She tells Iruka and Kakashi when she's injured and they walk in on her; it's the indigo part of her soulmark that catches their attention.
"Why didn't you say so?" Iruka wonders.
Naruto forces a smile. "Because it's indigo, sensei. Nobody has indigo."
"Right," Kakashi nods.
His soulmark is probably under all those layers; Naruto knows Iruka-sensei's talks about a dolphin for some reason. The two make a good match, she thinks, but still wonders what Kakashi-sensei's says.
She doesn't ask. She knows, even being an orphan, it's an unspoken rule. You don't pry into other peoples' soulmarks – it's rude. When one does, it's like being naked under a streetlamp.
You just don't ask.
~:~
"-my soulmate," Sakura laughs. "Not Sasuke."
Naruto tunes back into the conversation. It's been a long time since she'd actively gotten involved in a soulmate conversation. Sakura speaks of a revelation that it's Sai who's her soulmate, not Sasuke; Sai had difficulties admitting he has words.
After all, ROOT ANBU aren't supposed to have words.
Sakura turns to Naruto.
"What about you, Naruto? I know in the Academy you said you didn't, but…"
"I lied," Naruto says without a shred of embarrassment. "His name is Mukuro, and he left me."
There's a silence. That's a harsh reality. It hurts almost physically when they leave their soulmate.
"He's from another world," Naruto goes on. "And he promised to come back, but he hasn't."
There's a lump in her throat, and she swallows it back. It's been eleven years since then.
Eleven years of having to deal with the ridicule even knowing that she does have a soulmate. She just doesn't know when he's coming back for her.
(she's nineteen, and Mukuro still hasn't come back for her.)
(did he forget her?)
She picks up the sake dish and drinks the sake down amid the silence, trying to drink past the lump in her throat.
They drank and try to forget or celebrate, when the bar door opens and there's a loud commotion.
"You can't bring weapons in here!"
"I'm coming for someone," a familiar voice says. It's the voice that makes her freeze, makes her sniff the air and reach out with her chakra.
Chocolate, fire, smoke, deception. It certainly smells like him.
Naruto drops her sake dish and stands, turning and sobering quite fast. She puts her false arm on the bar top, and turns.
Mukuro stands there, looking older and far more weary. He wears his hair in a long, high ponytail.
Naruto's suddenly glad she decided not to cut her hair. Her hair was almost as long as his, and if she's honest she's a tad envious.
"You!" She lets her eyes turn red because despite the happiness she feels at the moment she burns with rage at him. "You forgot about me!"
He winces. He knows, he has to know, that he's in deep, deep shit right now.
~:~
Mukuro's mark burns at the Varia battle when he's fifteen years old. It hurts, and the blaze of pain went higher and higher until something snapped.
He always reassures himself that she's okay because he can feel her, but now, looking for that bond while Chrome is struggling to keep up with Mammon of the Varia, he doesn't find it.
He knows, inwardly. He knows that she's not there, that the silence of the general okay feeling meant that she was not okay.
He takes control of Chrome, and ignoring the fact he's in a battle he wrenches up his armsleeve.
His clock is still there. But it isn't plain black. It's faded to gray.
His heart seems to hurt, and something else snaps in Mukuro. He lets his sleeve fall and looks into Mammon's hood.
He can't lose anything else.
With ferocity, he throws his illusions again, this time better than before.
(He wins.)
After the battle he feels his soul-clock warming again, and doesn't know Mammon's eyes are on him as he checks it, rage still pumping in him.
It's counting down again, and he wonders why.
~:~
There is a pause, but Naruto knows what he's going to say. There's a second saying on her back – from where it changed where her heart stopped the first time, she assumes.
It's in Mukuro's handwriting, at least.
"I can't stay long, but I – no, my Family – needs your help," he says, his mismatched eyes begging her. There's a weary look in his eyes.
Naruto's heart soars.
She launches herself at him and punches him. He deserves it, for leaving her for eleven years!
And then – maybe it's the alcohol, but she decides what the fuck, I don't wanna be Hokage anymore, someone else can take the damn hat – she kisses him because she can't resist anymore.
Around her people whoop and cheer for her.