"Why am I the one helping you do this?"

Tayuya turned to look at Sai as they approached the large pile of rubble left behind when Pain attempted to make a new moon out of Naruto. "Because, Casper, unlike Naruto and Pinkie, we're no good at rebuilding the village, so you get to help me find a Kyuubi bone to turn into a new flute."

"Didn't you already get a bone from Dickless, though?" Sai placed a finger on his chin and tilted his head slightly to the side.

"No, the Kyuubi's seal has a new coat paint so he's locked up tight. But, I did bone Naruto." Tayuya explained as she looked up at the rubble, trying to decide the best way to find a bone in there. She was so not looking forward to digging through all that. "Oh by the way, you're officiating the wedding."

"Wedding?" Sai's eyes widened and he nearly lost his footing climbing to the top of the mound. He had only read about weddings before. To actually be a member of one filled him with excitement. "Why me? Shouldn't I be a groomsman?"

Tayuya surveyed the mountain of rubble in front of her, the flesh of the Kyuubi would dissipate quickly but its skeleton structure would remain for a few weeks unless treated with seals. And Naruto had nearly turned into the full Kyuubi, there should be a few bones hanging around. "No way! You'd be hilarious at it! Anyway, don't tell anybody. I want to keep it a surprise, oh– and do your research."

Sai allowed a genuine smile to grace his face. "I'll do my best to then."

"Yeah yeah," Tayuya grunted out as she rolled over a log in hopes of finding a bone. All she got was more rocks. "Now quit standing around and help me look for some bones?"

"You mean like those ones over there?"

Tayuya looked to see Sai pointing at a steaming pile of giant fox bones, red tendrils of steam wafting up from each piece like a warm cup of coffee on a cold day. How on earth did she miss that? She could feel the heat that radiated off of the bones in waves. They were still powerful. "Those would be it, good find Casper."

Treading carefully, Tayuya approached the bones. She extended her hand out towards the massive rib cage, only to snap it back as the heat numbed her forearm. "Alright, help me find some of the small ones–long enough for a flute. Straight too, and not too thick."

XXXX

Tayuya examined one of three bones that would be ideal for carving out a new flute. Most of the smaller bones were crushed or cracked. With the knowledge Mito had granted her, she would only need the skill and patience to make a new flute. Three bones, three chances. Tayuya gripped the bone tightly. She'd only need one.

The familiar sound of Naruto getting his ass kicked caught her attention. Through the tree Tayuya saw a red haired slut, punching her Loverboy in the face. And him–just standing there, taking it like an idiot. She wasn't certain who she was more pissed at. She shoved the bones into Sai's arms and stomped towards the scene. "Hold these, I'll be right back."

In a silent rage, Tayuya charged at the woman fist first. With a punch to the face that would have made Sakura proud, Tayuya put Karui on her ass in record speed. There was a moment of silence as the cloud nin and Naruto tried to process what happened. Tayuya spun on her heel, directing a cold glare at Naruto. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Naruto gulped, doing a fantastic job of looking pitiful with one eye nearly swollen shut. He attempted to sink into a lump and hope that his submissive cuteness would be enough to stop Tayuya's rage. He had seen her mad before, furious even, but this was his first time seeing her mad at him. "Tayuya, listen I was–"

"Shut the fuck up Loverboy!" Tayuya growled and pulled Naruto up by his jacket and holding him up high. She shook him once and then forced him against the wooden shed.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing letting somebody else beat the snot out of you? There are only three people that are allowed to do that. I'm number fucking one on that listen, Jugkage is still knocked out cold, and Pinkie sure as hell didn't get a fucking tan."

"Who the fuck are you?" Karui shouted, she stood up and wiped a bit of blood off of her lip ready to fight Tayuya.

Tayuya stopped the fight before it began with a sharp glare and wicked smile. "I'm the dumbass that agreed to marry him piss for brains. Don't worry, I'll get back to you shortly."

She snapped back towards Naruto and brought her face close to Naruto's. "Now start talking shithead, before I cut your dick off by papercut, have it taxidermied and then sewed back on."

