Chapter III: Taming Lightning

Naruto finally emerged from the bedroom an hour later. He wore an orange sweat shirt, a pair of black cargo shorts, calf-length black socks and orange low-top Converse All-stars. He saw both twins sitting in the living room, both wearing provocative clothing. They wore very short denim shorts and tight tank tops. Hibiki's was pink with the number twelve printed across her chest while Hikari's was sky blue and was printed the number eleven.

Hibiki was busy playing with Kurama while Hikari was flipping through channels. But the moment she caught sight of Naruto she rushed at him with rage in his eyes. But the blonde was prepared this time. He ducked under her punch and scooped her up onto his shoulder, much to her dismay. "Put me down Chopstick!" Hikari yelled as she thrashed about and pounded on his back. Naruto ignored her cries and instead turned to Hibiki who was looking at them both confusedly. "I'm kidnapping your sister for a few hours, we'll be back sometime later," He said before making his was over to the hallway closet and pulled out a leather jacket.

"Later Hibiki-chan!" Naruto yelled as he went out the door, making sure to grabbed Hikari's shoes as well. Hibiki only stared at the door in confusion before turning to the tiny fur ball in her lap. "Naruto-kun sure is weird isn't he?" Kurama yipped happily as she softly scratched his ears.

Outside, Naruto waited until he reached the bottom of the stairs outside his door before finally placing the angry Hikari back on the ground. She immediately punched him in the shoulder. "What the hell are you doing Chopstick?!" She yelled, attracting the attention of a few passersby.

"Ouch! You know you don't have to hit me all of the time! Anyway I'm taking you out on a date," he said bending down and slipping on her shoes on her feet. "D-Date?" a flustered Hikari stammered, completely ignoring his actions. "That's right," Naruto said as he finished tying her shoes and stood back up. "Just you and me for the next few hours," He grinned.

"W-Why?"

"So I can get to know you better of course! What kind of Ashikabi would I be if I knew nothing about my Sekirei? Now let's get going, I figure we could start by having lunch!" Before she could protest, Naruto took her hand in his and pulled her along behind him.

They walked the streets of Shinto Teito, hand in hand, towards a destination known only to the blonde. Hikari was blushing madly when they'd first started out but subtly, her nerves calmed down and she actually welcomed the contact. Whenever Naruto touched her, her skin tingled and her heart raced. 'Does it feel like this with every Ashikabi or is it just me?' she thought as she gazed at the blonde that was leading her along. She noticed the leather jacket slung over his shoulder. "What's the jacket for?"

Naruto looked back at her then to his shoulder with a surprised look. "Oh wow I forgot all about it!" He released her hand, much to her displeasure, and took it off his shoulder. "I brought it for you. Even though it's still summer, the weather has begun to get rather nippy nowadays and I wasn't sure if you had your own or not. Can't have you catching a cold can we now?" He said as he scratched the back of his head.

'He's so caring…and he looks adorable when he gets all flustered' Hikari thought as she watched the nervous blonde before her. Naruto opened it slightly and held it out to her. "Here try it on." Hikari slowly slid her arms into the awaiting sleeves and Naruto finished slipping it on to her shoulders. It was slightly big on her but that was to be expected.

"Perfect! Alright, let's get going. We're almost there!" Naruto said, taking her hand in his again. Naruto was glad she accepted, but not so much the original reason he'd previously mentioned. Not that he didn't want her to stay warm (which she seemed to have difficulty doing apparently…), he was just tired of the looks falling on them, more specifically Hikari.

It was hard to miss her taunting figure with the clothes she was wearing. Those short shorts and tank top were drawing the gaze of many as they walked through the town, mostly lecherous in nature. He honestly wished he could've gotten her to change but he was acting on impulse and planned on surprising her. How was he supposed to know she would be wearing something like that?

Naruto sped up his walk a little, slightly pulling Hikari. He was trying to hurriedly reach his destination as soon as possible. Even though he succeeded in covering her exposed cleavage, there wasn't anything he could do about her lithe legs, which were still drawing attention. Naruto was quickly getting fed up with perverted glances being sent his Sekirei's way.

