Chapter 7

Today was a hot day. The heat was killing all the students dying in their desks, as if upcoming finals weren't enough. And Minato's class was lucky enough to have swimming during PE today. All the boys, dressed in their swim shorts, stretched and were overjoyed with the idea. All they had to do was wait for their instructor.

"Aaahhh, about time we got some splashes around!" Minato exclaimed cheerfully to his group of friends.

Inoichi was more than happy to agree. He was the only one out of the group wearing his speedo. All the boys tried their best to avert their attention away from down there. It just looked awkward. "No kidding! Always stuck in those stuffy classrooms! Plus, we can spot some cuties in their little itty bitty bikinis!" Drool was spilling from his mouth.

Shikaku sighed. "Don't you remember anything, Inoichi? They're separating the boys and girls after several peeking incidents at the girls last year."

"HUH? UNFAIR! WHICH IDIOT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT, BASTARDS?" Inoichi cried, pointing an accused finger at all the boys around them.

"Baka, that was you," Fugaku commented. Inoichi blushed lightly.

Minato merely laughed. "Now, now, it's alright Inoichi. It's moments like this where you learn how to respect a girl."

"Yeah, but don't you wish you could catch Kushi-chan in a tiny red hot bikini, eeeeehhhh Yellow Flash?" Inoichi teased as he grabbed his friend. Minato tried imagining it but when he got to the actual scene, his face went red like a tomato. He looked like he was going to faint. In fact, he could barely talk. It wasn't a surprise to anybody. Minato always did overreact with girls. Minato pulled away from Inoichi, walking away from them.

"I-I-I-I'm g-g-going to the b-b-bathroom really quick," Minato excused himself. He felt his face grow hot. This wasn't a sane reaction at all. He told himself to shake it out of his head. It's not like he actually saw her in a bikini. In fact, he never did recall seeing a girl his age in bikinis before. Not up close. He saw plenty of them when he was a kid, but he often ignored them. But now that he was a teenager, he felt awkward about it...

"Man, that guy," Inoichi said, looking at his friends. "It's been over a month and all he's done with Kushi-chan is talk and talk and talk. There isn't even a sign a relationship is going to come."

"Inoichi, let him be. You know him. He feels strange around girls," Shikaku retorted, crossing his arms. "Why else do you think he shields his eyes away from you when you show him porn magazines?"

Everybody agreed. Over a month had gone by. Minato managed to at least talk to Kushina every day now, but nothing else. Mikoto was always with her, and they found it extremely hard to get her alone with him. Hanging out with her was always with Mikoto. The ramen trip was the last time Minato was able to get alone with her. If they were to talk, it was either through the phone or with Mikoto's presence. That girl was Kushina's unofficial bodyguard.

"At this rate, Namikaze will end up broke," Hizashi added. "And that's not the end of it."

Chozu sighed. "That Minato, aren't we glad that the class separated into boys and girls?"

Hiashi nodded, smirking. "Who knows what would happen if he saw Uzumaki in a bikini?"

"Probably faint," Hizashi joked.

"Or if some miracle, his hormones will control him to do some little dirty work," His brother added with a grin. "As if that could happen."

"But it can."

All eyes were on Inoichi. There was a glint in his eyes that wasn't there before. It looked vile. He smirked.

"Look, it's been well over a month, and Minato's made no progress whatsoever. He may be naive and a gentleman, but if we put him and Kushi-chan in the perfect situation, we can change him into a real man," Inoichi stated.

"What the hell are you talking about, Yamanaka?" Fugaku grumbled.

He chuckled. All the boys gathered around him as they listened to him. The same thing, with the exception of Inoichi, traveled through their minds:

They could not believe they were going to go through with Inoichi's plan.


After a good hour, the swimming class was over for both parties. Kushina climbed up the pool, fresh from a good swim. She was adorned with a bright red bikini that complimented her hair. She pushed back her hair, squeezing out the excess water. She took a joyful sigh.

"Gaaah, that felt sooo good! Nothing beats a good swim in this heat!" Kushina exclaimed.

Following her up the ladder was Mikoto, wearing a simple navy one piece suit. She never did like revealing too much skin. It was only swim class anyway. Most of the other girls in their class wore bikinis, but Mikoto would rather not follow suit. She was perfectly content with hers.

"Ada, ada, Kushina-chan, you're a pretty good swimmer," Tsume commented as she rose from the pool as well. "Maybe the girls' team could use you next year."