Omoi took a step back and crossed his legs. "Man, Konoha chicks are scary."

Naruto brought his arms up in defense from the verbal lashing Tayuya was going to give him. "I was trying to make up for what Sasuke did, I'm trying to end the cycle of hatred."

"And getting the snot beat out of you is supposed to do that? You're trying to change the fucking world, you idiot. What on earth made you think that getting hit in the fucking face was the right way to go about that? Like, are you going to let every jackass that Sasuke pisses off punch you in the face? 'Cause if that's why I'll start now, for him putting this stupid fucking idea in your head." Tayuya sighed and dropped Naruto to his feet. With a few deep breaths, she trapped him against the building. She ignored the tears in her eyes and let her head fall to Naruto's chest.

Her fury came back in full force. "Listen here numb skull, you're not going to change the world by not fighting. You're going to have to fight. I'm going to have to fight. And you're not going to do a whole lot if you let people just win. You're going to have to fight back dammit. It doesn't matter what the fight is for. You want to change the world start with how you win the fight. After you beat the snot out of some other dweeb you look at them and forgive them, that's how you should do it. None of this self-sacrifice bullshit you got that?"

"Uh yea got it," Naruto spoke softly as he brought his arms around Tayuya. When she growled he shot his arms above his head. "How long am I going to be in trouble for?"

Tayuya narrowed her eyes up at him. Her arms fell to her sides and she turned away from him. "I don't know, until I'm horny again?"

"So tonight?" Naruto smiled at the back of her head.

Tayuya swatted him the chest hard enough to make him groan. "You wish Loverboy."

Omoi and Karui looked at the couple like they were looking at some kind of two-headed monster. Omoi coughed into his hand and took a step towards his partner. "Hey, I think you did enough, we should head out ya?"

"Oh no you don't," Tayuya said in a calm even voice. Without fear or hostility, Tayuya took even steps towards Karui. "Now, what kind of a honorless motherfucker beats up on somebody that won't fight back?"

Karui took a step forward, getting right in Tayuya's face. She smiled at the four inches she had on the other redhead. "Listen shorty, your boyfriend said–"

"Blah blah blah, no wonder your eyes are yellow you really do have to piss for brains! What the fuck is the point of beating the crap out of somebody? If you want to relieve stress or vent go fuck eraser head over there he looks like he's into lolis." Tayuya bumped her chest into Karui, causing the woman to back up a half step.

Karui blushed a deep red and attempted to make a comeback but all that came out was gibberish. "I… you… he… that… fuck… rock!..."

Omoi took a step back and took out his sucker and aimed the red sweet at Tayuya. "Hey, even I know better than to stick my dick in crazy."

Karui let out a noise like a teapot coming to a boil. She threw her arms up and stomped off in a random direction. "I... you… guh… short!"

"Let's go see if Samui needs help with anything." Omoi grabbed Karui and lead her back towards Konoha.

Naruto walked up behind Tayuya and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in tight. He felt her tense and then relax. "Thanks by the way."

Tayuya wanted to scream bloody murder at the piss brained idiot for calling her short. Instead, she relaxed into Naruto's firm grip. With a deep breath, she grabbed Naruto's arm and looked up watching the lightning nin walk towards Konoha. "Why are they so tall?"

"They're not tall you're just short."

"Hey Casper, you know a good taxidermist?"

XXXX

The bone of the Kyuubi was nearly as light as a feather. If she swung it around too fast it's whiteness would cause her to become dizzy. A normal tool would not be hard enough to puncture It, she would need careful control and channel her chakra into the bone and the tools to give it shape. All the while the bone would be fighting against her. After Naruto left to go beg for Sasuke's life, Tayuya secluded herself at the base of the Hokage's monument. She sat against a massive tree, the very same one that her great grandmother sat at when she made the first flute. It was a wedding present from Hashirama. She wanted to go with Loverboy to talk to the Raikage. But she was put under ANBU watch just before she could leave the village. Orochimaru was dead, but Kabuto had been sighted in the area. A team was sent out to retrieve Anko, another woman with the curse seal.