Hikari was pondering as to why Naruto sped up so suddenly. Truthfully she was actually kind of glad that he did. She had noticed that as they walked that there were a lot of men looking at her lasciviously and it made her uncomfortable. She had half a mind to shock some sense into them but decided against it. The last thing she wanted to do was make a scene, especially in front of Naruto. She just wished he'd given her a warning so she could've change into some more appropriate attire…

Five minutes later, they appeared in front of a small food stall and Naruto pulled them inside. Upon entering, Hikari saw a counter accompanied by six stools. "Where are we Chopstick?" she asked. "Only the greatest establishment ever built! They make the best ramen ever!" Naruto replied sitting down at the counter. 'Great…he really does have an obsession with ramen,' the Lightning Sekirei deadpanned.

"Oi, Old man Teuchi!" He called out as he rang the small bell that rested on the counter multiple times. A short moment later, a girl with long brown hair appeared behind the counter. She wore a chef outfit and had a white bandanna tied in her hair. "Why am I not surprised it's you Naruto?" She sighed but smiled nonetheless. Then she noticed the shop's other occupant. "Oh, who's your friend here?"

"Hey Ayame! This here is Hikari-chan!" Naruto said gesturing to the girl next to him.

"Nice to me you," Hikari said taking a seat beside Naruto.

"The pleasure is mine! So are you guys like on a date or something?" Ayame grinned. Hikari cheeks reddened while Naruto was impassive. "Yeah you could say that," he said in a chipper tone that made Ayame sigh.

"Leave it to you Naruto to bring a girl here for a date. Now what can I get you?" Ayame asked Hikari.

"Um…I'll have a bowl a shrimp ramen," she answered.

"Dad, the usual and one Shrimp!" Ayame yelled to the open doorway behind her.

"On it!" came a gruff voice from the back.

"You're not going to take Naruto's order?" Hikari asked confused.

"There's no need. He gets the same thing every time he comes in here," She said, making the blonde chuckle. "Your food will be out shortly," Ayame said before disappearing into the back.

Both sat in awkward silence for a few moments. Naruto was busy trying to gather his thoughts. Talking to girls was not one of his strong suites. Up until now, he'd been acting on impulse and just doing whatever came to mind, but now, as he sat alone with Hikari, his mind went blank. His palms were getting sweaty and his mouth was going dry. 'Come on get a grip! All you have to do is talk to her! It's not like she's going to reject you…' He cast a sideways glance at her to see her just staring down at the counter and drawing circles with her finger. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. In the end it was Hikari who broke the silence.

"So are you friends with the owner or something?" she asked, still tracing patterns on the countertop.

"Yeah, Old man Teuchi and Ayame used to live in my old town. He made the best ramen around and last year he came out to the city to try and make a living off of it," Naruto said.

"You're not from Tokyo?"

"Nope I'm from a small town called Konoha about 40 kilometers from here. I came to the city to attend Teito University. My mom is strict when it comes to my education," Naruto chuckled. Strict? Who was he kidding? It was more like stringent.

"What's your family like?" Hikari asked, finally looking up from the counter.

Naruto dug in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open and withdrew a picture containing a young Naruto and four others. "Well first there's my mom. She's a fiery-spirited red-head. She's talkative, quick tempered, fearless, and a bit of a tomboy, but at the same time she can be calm and very loving," He said pointing to the red-hair woman.

"Then there's my little sister Tsuki. She is almost a carbon copy of my mom's younger self, only not as violent. She's very energetic, brash, and a bit of a prankster. She tends to be a rebel and annoys me greatly, but I still love her," he said pointing to the small blonde girl.

"This man here is my dad's mentor and my godfather. His name is Jiraiya and he the biggest pervert ever. I don't know if you've heard of them but he's the author of the critically acclaimed Icha Icha series," Naruto said pointing to the white-haired man with the cheesy grin.

"And finally there's his wife and my Godmother Tsunade. Don't let her youthful appearance fool you, she's really in her fifties and she refuses to tell anyone her secret. She's a retired doctor but runs the local clinic," Naruto said pointing to the buxom blonde standing next to his mother. He then placed the picture back in his wallet and put it back in his pocket.

