The Future Has Passed:

Chapter 3: You're my pillar

Sara was wrong.

It was not her that needed strength, but him. Naruto stood in front of a door, his body once again showing signs of hesitation that would've made past-him disgusted. Uzumaki Naruto did not hesitate. He did not fear the unknown; nor did he avert his gaze from the insurmountable.

There was a nagging voice in the back of his head. A dangerous feeling of worry that even the most paranoid of shinobi could never understand. It was the kind of dread exclusive to those that had everything they ever wanted, and feared that it could vanish at any second.

Despite Minato's words, Naruto would've prefered to face a hundred copies of Kakuzu than face his mother right now. Not his mother, though. The woman that might one day become his mother. Or rather, the woman that will not become his mother now that his presence changed the past this much.

Sara was with her people, handling paperwork and the like. Despite her claim that she was no longer a queen, the administration of her people was handed to her. The refugees were declared a de-facto clan, with Sara as clan head. Until further notice, to avoid strange questions coming up - as Minato only had the clearance to tell his wife - Naruto was part of that clan.

He was 'Naruto of Roran'. The lone shinobi of the destroyed city, and the bodyguard to the queen. In the sealed documents he wasn't even a proper Konoha shinobi anymore. It didn't matter. The bonds he made were more important.

He asked for a single favor. That the forehead protector which he left behind in the office be given to his teacher Iruka once the boy graduated from the academy. Parting with it was easier when Hiruzen agreed.

He could get a new one once the paperwork was done. He could have kept the old one until that was done as well, but it was more a symbolic gesture than anything.

This Konoha was a new start for him. And like many new starts, it was difficult. It might've been the most difficult thing he had ever done. His shaking hands tapped against the wooden door three times. Steps echoed from inside and before he could think about jumping onto the roof and making a run for it, it slid open.

She was… beautiful. Her hair reminded him of Sara's, and her face evoked that kind of familiar feeling which could only be born from watching yourself in the mirror; inspecting every bit to figure out which features were from which parent.

Minato stood behind her, not saying a word. It took Naruto a moment to realize they were both standing there frozen. He swallowed, not knowing whether to bow in greeting or just say 'hi'. She made choosing obsolete, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him in. The door shut behind them.

Naruto didn't know what she was doing. She put him next to Minato, looking at them before nodding with a wide smile.

"Minato! I told you our kids would get my good looks!"

Naruto felt his knees grow weak at the smile. It was disarming and he felt like an asshole for expecting something low of his mother. For not trusting Minato's words.

Giving her a shaky thumbs up, he mirrored her smile. He was desperate to avoid the mess of emotions he felt when he met the Sandaime again. He was attempting to, at least, and failing.

He wasn't even sure what to call her. Mom? Mother? Kushina? She wrapped an arm around his neck, the other around Minato's. Was it so easy? Just accepting who he was without suspicion? Just forming a bond over something that sounded so insane even in a world full of ninja?

Hell yeah it was that easy. That's what he does. He's Uzumaki Naruto. He laughs at expectations. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug. He made friends in less time than that. What did he have to lose? Nothing.

And what he had to gain was family. What he gained was a family. For every friend he lost, he would make a new one.

And one day in the future, he would meet them again. In this life or the next.

"Thank you," Naruto said. His cheeks were wet, but he wasn't a sobbing mess like in the Hokage's office. He opened his mouth again to speak, then closed it. His tongue moistened his lips, and he found the words he wanted to say; speaking up again. "Thank you."

Ever so elaborate, Naruto's choice of words were more than enough to make Kushina squeeze them tighter. "We're family," she said. "Welcome home, Naruto."

Pure catharsis. There was no other word for it.

"I cleared everything," Minato said. "If there's something we should be worried about sharing, I'll stop him. So feel free to ask him questions."

Kushina nodded. The table was full of food. A proper feast, way too much for a family of three. It'd have been too much for three times that many. " You're… sixteen, right?"

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Nearly seventeen, it's a bit hard keeping track of everything."

"When's your birthday?"

"October 10th," he said, grinning. "Though it was August when we came here, it's March here, right?"

Minato nodded. "I don't think you'd want your birthday to be moved ahead."