Kushina laughed. "Oh stop, Tsume! I was just desperate for some cooling down!"

"Maybe it's good that she doesn't join; she'll probably make all the girls feel bad about themselves with that kind of body," Yoshino teased. "I'm surprised the guys on the other side haven't peeped on you yet."

Kushina blushed slightly. "Man, you guys sure are embarrassing!"

The four girls made their way to the locker room, showering and putting their clothes on. Swimming really was a good way to end a hot, school day. As everybody finished showering, they returned to their lockers, moisturizing their skin with fruit-scented lotion before putting on their clothes. Kushina however, frowned.

"What's wrong, Kushina?" Yoshino asked, curious to why her friend was behind everybody else.

Kushina smiled weakly at her. "Oh, it's nothing! I think I just misplaced my clothes somewhere!"

"It better not be those perverted boys sneaking in!" Tsume thought out loud as she threw a fist in the air. "They gonna pay if it really was them!"

"Now, now, Tsume-chan, those boys maybe perverted, but they know very well how to respect a girl," Mikoto comforted them. "It's probably just around here."


"Yamanaka, stop groping Uzumaki's clothes," Chozu demanded, growing uncomfortable next to his friend.

Inoichi was drooling as he rubbed her clothes next to him. "Can you imagine if it was actually her behind these clothes..."

"Stop fooling around, Inoichi! Remember, this is for Minato, not for your pleasure," Shikaku stated, still unhappy that they were actually going along with Inoichi's plan. After hearing it, they were rather shocked that it could work.

Inoichi chuckled evilly. "Hehehehe! Don't forget, this is my plan! I know how this works!"

Swimming class had just ended for the boys. All of them rinsed themselves, with the exception of Minato who stayed behind to help clean up, and got into their uniforms to be prepared beforehand. This was required for them and it had to go like this. Minato always liked to stay back and helped. They were going to take advantage of them. Chozu looked outside, the sight of Minato in his swim shorts in his view.

"He's still out there," Chozu informed them. Inoichi smirked.

"Alright! Now, time to find us some wimpy, shrimpy freshman."


Minato had just finished covering the pool with the black mats to keep it clean. He smiled, proud of himself. He enjoyed staying back after class to help out, even if people called him a teacher's pet for that. It didn't matter to him. It gave him a nice feeling that he actually could do something good other than track and field. He wiped the sweat away from his face. His blond hair was drenched wet despite remaining under the sun's ray. It would dry in time. For now, he would have to shower up for a cool down.

"Namikaze-sempai!" A voice called out.

A dark-haired boy in a PE uniform was running to him. He looked short for his age, probably a freshman. He stopped in front of Minato, breathing heavily from all the running. Minato smiled.

"Hey there! How was class, kid?" Minato asked in a friendly tone. He was always nice to the underclassmen, even when others weren't.

"It was good. Anyway, somebody sent me to hand you this note," The kids explained, handing him a folded note. Minato looked at it puzzled.

"Who gave this to you?"

The kid shrugged. "I dunno. He covered his face with a towel. Anyway, see you later, sempai!"

"Ah, you too!" Minato said before waving the kid goodbye. He opened the note and read the contents. The writing was messy, nearly impossible to read, yet Minato felt it was familiar to him. His eyes widened and his fingers started to shake.

We have Uzumaki. Come to the equipment shaft if you don't want anything to happen to her.

Minato crumbled the note so that it shredded into pieces. He gritted his teeth and looked up to the sky. He should have known someone like Kazekage would break their pact. Clothes could wait. He had to go find Kushina first. Her safety mattered more now. He ran in a matter of minutes towards the equipment shaft, a tiny storage place to hold all the sports equipment. If one were to enter, they would only have a foot of free space.

He gulped. With such a small space, he didn't want to imagine what Kazekage was going to do to her. It was way too quiet in there. He hoped...no, it couldn't have happened. He didn't want anytime to imagine. He shut his eyes as he opened the latch. Kushina-chan, whatever happens to you, I'm so sorry...

"KUSHINA!" He cried. Suddenly, he felt someone push him inside the shaft, and darkness circled around him. He grabbed onto whatever could stop him from the fall, something soft and foreign.

"What the hell?" He shouted. And then...

SLAP

"OW!" Minato whined, rubbing his cheeks.