But Hikari found something was off. "What about your dad?"

Naruto's body stiffened momentarily and he got this far off look in his eyes. "My dad passed away eight years ago shortly before my mom gave birth to my sister. There was an accident that caused our house to catch fire and he died getting my mom and I out safely. That's how I also got theses scars," He said gesturing to his cheeks. "Oh…" Hikari was filled with guilt and she immediately regretted asking. She's hadn't meant to bring up painful memories. She looked at Naruto to see him staring off into space with a blank expression. He just didn't look right without that warm smile off his gracing his face and she couldn't help but feel she was at fault. "I'm so sorry Naruto, I didn't know…"

"Don't worry about it, you couldn't have possibly known. I'm just happy I got to know and spend time with him before he passed. If anything I'm sad for my sister who will never know him beyond pictures or stories. That's why I do all I can for her and try to keep her happy," He said.

'You're such a caring person Naruto…I'm really glad you're my Ashikabi,' Hikari thought. She wrapped her arm around his and leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder. Naruto was surprised by the sudden contact but didn't show it. Instead he turned to her with a raised eyebrow. He was about to speak to her until he saw her pink cheeks and the content smile plastered on her face. Hikari was still a mystery to him, which was one of the reasons he decided to take her out first. One minute she was brash, hot-headed, and a total tomboy, then the next she was a total girl, blushing, stammering, and being shy and what not. She was like a combination of his these two girls he knew in high school. She was in girl mode at the moment and he knew it was only a matter of time before she was back to her old self again. He only hoped that Hibiki wouldn't be this much of a puzzle to figure out.

Ayame appeared again after a few minutes, expertly carrying four bowls in her arms. "Oh ho, ho, I wasn't even gone ten minutes and you guys are all touchy feely! You must really like each other!" She grinned as she set the bowls on the countertop in front of them. Hikari immediately pushed off Naruto and tried her best to hide her tomato red features. 'Curse this vile woman!'

Naruto just burst into laughter. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean after all, who could resist a handsome and charming guy like myself," Naruto grinned with pride as he gestured to himself. He was then brought down a few notches by a punch to the rib, courtesy of Hikari.

Ayame giggled at the couple's antics. "Oh Naruto…" She sighed before returning to the back to give them some privacy.

Hikari quietly began to eat her meal, all the while forcing down her blush. Through her peripheral, she caught a glimpse of Naruto scarfing down one of the three bowls in front of him as it he hadn't eaten in days.

"Chopstick, you pig! You're not going to actually eat all that are you?!"

He turned to her with a sheepish smile. "Yesh, I'm reawy hungwy," He said with a mouth full of noodles.

"I hope you choke," she said disgusted.

"Thanks, I'll try my best!" Naruto grinned as he continued slurping down like there was no tomorrow. They ate in silence, at least until Naruto was halfway done with his second bowl. "So why don't you tell about yourself?" he asked turning to the girl next to him.

Hikari stopped eating and turned to meet his gaze. "There isn't really much to say. Hibiki and I were born in a MBI laboratory 20 years ago. Most of it's a blur but I remember her always being at my side. About two months ago after our final tuning, we were released and told to find our Ashikabi. Up until we met you, we went around trying to eliminate other unwinged Sekirei. We only succeeded in taking out five and were working on our sixth when we ran into you,"

"Wait, what do you mean you guys were "tuned"?" Naruto queried.

"All Sekirei received regular adjustments to help us better control our powers. Not only was it to protect ourselves and others, but it was a way for MBI to keep us in check" She explained. Naruto nodded his head in understanding. His eyebrow furrowed suddenly. "Ah man I just realized that you and Hibiki are older than me!" he pouted. "Yeah so?" Hikari said not thinking much of it. "Only by two years."

"Yeah I know but still! Now you're going to develop this superiority complex over me and I'm going to lose my self-respect as a man!" the blonde whined.

"Chopstick you're being ridiculous," Hikari sighed as she watched her Ashikabi's antics.

"Ridicoulous!? I'm not the old cougar going around snatching up strapping young boys like myself!" Naruto hysterically exclaimed, failing to notice the irate expression that spread across the Lightning Sekirei's features as sparks began to dance wildly between her fingers.