Tayuya sighed and let her head rest against the rough bark of the tree. Her hand snaked up to the curse mark. "Even after you die, you still cause me nothing but trouble."

Setting the three bones in front of her Tayuya popped her neck and cracked her knuckles. She blew the hair out of her face only for it to fall back into place. "It's probably for the best that Loverboy isn't here to distract me."

"First, Uzumaki blood, to act as the binding agent," Tayuya said to herself as she took out a Kunai. With no hesitation, she gave her palm a long thin slice. Cupping her hand to pool the blood, Tayuya held it above the first of the Kyuubi bones. With a clenched fist she poured the blood over the bone. It sizzled violently like a drop of water poured onto a hot stone. Tayuya grabbed the bone with her bloodied hand wincing at the searing pain that tore through her arm. "Next, remove the Kyuubi's chakra to create a void hungry for chakra."

With her eyes closed, Tayuya focused on the Kyuubi's chakra, pushing it out and away from the bone while still allowing the bone to exist. Her blood acted like ink and began to form the seals Mito had given her, they swirled and twisted along the white bone like a vine.

The bone cracked and then crumbled to dust. "Fucking shit-goddamn mystic demon bullshit!"

"Tayuya, you okay?" Sakura asked, slowly approaching the redhead like she was a cornered animal. Kiba, Lee, and Sai were behind her, all of them with a look of determination in her eyes.

"Just fine Pinkie, just fucking fine! Stupid fucking Uzumaki bullshit, god damn Kyuubi fuckward." Tayuya thrashed her Kunai around violently before she came to a sudden stop and dropped her head. "If you're looking for Loverboy, I'm not allowed to say where he is."

Sakura shook her head sending her pink locks into a flurry. "I want your help with something important."

Tayuya tilted her head to the side and examined the motley crew Sakura had assembled. She couldn't help but crack a smile. Sakura was so easy to get wound up. "Look Pinkie I know that if I told Loverboy for every girl he gets I get two boys, but honestly I get to pick who goes into my harem."

Sakura's face turned red in a hurry. "I.. what?–not– that's not what I– Quit trying to distract me dammit!"

"And honestly, if you think those are the kind of men I'm into you're a bit of an idiot." Tayuya smiled as Sakura continued to huff and puff at the implications of sharing Naruto with her. "Though I might consider taking you in part of my harem, you look absolutely sexy when you're panting and sweating you know?"

"That's not what we're here for!" Sakura stomped her foot causing the ground to tremble slightly. With heavy breaths, she marched towards Tayuya staring down at her. "I need your help in convincing Naruto to stop chasing Sasuke."

"Okay, why?"

All of Sakura's steam vanished in an instant and she deflated slightly. Her voice was distant as she spoke. "Because, if we don't, Sasuke will kill Naruto."

Tayuya closed her eyes and took a long deep breath before locking gazes with Sakura. "Look, I don't know a whole shit load about why Naruto gives a rats ass about Sasuke. But, I do know that it's important to him. And besides, have a little faith in Naruto, you're like his friend right."

"You're his girlfriend or something, shouldn't you be worried about him getting killed because he tries to bring Sasuke back for me?" Sakura pleaded, once again she was on the verge of tears.

"Oh no, there's a chance my precious Naruto-poobear could stub his toe, I should cut off his legs to stop it from happening!" Tayuya said in a dreamy voice, complete with fluttering eyes as she placed a finger near her eye and dragged it down her face. Her face hardened and she narrowed her eyes at Sakura. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want Naruto to die. But I'd hate myself if I turned into a manipulative bitch just to keep him safe."

Sakura grew meek at that, the words weighing heavily on her heart. As she always did, she firmed up and found resolve within herself. It didn't matter what she was as long as Naruto lived. "If you don't help me do this...I'll tell Naruto I love him." A silence drifted between the group. Kiba and Rock Lee were bug-eyed and Sai's smile vanished.

Tayuya looked at Sakura with nonchalantly. Honestly, that was her trump card? "And?"

"Naruto's been in love with me forever. If I tell him..."