Naruto waved him off. "It's fine," he said. "My birthday was never a big occasion for me, it doesn't matter what day it is as long as I can spend it with my friends…"

He paused. He could see Kushina was conflicted and wanted to speak up, perhaps the mention of his birthday celebrations wasn't the best way to start the conversation. He shrugged, giving her a disarming smile.

"And my family," he continued. "If I have to put it down on paper, I guess I'll stay sixteen a bit longer than usual."

"Next question!" Kushina said. "Sorry if this sounds a bit blunt but… did you have anyone special back home?"

Naruto blinked, tilting his head to the side. "I'm sorry?"

"I mean a girlfriend," Kushina said. "Or a boyfriend? I don't mind either way but I want grandkids-"

"What, no!" he said. "No, not at all, I had a crush on a girl but… it wasn't really meant to be, she liked someone else and then so many things came up that I just couldn't- I mean it doesn't matter now, she's not even born yet here…"

"Well you are young," she said. He nodded. Before she could speak up again, he interrupted.

"I wanted a family," Naruto said. He sounded sad. "I was lonely, and I always imagined what my future could look like. But I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of my children being born in that world," Naruto said. She looked confused. Minato, however, nodded. "Why don't you have children yet?"

Kushina blinked at the question, then turned to Minato. The slow realization coming over her face was amusing to see. She was easy to read, a trait which he had no doubt inherited from her as well. "Because… there's war on the horizon. There's always war and no security."

"The people who have children are brave," Naruto said. "Braver than I am, for sure. They trust their children to survive these conflicts and live through these risky times. I don't want to have a family in a time where I could lose them to a war."

"That doesn't mean you're not brave, Naruto," Kushina said. "You're selling yourself short. Are you saying you're going to give up on love because there's strife?"

"Yes," Naruto said. The word came out of his mouth so fast he almost stumbled over it. His mother slammed her fist on the table. Even Minato seemed distraught by the cynic answers. "No, I mean… I just haven't found anyone I like, and until my entire life was ripped out of my grasp I didn't even have time to relax. I was a target for the strongest criminals on the continent."

He had hopes that the thing with Sakura would've worked out in the end. As a person who understood just how high the stakes were, she was the only one he felt he didn't have to worry about.

"And now?" Minato asked. "Now that-"

"Now there's war looming," Naruto said. Minato gritted his teeth. "And maybe we can avert the worst of it-"

"You're not a target anymore," Minato said. "You're not even an active shinobi on the roster. Wouldn't you say now is the best time to find some peace?"

Naruto didn't have an answer for that. Kushina, however, hadn't calmed down at all. She stood up, grabbing Naruto by the collar and lifted him out of the chair. "Narutoooooo!"

"Yes?" he asked. His voice was strained, but he had already resigned himself to the wrath of the women in his life. "If you punch me, that's domestic abuse, right? Please don't punch me."

"You're my son!" she said, her voice stern. He wanted to ask her how it was so easy for her to say that. How she could just take in all those feelings of familial love and use them on someone who was a stranger to her. "I don't care if you're sixteen or not born yet, rely on other people more! Family is important!"

"Yes," he said. She had lifted him up a bit more. His voice was high pitched and it became difficult to breathe. "Y-you can let me down now, I get it! M-mom!"

She let go of him. He landed on his ass, the chair falling over. Minato stepped up, ready to get between them if things escalated. But Kushina had the brightest smile on her face. "I'm a mother! Hey, Minato! He called me mom!"

She was dancing around the kitchen. The food on the table was forgotten the whole time. Standing up, Naruto put the chair up again and sat down at the table.

Her words rang true. Even if he was afraid to have children at this point because of war, and because of the dangers that would no doubt follow him regardless of the time he was in, was it wrong to have peace for himself?

Was it too much to ask for… this? Sitting at the table with two people who had done nothing but shower him with love since he met them? In a dining room, inside a cozy home away from the worries of the ninja life?

"It's never too much to ask for peace," Minato said as if reading his mind. "There's many shinobi who retire as they find their own peace."

"I don't think I can find my own peace that doesn't include everyone," Naruto said, in all sincerity. Minato smiled in approval. "The old man used to tell me that being Hokage was to make all of Konoha your family. Everyone deserves peace."

"I couldn't be prouder to hear those words than I am right now," Minato said. Kushina nodded. "I've no doubt that there's going to be peace, Naruto."