"Get back here Naruto!" Hikari roared.

Naruto laughed as he dodged yet another lightning bolt. He was running through a park with an exasperated Hikari chasing after him. She was pretty heated about him calling her an old cougar. She'd chased him out of Ichiraku's ten minutes ago and had been trying to zap him ever since.

Naruto, oddly enough, was enjoying himself. "Temper, temper Hikari-chan! You wouldn't really hurt your poor, innocent Ashikabi would you?" he called out over his shoulder, further provoking the enraged Sekirei. She jumped high in the air and unleashed a torrent of lightning on the area below. She incinerated trees and bushes, but failed to hit her fleeing target. She growled in frustration and continued her chase. Naruto on the other hand wasn't having much fun anymore. One of those last strikes actually came close to hitting him. 'I think she might actually be trying to hit me!' Naruto sped up upon exiting the park and ran in serpentine pattern to avoid the lightning raining down on him. Hikari was running across nearby rooftops stalking her prey. 'Dear go what have I done!?'

Naruto, so desperate to escape her wrath, wasn't exactly paying attention to where he was going and collided head first with another pedestrian. Naruto lay on the ground rubbing his head and trying to stop his ears from ringing. He sat up and attempted to apologize but before words could even leave his mouth, a bolt of lightning struck him. The blonde's body twitched and jerked violently as electricity coursed throughout his body. An irate Hikari appeared shortly after and held him up in the air by his collar. "Now are you going to apologize or what?!" she spat.

"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry ma'am," Naruto replied, still twitching slightly. She not so gently discarded his body to the ground and turned to face the person he'd knocked over. "I'm really sorry about that. He was just being an idiot and- YOU!" She exclaimed suddenly. Before her was the same buxom brunette that she and Hibiki were chasing yesterday before the blonde groveling at her feet so rudely interrupted them. She was kneeling on the ground holding a man in her arms. He was wearing jeans, a white shirt, and a denim jacket. Messy black hair rested atop his head. Both looked equally surprised to see her.

"You're that Sekirei that was after me!" the brunette cried out.

"You're one of those S&M girls that ran me over the other day!" the man said at the time.

"I still have business to pick with you bimbo!" Hikari said.

"Yes, I have found my Ashikabi so I'll fight you now. I'm No. 88 Musubi and I accept your challenge!" the brunette said taking a fighting stance.

"Musubi wait!" the man cried out.

"Too late for that! Take this!" Hikari yelled but before she could do anything a pair of arms encircled her waist and lifted her off the ground. "Oh no you don't!"

"Damn it Naruto put me down!" Hikari roared as she struggled to break free, but the blonde's grip held strong. "No can do Hikari-chan. You're my responsibility now and you can't go around hurting people!" Naruto grunted after she elbowed him.

"No you idiot, she's a Sekirei!"

"Huh?" Naruto turned to see the other girl looking at them strangely. But what really caught Naruto's attention was the man with her.

"Minato?!" he exclaimed.

"Naruto?!" the man said equally surprised.

"You have a Sekirei?!" Naruto asked.

"Uh yeah. Musubi-san here is my Sekirei. Wait, how do you know about them?" Minato asked confusedly.

"Hikari-chan here is my Sekirei! I have two actually, it was package deal!" Naruto grinned as he set down the girl in his arms after making sure she was completely calm. "You mean those crazy S&M twins are your Sekirei?" Minato said horrified. "What was that?!" Hikari screeched. She made to rush him but once again found herself in Naruto's arms, pulled tightly against his body. "Heh yeah. I know they look scary, but they're harmless. I've seen fiercer kittens," Naruto grinned. "I'll show you harmless…" Hikari grumbled, arms crossed across her ample chest.

"Oh don't mind her, she's still grouchy about my teasing her earlier," Naruto said kissing the top of Hikari's head, making the girl in his arms turn pink. "So what are you doing out? Shouldn't you be studying for the entrance exam?" Naruto teased.

