CHAPTER 4:
Naruto:
It had been a month since Tora became his check in nurse and Naruto was glad for the company. She bought him food once a week, making sure his cabinets and fridge was stacked up. She had also been kind enough to buy him new dishes, silverware and pots. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the memory, his chest swelling with warmth.
He watched as she cooked him a meal and took in the space around him. The space was small with bare pale yellow walls, two windows and basic oak wood furniture. He didn't know what he was expecting when he walked through her front door but it wasn't this.
He had imagined a lively place filled with sun rays and smiles, but the place just felt cold.
"Here you go," she said, smiling as she placed a plate of poultry, brown rice, and corn in front of him. She set a separate and smaller plate next to his, containing hot garlic bread before sitting down and eating her own food.
She passed him a bottle of water while she chugged down a glass of caffeine. When done, Tora had burped loudly and rubbed her now full belly. Naruto just shook his head, smiling at her odd behavior.
He was just glad she was comfortable enough around him to do that.
He finished his meal soon after and wiped his mouth before putting away the dishes.
"So how's your family like?" His heart contradicted painfully behind his ribcage but he couldn't take back the words. He was curious and knew Tora didn't mind answering to his whims.
Tora's face was now mostly made up of a smile, eyes downcast and glazed over. He noted that her eyes got like that every time she spoke about her home life.
"I have two sisters, Yuuku and Tatsumaki. Yuuku is a wild child, a bit on the crazy side but an overall easy going person. Tatsumaki is very formal and professional and it kills her to relax unless it's with a good book." She stopped talking, her lips still stretched out and only stretching out further as she looked towards the distance.
"I have three brothers," her voice was softer, as if it were a caress and Naruto took his seat at the table.
"Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and Arashi. Sesshomaru is like a stone wall, silent and strong. He's the oldest of all my siblings and tends to be the most critical of them all," she snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Arashi is also quiet but soft spoken and kind. He's talented at everything he does and is a quick learner. Inuyasha, by far, is the loudest of the three. He's usually easily angered and loud mouthed but he's loyal to a fault. He's the easiest to read and is one of the most amusing people I have ever met." She laughed; the sound low and cheerful.
"Sounds wonderful," his voice was whimsical and his heart swelled once more in pain, in longing. He didn't bother to force a smile on his face for Tora was still looking off into the distance, joy evident in her eyes.
He wanted to have that joy, to be consumed by the knowledge that he actually had a family out there who cared for him.
He pushed the desire down.
"Do you miss them?"
"Of course I do but not for long. I'll be seeing them by the end of next month."
"What?" Tora frowned.
"Didn't the Hokage tell you? I leave for my village in two months time." Naruto felt his heart shatter, the jagged pieces falling to the bottom of his stomach, piercing his skin.
"No," he whispered, eyes watery and lip quivering.
He should have seen this coming. Everyone leaves him in the end.
"Oh Naruto," Tora said, hands immediately latching on to both sides of his face. Her fingers rubbed over his scarred cheeks and chapped lips met his forehead.
"I thought he did," she whispered, muttering how sorry she was. She hugged him close to her chest, hands now rubbing the back of his neck.
Why was it that he was always left alone?
"You can come with me." His head snapped up and he flinched at the pain it caused.
"To visit I mean." Her smile was hopeful and Naruto wanted to open his mouth, to whisper how he couldn't do that, to tell her that he didn't want to become a stain in her life. He wanted to tell her that he didn't deserve to be anywhere near humans.
But instead he nodded, because damn it, he wanted to be happy! He wanted more than anything to spend at least another day looking into the eyes of someone who cared about him.
"It's settled then," she said with soft kind eyes, hand rubbing his cheek.
"I'll set up a meeting with your Hokage but until then, let's make the most of the time we have left in Konoha."
The first month came and went, mornings blending into night and emptiness turning into fulfillment. Though his training was getting gradually more difficult and the tension between his teammates lead to a dysfunctional unit, he could honestly say that he was happy.
He wiped the sweat off his brow and gulped down the water from the canteen. Soon enough his eyes strayed to Sakura-chan, who was looking adorably at Sasuke. Her eyes were shimmering, emerald orbs glued to Sasuke's clothed back. She was smiling, as she always did when she looked at the dark haired male; her hands clasped together. Her teeth were chewing on her lower lip, peeling the thin layer of skin.
How he wished to run his dark tan fingers through the smooth strands of her pink hair. How he wished to touch the unmarked flesh of her light skinned body, which contrasted with his own skin. Naruto sighed, racking his nails against his scalp as he ran his hand through shaggy locks.
His eyes trailed over to Sasuke, the pale brat's face was scrunched up in concentration, his lips forming its signature pale tight line. His black eyes were looking intently at his hands, beads of sweat running down a hidden forehead and sticking to bangs.
