's from Akatsuki, or formerly a part of."
"..."
"..."
"...what?"
"Yeah, the Akatsuki. After Nagato passed on, she had nowhere to go and I offered her a place. It took some time-"
"Wait!" She cut him off. "Are we talking about the same person here? She's actually staying here? What was her name again?!"
Naruto was about to answer until they heard the door clicked. "Oh, she's home." The door swayed open to reveal a buxom woman with milky white skin about ten years older than her wearing an exposing navy blue robe revealing her pierced belly button, firm shoulders, her back, and a lateral part of her breasts. Followed by black spandex pants that hugs her hour-glass figure very well and black low-heeled shoes which she promptly took off as she entered the living room. Her short blue hair tied to a bun with a touched of a blue rose flower. She had a cold neutral look but when her amber eyes landed on Naruto, her soft lips curved upwards.
"Welcome back home, Naruto-kun." Greeted the older woman as she bowed, embarrassing him.
"Wait, hold on!" He frantically waved his hands and approached her. "You're getting it wrong. I'm supposed to welcome you!"
She giggled softly at his childish antics which made him flushed a bit. She surrendered her black cloak to him and avert her gaze to the redhead. "Oh? And who might you be?"
"Tayuya." She flatly introduced herself, feeling a bit off by her deceptively warm gaze. "Shithead and I were just talking about you."
"Shithead?" She raised her brow at the blonde who sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Oh…I almost forgot to introduce myself." She slowly bowed to the redhead who was slightly taken aback by the polite gesture. "My name is Konan. Otherwise known as The Angel Of Ame. Pleased to meet you."
"Same to you." She replied with same flat tone, keeping her guard back up.
The former Akatsuki member straightened back up. "It is not unusual for Naruto-kun to invite his ladies for dinner so I'm not surprised by it. In fact, they would periodically come back just to have a taste of his cooking."
"Is that so?" She narrowed her suspicious gaze at the flustered blonde before returning to the blue-haired. "We're going to be roommates, I hope you're not against it."
She lightly shook her head. "He notified me beforehand and I hope you liked the guest room I prepared." Konan invited herself on the table and sat across from her. "It came as a bit of a shock when he suddenly came home and told me about you."
Naruto decided to put the cloak away and Tayuya's eyes followed him until he was out of her vision as he went down the hallway. "You seemed to know a lot about him. Does helping someone he doesn't even know part of his trait? Or is he simply obliging to it just to be appear greater in other people's eyes."
Konan was not expecting such a question but took her time pondering it. "That's a good question. For you to ask such a thing I can safely assume that he unexpectedly tore your guard down, didn't he?" She mused.
"Tch, don't dodge my question with a question. Answer it." She scowled, narrowing her brown eyes.
The bun haired smirked. "Hmph, very well. Though, I doubt you'd be satisfied with my answer. Anyways, Naruto-kun genuinely wants to help people. Whoever in need within his reach, he will help them. If they're not, then tough luck and he knew what his limits are, and accepts them. This selfless path he walks on can be self-destructing and open to betrayal, he knows it and that is why he has the people around him to pull him out of a bad situation, even if it means risking their lives."
"Sounds like a typical hero straight out of a shonen." Tayuya received a puzzled look and continued. "What about being expected to be something he wants?"
"Naruto-kun isn't a slave to anyone's opinions, nor will he be subjected to it, but he's not ignorant either. I'm sure he have regrets, he's human after all. There are even things he would rather have done differently. One cannot grow without realizing their mistakes and learn from it. Naruto-kun is the embodiment of that principle." Konan finished and felt her heart lighter.
Tayuya leaned back against the chair, still somewhat unsatisfied. "Spending only a day with him, I've seen a lot of people clamouring around him and I still couldn't figure why. I want to know what your reason is." She pressed her elbows on the table and keenly eyed the calm angel.
She curtly tilted her head with a sly smile. "That's simple. I am in love with that knucklehead."
Cut
Naruto walked into frame. "Wooaahh, you girls haven't eaten yet? They're gonna get…" When he entered the dining area, the hairs at the back of his neck stood at attention and he felt a chill running down his spine. Konan was smiling. Tayuya had a dark look and her bangs were covering her eyes. "Did I…did I missed something? What's going on?"
Tayuya suddenly stood up and pointed an accusing finger at him. "NARUTO YOU FUCKING PERVERTED IDIOT!" Naruto gawked at the flustered fiery redhead.