Naruto smiled, grabbing a pair of chopsticks. "Hearing those words from you makes it hard for me not to believe in you."

"I made a mistake," Kushina said. "You have my good looks but you're a hopeless romantic like your father."

"Romantic?" Minato said, furrowing his brows. With a slightly higher pitch, he turned to her and narrowed his eyes. "Hopeless."

"Teehee," Kushina said. She didn't laugh, or giggle. The word was drawn out and deliberate. "Help, Naruto! Daddy's mad at me!"

Naruto snorted. Maybe relaxing a bit wouldn't be a bad idea.

"The lodgings for now are two apartment buildings next to each other," Sara explained. "The tent district will be turned into proper homes, but that takes time. Until then we're staying here."

Naruto stared at the building, unable to believe his eyes. "This thing stood here back in the day?"

"You know it?" Sara asked. He nodded.

"I lived here," Naruto said, pointing at his door. "It's… the same?"

The location was the same and the look was the same, but there were a few minor details which made him remember the history of it. The building had to be rebuilt following the Kyuubi attack. Utility was important to ninja villages, so the look of the building wouldn't be changed, but even if it wasn't the same down to the last nail, Naruto felt happy emotions bubble up inside him. Nostalgia was both awesome and awful. Today it was the former.

Sara looked happy for him. She had a bag full of keys.

"We're supposed to distribute those to the families," she said. "I guess you can pick yours first, right?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm fine with letting you pick. The building has a bunch of memories for me, but in the end it's just a place I'll sleep at, right?"

"We'll get proper homes eventually," she said, raising her nose up. "But it's still our home for a lack of a better one, so don't dismiss it like that."

"Yeah," he said, averting his gaze. "Sorry. I'm not good with thinking before speaking."

She giggled. "We're going to get some aid from the police force, but your mission's still on. So where do you want to live?"

"Next to you, I guess," he said. His eyes were still looking away from her, and though he missed her unladylike grunt and flushed face, he didn't miss her rather obvious coughing. "Unless that makes you uncomfortable, sorry-"

"No, it's fine," she said. "You're my bodyguard, after all, everyone's bodyguard. But it's not like they'll stop treating me like the queen."

"You are the queen," Naruto said. "You might not have a city or a country, but you have your people."

"I have them," she said, nodding. "And your support, right? You think that's enough for me to be a queen?"

"It's your responsibility, isn't it?" he said. He wasn't stupid - he could be insightful if he wanted to be. "Even if you don't feel worthy, Roran was your family, and you can't pick your family."

"I guess I can't," she said. "I had hopes that maybe one day Roran could be rebuilt, but I realize that'd be foolish."

"How so?"

"It stays with us," she said. "No matter when and where, Roran remains with our people. Just like your Konoha stays with you, even here."

Her words were met with a hum. Who was he to disagree? In the bright light of the setting sun, Sara looked even more beautiful. When she turned towards him with a smile, it was his turn to get flustered, the conversation with his parents coming to mind.

"Thank you," he said. She kept smiling at him, knowing he'd continue without prompting. "Roran stays with you, and you can always lean on me for support. Konoha will stay with me forever, and I'll lean on you. You're my pillar."

The words seemed so natural, and her reaction was almost worth the embarrassment he felt after saying them. She looked away, but nonetheless leaned onto him. She was the one person he could call friend at this point.

His father and mother, as awkward as it was, weren't friends as much as they were family. Yamato was his commanding officer. This old man Hokage never had the tight bond between them. When nothing else made sense and he felt like sinking into this stupid haze, she was there.

In the end, they had settled for the apartment Naruto used to live in, Sara taking the one left of it. When Naruto was sitting in his bed and staring at the ceiling, he could tell she was right next door.

He put his hand on the wall.

He had been showered with affection. Familial love was something he wasn't familiar with. The closest he had to the feeling were the emotions he felt when he thought back to Jiraiya and Tsunade. As odd as it was, they were the closest thing to parents he had back there.

And he couldn't ask why he felt so guilty at the affection. He knew the answer already. He had pondered on it a lot. Was it okay to let go of the future and live and enjoy the here and now?

Could he be as strong as Sara was?

He could hear someone knocking on the wall. He smiled, knocking back.