Naruto, Mr. Ramen
[3/3]
When Naruto and the others returned to Konoha, he thought that the weird feelings he'd had the other day would go away, though he hadn't given them much thought since he woke up that morning. Being in the Hidden Village again relaxed him, though, and he itched for any news on Sasuke's whereabouts. As soon as he heard something, he would head out there as soon as possible.
Days passed. He heard nothing. Part of him wanted to cast caution to the wind and just leave the village to go looking. So that afternoon, three days later, he went to ask Tsunade – announce, rather – that he was leaving.
That went worse than he expected. "Absolutely not!" Tsunade exclaimed. "The risk is too great and we need more information before any plan is implemented." If he was to go all, she wanted him to be somewhat more prepared than that, and baring that she'd be able to keep him from going at all.
Large disappointment now. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails pressed into his palms and he headed down the street, dejected.
To his surprise (although he shouldn't really be surprised), Miso appeared from an alley or somewhere to join his side. Naruto looked at her and gave a much weaker greeting than usual. First the weirdness on the mission and now this. He didn't know what to say for a moment or two. She did not have that problem at all.
"One day at a time," she said. She must have done some sort of jutsu because he could smell the scent of ramen broth drifting from her and it lifted his spirits without him realizing it. He inclined his head, oddly reassured by her words, but slid his hands into his pockets.
His action gave her the perfect opportunity to hold onto the crook of his arm. His stomach flip-flopped and Naruto wondered if what they were doing was too intimate because they did not know each other very well. The amount of physical affection in his life was severely lacking and he wanted to enjoy this while he could.
They walked down the street, his hesitancy disappearing and hope rising with each step. Miso Ramen was by his side, a constant comfort, to which Naruto clung with all his might.
He'd been known for his love for ramen, defined by it almost as much as his desire to become Hokage. Then again, that was not necessarily something bad.
Every night, his apartment contained the warm, earthy smells of ramen. He smiled each time he opened the door. It was not long before his apartment truly became his home, with Miso Ramen its core.
END
A/N: We all need some fluff once in a while, in my opinion.