"YOU PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU GROPE MY BOOBS! SURE THEY MAY BE NICE TO LOOK AT, BUT THAT'S ALL YOU GET TO DO, ASSHOLE TTEBANE!" Some screamed loudly in the shaft. It was very familiar, hyperactive voice. And then, Minato froze.

"KUSHINA?"

Recognizing the voice, Kushina's eyes widen. "Eh? Minato-kun? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? Did anything happen to you?" Minato asked her, extremely worried yet relieved that nothing had happened to her. His face grew hot, after realizing what he had just done to her. He wished they had more space apart, but he never realized how small this shaft was until he was inside with her. The school district really needed to invest their budget on sports.

"I got a note saying someone stole my clothes and told me to meet me here. I thought it was just Aiya-bitch and her minions but then someone shoved me in here and I got locked in," Kushina explained. "How did you get in here?"

"Umm...something similar to that..." Minato replied vaguely. Damnit, why is this happening? And why does it feel so w-w-w-w-wet...Oh she better not be naked, not that I would mind but-ACK! ONLY INOICHI WOULD SAY THAT! It's dark, so maybe it won't be that bad. I mean, it's not I'm going to stare at her...

"K-K-K-K-K-K-Kushina, y-y-y-y-you're w-w-w-w-wearing c-c-c-lothes r-r-r-right?"

"Well, it's just a bikini. I mean, it's not like I'm naked."

Minato wanted to break into pieces.


"MUHAHAHAHA! His hormones are definitely gonna explode at this rate!" Inoichi cackled. "Thank god we got weirdos like Aburame making listening devices!"

"Oh Yamanaka, so cruel," Hiashi sighed.

"Yet so clever," Hizashi finished.

"The cub will become a tiger today," Inoichi continued, his hands forming into a platform to rest his chin. They had moved to an empty classroom, equiped with headphones and a pair to listen in. So far, it was only the beginning, but it was sounding pretty good.

Oh Minato, you may be the perfect gentleman and naive to girls, but hiding inside you is a tiger ready to pounce on Kushi-chan, Inoichi thought. It was time for the next part.


"Minato-kun? Hey, what's wrong with you? You went all quiet all a sudden."

No words still escaped from Minato. It may be dark, but Kushina could feel his body shake close to her, as if freezing. She could also tell that he was not looking her, or even dared to, as she felt his spiky blond hair poke her face a few times. Sure he was horrible with girls, but until a month ago, he had grown accustomed to her. He never stuttered around her anymore and they were quiet comfortable with each other. So what was it...

Don't look. Don't look. Don't look. DON'T LOOK BACK! Minato reminded himself over a thousand times. He stood as straight as he could, like a soldier, yet he was still shaking. Why on earth was she still in a bikini? Why did she even have to wear one? It could have been a simple one piece and he wouldn't have to worry about it much. A bikini was practically like lingerie to him. All he had to do was rip it off like a bra and panties and-

"NO!' Minato screamed, earning him strange looks from Kushina. He chuckled nervously.

"U-U-Um, trying to scream for help, hahahahaha..."

They heard a ring. Another one. It sounded like a phone. Minato tried to reach for wherever it was, careful not to get too close to Kushina. He felt the phone, reaching it. He placed it against his ear, gulping for whoever it was.

"So, yellow fellow, just getting started are we?" Minato knew this voice too well.

"INOICHI! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FOR? FORGET IT, GET US OUT OF HERE! FAST!"

"Hey don't worry. I'll get you out...after you're done doing her!" Inoichi laughed through the phone. Minato was about to argue, but he stopped himself to listen to his friend. "Look here, we can leave you in there for days. We snatched the keys and the master one from the janitor, inserted spy listening devices we stole from that weird glassy kids to make sure you actually did it, and this is a one-time use cellphone, so you have only five minutes with me."

"INOICHI! PLEASE! I-I-I-I-I CAN'T DO THIS!"

Inoichi sighed deeply. This boy really couldn't do this on his own. Guess he it wouldn't harm him.

"Fine Minato..."

"Thank you, Inoichi! You don't know how much it means to me-"

"Start by cupping her mouth, kiss it, then tongue it like it's a cherry stem. After a good five minutes of that, move slowly down her neck. The more she moans your name, keep going down until you're reading to rip off that red hot bikini and you can insert your gun-"

"INOICHI!" Minato cried. His face burned in complete embarrassment. He couldn't believe he was actually agreeing with Inoichi for a moment. Inoichi only laughed.

"See? The secret is to take it slow, so you don't catch her off guard."