Naruto sighed and rose from his spot and out of sight. For some reason he didn't feel as if he belonged, especially not in the current picture his team made. They were all in their separate areas, their silver-haired sensei nowhere to be seen and him feeling like an outcast.
There was no unity.
Soon enough his sensei had appeared, popping into the area without a sound, the orange book shielding his face. They were dismissed with a wave of the hand and an order to meet up in the morning.
He walked as quickly as he could, the sound of Sakura's request to ask Sasuke out and Sasuke's rejection fading into the background. His feet led him to Tora's place instead of his and he didn't bother to let the distrustful looks the civilians threw at him get to him.
Tora opened the door after three knocks, smile bright and hair dripping wet. Water still clung to her dark lashes and Naruto had at first mistaken the liquid for tears. But he was reassured she was not when she told him that she had just gotten out the shower. That sure explained the damp satin robe.
"How was training?"
"The usual." He had answered this question so many times over the past few weeks and though he gave the same answer every time, he would never get sick of being asked the question.
"So Sasuke was off being an asshole, Sakura was neglecting her own training in order to fawn over duck haired boy and you learned nothing. Correct?" Naruto smirked and nodded.
He watched as Tora dried her hair and the usually straight strands were standing up, frizzy and messy. She had glanced up, flashing him another smile before leaving the room to get dressed. Five minutes later she had reemerged, wearing sweatpants, a baggy shirt and her hair tied in a messy bun.
"I need to take you shopping," she announced, looking at his usual attire with a critical gaze. Naruto frowned.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"Oh nothing except that you look like a walking target." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, which Naruto did not appreciate.
"Hey!"
"It's the truth and you know it." Naruto couldn't argue with that.
"So let's go."
"What? Now?"
"No, later when the Earth explodes. Of course now silly." She dragged him towards the door but Naruto dug his feet into the wooden floor.
"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Tora looked down at her clothes and back to him.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? Everything important is covered; all I'm missing is shoes." At those words she released his arm and put on her sandals. When done, she walked out the door and looked back at him expectantly.
Naruto followed without any further complaint.
They entered a civilian shop, which confused Naruto to no end. Tora paid him no mind as she picked up a few tee shirts, all in various styles and colors. Then she moved on to pants, picking up dark colored ones before shoving them in Naruto's direction.
"Try them on."
"I don't think that's-"
"Just do it."
The blond did as told and went to the back room to change.
"Where do you think you're going demon brat?" The man behind the counter had sneered and before Naruto could shuffle away from his painful glare, Tora had appeared behind him.
"Is there a problem?"
"Yes-"
"I said is there a problem?"
Naruto didn't understand why the man before him began to quiver or why suddenly he was so accommodating.
"Not a problem at all. The changing rooms are in the back." He was dumbfounded but Tora's ushering him to the back brought his attention back to the situation at hand.
He tried on the clothes, feeling strange in anything other than the color orange. The majority of the clothes were dark and for a moment, he didn't feel like a killer in training. He felt like a boy on the verge of adolescence instead.
"Naruto, come out with the items you want okay? And don't feel guilty about taking what you want." Naruto nodded, even though he knew Tora couldn't see him.
He threw the pants he had been given on, one after the other. Observing the way it clung to his skin and how they felt when he moved. He was a ninja after all and he couldn't afford to be restrained by his own clothing.
He exited the changing room and was met with more clothes, this time in lighter hues. She took the clothes in his arms and put them on the counter and went back to shopping.
By the end, Naruto had left the store with over twenty civilian tee shirts (short sleeved, long sleeved, sleeveless and made out of breathable material), ten yukamas and kimonos of various patterns, fifteen shirts made out of fancier threads and meant for special occasions that Naruto never expected to attend. He also left with ten pair of slacks, shorts, capris and longer length of pants made out of spandex, cotton and other materials Naruto couldn't name. Tora made sure he left with at least four pairs of shoes, one for the special occasions that Tora kept mentioning.
"Now time to move on to clothing more suitable for a shinobi." They went into a store that Naruto was aware that he wasn't welcomed to visit.
"Tora, I don't think-"
"Naruto, as long as I'm around, no one can do anything to you."
Naruto's eyes strayed from her serious face and onto the ground. Tora's fingers gripped on to his chin and forced him to meet her slicing gaze.
"No one can hurt you." And he believed her.
Together they walked into the store and Tora intimidated the owner into silence. The process of shopping was repeated and Naruto kept looking at the stone faced owner in awe. For the first time the man's eyes were not locked onto him, burning his flesh with his hateful gaze.
When he exited the store, he left without another comment branding itself into his soul.