"I'm warning you Pinkie, you're about two seconds away from not being a maid of honor," Tayuya said with a lazy smile. She rolled her shoulders and looked down at the last two bones.

"Maid of honor?" Kiba asked looking down at Akamaru for answers. Then it hit him. He rushed towards Tayuya, almost pushing Sakura out of the way. "Wait a second– you're getting married to Naruto?"

Tayuya didn't bother to look back at him as she continued to examine the bone. What on earth did she do wrong the first time? Was it too little or too much? "Yep, fucked his brains out and he asked me to marry him. I said sure."

"Yosh, such a youthful display will surely raise spirits! I wish you the best of luck with your marriage. Let us hurry, I wish to solidify my position as Naruto's best man!"

Sakura ignored Lee's ravings and glared hatefully down at Tayuya. "Then shouldn't you want to keep him out of danger? Why won't you help me stop him from fighting Sasuke?"

"I am fucking helping you stupid bitch." Tayuya snapped and pointed down towards the bones in front of her. "I'm using my time to improve myself, to help Naruto in a way that you fucking can't. You got that? You can fuck him, you can heal him. But you can't help him when it comes to dealing with the Kyuubi now, can you? So that's what I'm fucking doing, making a new fucking flute so that I can turn that fox into a soft fucking kitten and Naruto can use its power without getting fucked in the fucking head you useless, stupid, ignorant, pink haired bitch."

Without another word, Sakura walked away, her face a mask of rage, yet tears flowed freely from her eyes. Though she walked in a straight line, her entire body was shaking. An innocent tree was shattered on her way out.

Sai looked between Tayuya and Sakura, this whole fight might have been his fault. "I'll go make sure Sakura doesn't do anything stupid."

Tayuya nodded and closed her eyes. She waited for them to leave before she allowed herself to cry. She could really use a damn vacation, some damn beach in the middle of nowhere with Naruto drooling all over her. She'd tease him until he snapped and then took her, conquering her with his kisses. It scared her–she couldn't imagine a life where Naruto wasn't around. It seemed impossible. Tayuya smiled and stared up at the sky through the branches. "Man, I've got it bad for you Loverboy–real bad."

With a deep breath, Tayuya returned her attention to the bones. Once more she cut her palm and pooled the blood. The bone sizzled when it came in contact with her blood. It burned when she picked it up. And once again her blood began to form the vine like seals. She pushed her chakra hard, trying to remove all of the chakra as quickly as possible. The bone remained solid. The red of her blood quickly hardened and turned black. The bone felt cold. "Awesome, now for the hard part."

Tayuya held the bone horizontal to the ground and looked around the area to make certain nobody was going to disturb her. She had assembled a flute before, memorizing each and every piece of it. Now she had to cut into the bone and slowly turn it into a flute. With a steady hand, she began to drill into the bone with a needle enhanced by her wind chakra.

XXXX

It was a slow painful process. For three days Tayuya committed herself to grinding out her flute. It had to be perfect. It needed to be perfect. She could not afford a single mistake. The first day she completed the main tube of the flute. The second she etched the headpiece and the key holes along the body.

On the night of the third day, it was complete.

Tayuya twirled her creation in her hand and stared up at the moon. Her flute would–in theory–be just as strong as the one Mito made, if not even stronger because of how fresh the bone was. She placed the flute to her mouth and smiled. "Let's see what this baby can do."

She felt the pull with the first note, the seals hungering for her chakra and beginning to glow red as she fed it. The flute reached deep, impossible to be satisfied. It pulled natural energy into it_ through Tayuya's connection to the ground, from the air and the heavens above. The effect was immediate, and Tayuya lost herself to the song. She explored every pitch and tune her flute could carry. Swinging from one to the next and then back again skipping a tune or carrying a pitch. It doubled back on itself over and over creating a rhapsody of sound.

It echoed louder and clearer than before. Blanketing over Konoha like a mid summers shower. It was the song of purpose, like a lion's roar after defeating a rival. Tayuya was back and as strong as ever. Konoha was rebuilding and soon they would be able to stand as tall and as proud as ever.