"INOICHI I'M BEGGING YOU! LET US OUT! NOW!"

"Why? I'm helping your bet with Kazekage. The faster, the better. I mean, let's not forget you might not be the only one getting turned on at the moment. You are a very handsome man and half-naked. You'll be lucky if Kushi-chan turns out to be that kind of girl."

The phone went dead. Minato wanted to faint but couldn't. He didn't know how long he could last with Kushina like this. She was in a bikini for heaven's sakes! Why couldn't this be like medieval times when it was forbidden to wear such things? He was scared. Scared that he would actually end up doing it to her. Even if he made that stupid bet, he didn't realize that he would actually have to do it. Maybe he should have listened to Inoichi and just get over with it. But Kushina wasn't just any girl. At least, to him she wasn't. He was comfortable around her. He could talk to her. And she was one of the sweetest yet active girl he met.

"Okay Minato, cut it out. I don't care if we're locked in here. You better explain to me why you're acting so weird!" Kushina demanded, forcefully turning him around so that they faced each other. Minato blushed even harder. Despite how dark it was, he could clearly see the outline of her face and violet eyes, piercing through his soul. He gulped, trying his best to look away but couldn't. There was just something about Kushina's face that made it impossible to look away.

"N-N-N-Nothing's wrong. J-J-Just scared of the d-d-d-dark."

"Cut that crap, Minato-kun! When it comes to girls, there's a line between gentleman and just plain crazy! How else are you going to get a girlfriend at this rate if your scared to even be close to one in a freaking bikini! How are you going to let other girls be with you!"

And then, Minato couldn't hold it in anymore. He just couldn't.

"Because I' don't want other girls! I really like you, Kushina-chan! I want you, but I'm scared that I'm going to end up doing something stupid and disgraceful to you! It's moments like these when I'm scared I might take advantage of you! I don't want to be guys like Kazekage or Inoichi or those rapists on TV. Sure it's only a month, but you mean too much to me! T-T-That's why, I wish I was..."

"Shut up."

Minato looked at her in disbelief. All of sudden, he felt her soft lips on his. His face wasn't as hot anymore. It was warm, the perfect temperature. The kiss wasn't anything major. Not too hard, not too gentle. Just like he imagined his first time, or maybe even better. Was this really happening? He slowly let go of his thoughts, only going with what he wanted at the moment. His body went loose, his arms surrounding Kushina into a soft embrace, still keeping their lips to each other. To his dismay, she let go only a second later, returning a big smile.

"K-K-Kushina..." He felt her cheeks press against his chest.

"I'm glad I can trust you."


"AWWWWWWWW THAT'S SOOOOOOO CCCCUUUUTTTTEEE!" Inoichi squealed, rivaling a fangirl watching dramas. "NOW MOVE ON TO THE SEX, TIGER-HEY! GIMME BACK MY HEADPHONES!"

Shikaku had snatched Inoichi's headphones right from his blond head. He yanked out all the plugs and threw it outside the window. Inoichi looked like he was going to die.

"Tch. So troublesome, meddling with other people's private moments," Shikaku complained. "You know they're not going to go that far yet. It's amazing that your plan somehow worked-"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IF IT STOPS THERE, THAN IT'S A HANDS DOWN FAILURE!"

Chozu sighed. "But still, yours managed to get Minato his first kiss! I feel bad for intruding on such a tender moment, but we can trust him not to go that far." Everybody agreed. Out of all the plans that they could come up with so far, Inoichi had been the most successful one with actual results. They didn't know what was more surprising; Minato actually getting his first kiss in a shaft or that Inoichi was able to come up with a clever plan.

"Especially if Chidori-san butts in," Hiashi added.

"Speaking of her, where is she?" Hizashi asked.

And then, they all dawned on the same thought. Every single pair of eyes in the room widened. An uncontrolled discussion exploded among the boys.

"Shit! I-I-I-If Miko-chan found out about this kiss-"

"Or the possible relationship-"

"WE'RE SCREWED!"

"WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THEIR COMMUNICATION IS LIMITED!"

"BUT HOW? THEY'RE ALWAYS TOGETHER, CHIDORI AND UZUMAKI!"

"AND WILL STILL BE IF WE'RE KEEPING THIS A SECRET!"

"There's only one way..."

Everybody looked towards the one and only Fugaku, who sitting by the table all by himself, was quietly eating rice crackers. He flinched a little, uncomfortable with everybody staring at him intensely. There was no choice.

"Crap."