"what?" He squeaked. She shoved past him and slammed the door behind her with a loud thud. Naruto fell on his rear, confused as a squirrel missing his nuts. He stood up in a daze, using the wall as a support and perked his head in realization. "Wait, are you not hungry?"
Door opened. Shoved him away. He fell-face. Pour porridge. Seaweeds. Chicken Slices. And seasonings. He stood up. Shoved again. Fall on ass. Door closed.
He stared at the ceiling, blinking in wonder. "Konan-chan." Muttered the blond.
"Yes, Naruto-kun?"
"Am I doing something wrong? Or is the universe just trying to mess with me. Are we simply living in a void of constant despair and eternal darkness? Or are we-"
She leaned her elbow on the table amusingly looking at the blonde questioning his very existence then elegantly brought her hand up. Shards of paper started floating towards him. "Not all good deeds comes without a punishment, Naruto-kun." They revolved around his body before bringing him up. "You're not an exception, either." They smoothly carried him onto the chair before dissipating except for a single shard raising his downcast chin up. "We experience by living. Now cheer up, they're gonna get cold and it'd be a shame to waste them. You always make things look delicious."
He snickered lightly, grabbing the porcelain spoon and landed his free hand on hers. He gave it a light squeeze and she just kept staring at his oceans. "Do you…remember how I brought you in?"
"How could I not?" She turned her hand around, letting their fingers intertwined. "You earned a scar by protecting me from Tobi. Fought against the people you protect so I can have a place to stay. Convinced Lady-Tsunade to present my rights back and I ended up staying under your roof. I'm still far-off from correcting my misdeeds but the journey has well been worth it." She bring his hand to give it a soft peck then gently pressed it against her warm cheek. "I can't thank you enough for giving me the chance."
Naruto chuckled lightly, this time taking her and returned the kiss. "You say that everytime we touch."
"I get this feeling." She sing-songed.
"And everytime we kiss-"
"I swear I could flyyyy."
"Can't you feel my heart-beat-fast,"
"I want this to laaast."
-"Need you by my siiide."
They spit out in laughter, holding their sides cackling as long as they could and struggling to recover. Konan wiped a tear and playfully punched his shoulder. "Dammit, Naruto. I'm hungry and they're not gonna eat themselves!"
He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Ehehehee. Sorry, couldn't help myself."
They began eating, chuckling and giggling from time to time. Unbeknownst to them, a certain brown-eyed was watching their exchange and retreated. Closing the door soundlessly, she leaned against it sitting on the floor and released a heavy sigh as she stared at the celling.
"Why am I like this?" She was aware she was acting like an antsy teenager inside a woman's body and felt increasingly embarrassed thinking about it. A gentle scent was trailing up her nostrils and she naturally sniffed. Oh yeah, Naruto's porridge. She took a spoon of the still fortunately warm soup and squirmed inwardly.
"…It's good."
Cavern, Location: Unknown
At the center of the pitched black chamber, a cloaked man sat in a meditative position on a complexed summoning circle resembling a yin-yang. A disturbing rooted-crunching noise bounced around the cave and the man opened his brown-slitted eyes.
"What news have you brought me?" His voice was low, always seemingly amused.
It was just a contrasted head, sprouted inside of an open giant venus fly-trap. "Everything was burnt to the ground. Nothing was left of the lab. Simply buried to ashes. It's just as you said, your little plaything was taken as well."
The man let out a sinister chuckle. "Of course. If you may know, she's healthy and currently experiencing a wave of emotions." He revealed his cloaked forearm to show a tri-pronged jagged curse mark pulsating in an ominous purple glow.
"So she's awoken then. That means the procedure went well but I wasn't expecting her to wake up so soon."
He obscured his forearm, gently running his finger over the scaled skin. "My assumption was correct. His presence had an effect on her though what they may result on leaves up to the imagination."
"Heh. You're a nasty piece of work, I like cha. I'm a bit hungry so I better get going. You know where to find us."
"Before you cannibalize on some poor fellow," He tossed a scroll and the venus-man effortlessly caught it. ", deliver it to your master. Wherever he is."
He began sinking into the ground. "Understood. See ya later."
Once he was alone with the echoing sound of water dripple, he smiled revealing his gnashing fangs. "Take your time, little one. Grow and you shall flourish. Stick close to him, you'll need it. Ufuufufufufuu…"
The curse mark pulsed, and back in Konoha at the neck of a sleeping redhead, it responded as soon as it disappeared.
Thank you everyone for reading and thank you again for all your kind reviews. Yes, it's good to be back once again. See you all again onto the next chapter!