Minato blushed with embarrassment. Naruto had been his studying partner back in cram school. Naruto had been crushed when he found out that his scholarship only paid for his schooling expenses only if proved himself worthy by passing the University's entrance exam. He was convinced it was fate dipping its grimy fingers in his life again but he accepted the challenge nonetheless. So he went to cram school in the beginning of summer to better his chances and make sure he would pass, because only God knows what his mother would do to him if he didn't…

And that's where he met Minato. One of the main reasons Naruto had acquainted himself with the older boy was that he shared names with his father. It just so turns out he was a pretty cool guy. They stayed up many a nights together to get some last minute studying done. But in the end, Naruto aced his exam with flying colors while Minato failed miserably…again.

"Yeah, but I'm actually out looking for a new place to live. I kind of got evicted from my last place," Minato laughed nervously. Musubi turned to him and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry Minato. I didn't mean to get you in trouble," She apologized.

"It's ok Musubi. I don't blame you in the slightest," He said patting her head tenderly. "What about you Naruto, what are you doing out here?" he asked the blonde.

"Nothing much really. Hikari-chan kidnapped me and forced me on a date. It was going great until she went all Raiden-sama on me! She doesn't like my jokes! Can you believe that!?" Naruto whispered the last part with a horrified expression. Musubi giggled while Hikari scoffed at him. "That's because you're not funny!" She said causing him to let out an extremely exaggerated gasp. "And you're the one who kidnapped me!"

"Did I mention she's a chronic liar?" Naruto whispered to Minato, earning him a punch to the ribs.

"Ouch! Why can't you be more like your Musubi-san? She actually seems nice!" Naruto cringed.

"Why can't you be more like Minato-san? He doesn't seem to act like an idiot!" Hikari retorted with crossed arms.

"Touché…"

Minato watched on in bewilderment while Musubi giggled at their antics. "Naruto-san is funny."

"At least someone seems to think so…" he grumbled.

"Hn" Hikari grunted.

'They're like an old married couple…' Minato thought to himself. "Well it was nice seeing you again Naruto and it was a pleasure to meet you Hikari-san, but we really must get going."

"Oh that reminds me!" Naruto said suddenly. "You should try this place called Izumo Inn. I visited there back when I first came to Tokyo and the land lady seems nice. Heck, I'd live there myself but I preferred to live alone."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to stop by. Come on Musubi, let's go," Minato said turning and walking away. "Goodbye Naruto-san, Hikari-san! It was nice meeting you!" Musubi said in a bubbly tone before turning to follow her Ashikabi. Naruto and Hikari silently watched the two retreating figures for a short moment. Then Naruto grabbed Hikari by the hand again. "Come on you, we still got some time to burn," he grinned.

"You didn't?!" Hikari exclaimed staring up at the blonde in utter bewilderment.

"Yep, got me detention for a whole month," Naruto grinned proudly.

They had backtracked to the park Naruto had fled through and were now sitting atop a hill beneath the shade of a cherry blossom tree. Naruto had spent the last hour telling Hikari stories of his childhood and various escapades from high school. He had just told her about the time him and his friend Kira had dyed the school's water supply red and set off the fire alarm during a pep rally. They'd even gone as far as to lock the gymnasium doors to prevent anyone from escaping. "You're nothing short of a criminal mastermind Naruto. And how the hell did you not get expelled!?" Hikari asked.

Naruto only shrugged. "It took careful planning and a lot of patience. After all, we had to rig the alarm to go off remotely while we were at the pep rally to prevent any suspicion. And don't get me started on how long it took to dye all the water! But in the end it worked out all right. The only reason I got caught is because the principal threatened to cancel the Spring Formal unless someone confessed so I took the fall. He didn't have any solid evidence on me so I only got a month of detention."

"But didn't your classmates hate you for it?" Hikari queried.

"Nope, no one suspected me since most people saw me in the gym. It's kind of hard not to get noticed when you're the only one wearing orange in a gym full of green and red," He chuckled. "I just told everyone I took wrap so that the formal didn't get cancelled." Hikari shook her head in disbelief at him. "I hope that dance was worth all that." Naruto shrugged again. "Wouldn't know, I didn't go."