In the beginning of the second month, Tora set up a meeting with the Hokage and she had dragged Naruto along.
She had dressed Naruto up in black shinobi shoes, a sleeveless black shirt, black pants and his signature orange jacket. No matter what, Naruto would not let her talk him out of discarding his overly bright jacket. He had his reasons which he didn't bother to disclose to the taller blond.
When they arrived at the Hokage's office, Sarutobi was sitting at his desk, buried in paperwork. Tora had taken a seat, her skirt riding high above her thighs. She crossed her legs and silently beckoned Naruto to take a seat of his own. He obliged.
"Hey Jiji!" The shout caused the red and white triangle hat to lift and reveal the aged face of Sarutobi.
"While hello Naruto," the man had leaned back in his chair, hand running through his beard. His brown eyes had shifted from Naruto's smiling face and to Tora's piercing gaze.
"Tora," he whispered in surprise and Naruto frowned at the way the Hokage had said her name.
"Sarutobi," she greeted in return.
"What brings you two to my office on such a great day?" Tora's smile was tight and Naruto resisted the urge to gulp. He didn't know Tora enough to predict her movements or reactions but he had a bad feeling.
"As you already know, I leave for Tsuki in less than thirty days." Sarutobi hummed, taking a smoke from his pipe.
"I am aware."
"Good, then I have a request before I leave. I ask to take Naruto-san with me."
"Denied."
Both blonds looked at the Hokage in shock.
"Excuse me?"
"I said request denied." Tora's pressed lips gave way to a sneer.
"But why?" Naruto just didn't understand. He couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Because Naruto, Tsuki is enemy land." Tora snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah and you let me stay anyway."
"Tora, you know perfectly why I let you through our gates." Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe, the smell of tobacco lingering in the air.
"Were you aware of Naruto's treatment in the village or do you merely turn the other cheek? My request is to take Naruto outside of Konoha borders, expose him to the outside world and introduce him to a less hostile environment. Do you not want what's best for him?"
Naruto decided it was time to ease the tension.
"Jiji, all I want is to get out, even if it's for a small while. Please?" Sarutobi shifted in his chair and sighed, hand once again running through his beard.
"What if I can promise you a treaty?" Tora's words were hesitant but it caused Sarutobi's eyes to snap open.
"Fine." Tora's stone face at his answer caused Naruto's heart to drop. She wasn't happy but by the way she was gripping his hand, as if it were a lifeline, made him reconsider.
"Fine," she answered back, pulling Naruto out the door.
Thirty days came and went. Naruto happily packed his things, being careful to take only what he needed. Tora was granted permission to take Naruto for a month and if he was taken for any longer, then that would be a declaration of war. He frowned at the information but let a happy expression take over.
He was leaving Konoha. Not for good but at least for a couple of weeks. Four weeks of bliss, no hateful stares or critical whispers about him. He was off to a place where no one knew who he was or what he stood for. He was off to Tsuki, where he was not a demon.
Tora had said she would pick him up the next day, after training. He was nervous having to be picked up because none of his teammates were aware of Tora's existence. He feared the questions that would come with her brisk arrival and his quick departure.
The Hokage had already informed Kakashi of the temporary situation. A stand in was already been looked for so his three man unit team would still be able to qualify for missions.
"Naruto," his head snapped up in alert, turning to face his sensei.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi had only shook his head, silver hair swaying from side to side. The older man rubbed the back of his clothed neck and looked at Naruto with his uncovered eye. Since the mask he wore covered the majority of his face, Naruto was unable to see any of his expressions.
"Stay safe okay?" Naruto frowned but nodded, watching Kakashi turn his back and bark an order.
Tora came shortly after, a storm of blue and black. She had on a cropped top that stopped at her ribcage, black shorts and high kneed shinobi boots. On her back was a black bag, light looking like it contained nothing but the air. On her face was a smile as she greeted him, one arm slinging around his shoulder, the other coming to rest on her left hip.
"Ready to go?" Naruto just nodded his head, running to the withering sakura tree.
In the time it took him to grab his bag, Sakura had approached Tora, who towered over the pink haired girl.
"Hello, my name's Sakura and you are?"
"Tora," he heard the medic-nin say and he sighed, hoping that Tora behaved. Tora was prune to fits after all.
"Oh, are you from Konoha? I never saw you around. Are you leaving? To where? Are you taking Naruto with you? How come? Is Naruto in trouble? Are you a shinobi? How come-"
"Sakura," the way her name was said gave Sakura pause. When her green eyes locked with Tora's, she cringed and slowly backed away. Tora had only smiled at her reaction, a dark thing that stood out against her soft features.
Naruto ushered her away and waved goodbye at his teammates. It was time to hit the road.