The sound built around itself, mounting to ever greater heights before it crashing down with thunderous echoes that shook all those that heard her rapid tones. Her fingers danced along the keys as she grew familiar with her flute as though embracing a long lost lover. Tayuya finished with a flourish, bowing to a fake audience. Slow clapping came from behind her. She turned around slowly, like a child with their hand stuck in the cookie jar.

"I love it when you play your flute," Naruto said softly with joy in his eyes at seeing Tayuya once again. His clapping died and he walked forward, in much better shape that he was days ago, even with Sakura's most recent poisoning.

Tayuya smiled, walking forward slowly towards Naruto she almost skipped the last couple of steps towards him. "Oh, you're just saying that because you want me to play you a tune on my fucking flute tonight don'cha ?"

Naruto laughed lowly and scratched the back of his head. "Well… I wouldn't say no. I actually wanted to see if you wanted to go on a date tomorrow with me… that is if you want."

"Really Loverboy? I say yes to marrying your blonde ass and then you get all shy and shit. And you totally just want to eat at Ichiraku because they're opening up tomorrow." Tayuya smiled as she pressed her body up against Naruto's. There was nothing but clothing that separated them. Tayuya slowly inched upwards brushing her lips against his. Her body reacted to his touch and his scent sending powerful jolts through her spin.

"I um, I well they are… that.. Okay, yea." Naruto mumbled incoherently as he felt Tayuya's form press against his. The softness of her breasts was not lost through the fabric of his shirts, she smelled faintly of cinnamon, but mostly of sweat and sap.

"I'll say yes if you make me scream your name."

Tayuya squealed in delight when Naruto took her legs out from under her and began to run in a random direction. "You idiot, our place is the other way!"

"How the heck am I supposed to know that? Everything's being rebuilt so fast!"

XXXX

Tayuya allowed herself to be dragged to eat ramen at ten in the morning. And after Naruto kept up his end of the bargain who was she to complain? That, and she had to admit–she had been wanting a good bowl of ramen for a while now. "You know you're buying me flowers after this right?"

Naruto's face turned sour like he had just eaten a lemon. "Why? What kind of flower do you like?"

"I'm your fiance. I told you I wanted flowers before, so you're going to get me some flowers." Tayuya's scowl matched Naruto's sour expression as they walked hand in hand towards the ramen stand. "And I don't know what kind of flower I like. Something red? But not a fucking rose."

"Okay, so ramen, then flowers, anything else you want to do today?" Naruto smiled down at the redhead pulling her close enough that he could kiss her on the head. "Ramen is as far as I've ever planned for a date."

"Well, figure it out Loverboy." Tayuya's face softened into a smile when Naruto kissed her head. He should kiss her more. And in different places. Everywhere, possibly.

The smell of ramen floated about the road like early morning fog on a harbor. They could practically taste it. Tayuya frowned that she barely needed to crouch to duck under the curtain.

"Hey, old man, two bowls to start with please!" Naruto declared the second they entered the empty ramen stand. Seamlessly, they took the two stools in the middle and smiled at the chef. "Ahh well if it isn't my two favorite customers, how have you two been?" Teuchi smiled warmly and began to prepare their meals.

"I'm just glad to be back in Konoha for a while."

"I'm just wondering why the fuck I let Loverboy talk me into having ramen at ten in the morning."

"You're drooling a little bit princess."

Tayuya wiped her mouth and found it dry. She glared at Naruto and poked him hard in the shoulder. "You're lucky you're cute."

In no time, their ramen was ready and placed in front of them. Just as Naruto was about to take his first bite, he poofed away.

Tayuya glared at the spot where her Loverboy was just at moments ago. She took a long deep breath in and then let it out through her nose. She grabbed his bowl and dragged it over next to hers. Why on earth did she have to fall for such a complicated idiot? "He's still paying for this by the way."

AN: Beta'd by Layarsir.

Good news everybody! This story is getting close to 1000 followers :D

Bad news, There's only like three to four more chapters left! And one of them is basically a filler.

Anyways time to work on Protective Instincts. Oh and consider what I'm going to do for my next large project.