"What!? You did all that and didn't even go to the dance?!" Hikari yelled jumping to her feet and staring down at him in shock. Naruto stuck his pinky in his ear as if he were cleaning it out. "Jeez Hikari-chan, could you be any louder?"

"Naruto why didn't you go?"

"Couldn't find a date so I took my sister out that night. We got some dinner, saw a movie, and I got her some new toys. It was a rather enjoyable night actually," He said nonchalantly as he stared at the setting sun. Hikari stared down in confusion at his carefree attitude about the situation. But he spoke again before she could voice her concerns. "Besides, the girls were supposed to ask the guys and I didn't exactly have girls throwing themselves at me. And it was just a high school dance back in 10th grade. I'd rather make my sister happy for a lifetime than some girl for one night."

"Wait, you're not…you know…"batting for the other team" are you?" Hikari asked hesitantly. Naruto gave her a confused blank stare before finally understanding what she was getting at. A horrified expression contorted his features and he nearly choked.

"God no! I just didn't think any girls liked me. That and my mother thought of all girls my age as hussies and didn't really approve of my interaction with them. And she was always down my throat about keeping up my studies so it's not like I really had a time for a girlfriend. But like I said, it was just high school. Most people break up soon after they graduate anyway," He explained as leaned back against the tree.

"Oh I see…" Hikari nodded in understanding. Naruto then looked her way and grinned. "Besides, it all worked out since I have you and Hibiki-chan now," he said reaching up and grabbing her by the waist, pulling her into his lap. He chuckled as her face went pink with embarrassment. "You're too cute when you blush Hikari-chan," he laughed.

Tons of thoughts were going through Hikari's head as she tried to compose herself. 'I hate it when he catches me off guard like that, yet I also like it…He's all goofy and being an idiot one minute and then all sweet and flirty the next! And what's worse is the fluttery feeling I get in my stomach when he looks at me and my skin heats up from his touch. Hell, my heart races from just being around him!' She thought. She cast a sidelong glance at Naruto and felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest. 'Wait this couldn't possibly be…could it?'

Meanwhile, Naruto was having similar thoughts. 'Wow…Hikari-chan sure is beautiful when she isn't angry or throwing lightning bolts at me. But I guess I brought that upon myself. I really like being around her. I get this weird feeling in my chest that I can't really explain. I'm not sure what it is, but I really like it. I wonder if Hibiki-chan is the same way…' The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, never breaking their embrace. They sat watching as the sun slowly vanished beyond the horizon, darkness rapidly enveloping the city. Naruto could've stayed all night like this with her but unfortunately, she wasn't the only new girl in his life and he couldn't give one more attention than the other. "Hikari-chan…" he whispered.

"Hm?"

"We should head home now. Hibiki-chan might be worried," he told her. She lifted her head from his chest and let out a small yawn, which Naruto found adorable. She wouldn't argue seeing as she was rather tired. She rose to her feet with Naruto shortly following behind her. He let out a big yawn as he stretched out his limbs. "Alright, let's get going," He smiled.

"Hey Naruto…" Hikari said.

"Yeah?" he responded turning to face her. He was catch off guard as her hands came to rest on his chest and her lips came up to meet his in a soft kiss. His eyes widened as he saw the normally hot-headed girl pressing her lips against his with a small blush spreading across her cheeks. But what really surprised him were the angelic wings of light that sprouted from her back, throwing back the darkness. But the shock wore off as he slowly brought his hands up to rest on her hips and began kissing her back. The first time they'd kissed it had been awkward and rough, but this time was soft and passionate. He could taste the ramen she'd eaten early on her lips and it made him want to kiss her more hungrily. But before he could deepen the kiss, she broke the contact.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"I-I don't know…I j-just wanted to…" Hikari stammered, face scorching as the red tint in her cheeks deepened. Naruto grinned at her acting all girly again. "Do you do this with everyone or just me?"

"Idiot…" She grumbled. 'But you're my idiot,'

Naruto chuckled as he took her hand in his again, intertwining their fingers. "Come on Hikari-chan, let's go home," he smiled at her. She graciously accepted the contact and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. Naruto was oblivious to the smile plastered across her face. 'Maybe spending forever with Naruto won't be so bad…'