Despite being perpetually pale the summer sun agreed with Tayuya. Just lounging around in her miniature pool did wonders for her soul. It also helped that she had given herself a vacation. Running the village was hard work, especially when she had to keep Kushina in line as well, it was amazing that she hadn't killed anybody yet.
She deserved a reward for not murdering someone.
And it was all thanks to Naru that she was able to relax like this. The girl, despite coming with a Sasuke obsession built in, was a blank slate and a quick study. It took almost no time for Tayuya to show her the ropes of making sure Kushina didn't break the village. And after a year of teaching, she finally felt like she could take some time off.
As to why she was still at home relaxing in her pool as opposed to leaving the village and going somewhere fun. Mostly because that shit was expensive, and because she had about a year's worth of cleaning up Kushina's emotional torment to do.
Tayuya shifted in her pool, rolling her shoulders side to side. It was probably a good time to get out of it, she was out of lemonade anyways. Might as well get back to work as this fucked up families head doctor. At least Kabuto hadn't shown up since he brought Naru. She did not need any more basket cases in this place, especially not with Sakura all but living here while her and Karin studied medical jutsu as a way to get over Sasuke being taken by Naru.
She hummed a tune, trying off, and placing on a white shirt that preserved more modesty than her black two-piece did. No pants though. Today was a no pants day, besides Naruto probably didn't mind. She certainly caught the perv staring at her more than a few times.
Stepping out from the kitchen, her drink refilled with just enough ice cubes, she made her way to Naruto's room. And entered the only way that she knew how to. As loud as possible, it was closer to a rampaging bull, than a refined woman making her entrance. The door bounced off the wall, slamming back into place behind her as she leapt onto Naruto's bed, bouncing once before landing to look at the blond, drink still intact.
Naruto's room was every bit as boy as it could get, bits of carpet could be seen through the clothes, and a pile of clean clothes sat on what was likely an empty dresser, the bed was messy, and what few books there were sat on a desk with the shelf space being used for a few nicknacks, scrolls, and kunai. And yet somehow it was still cleaner than Karin's or Kushina's room. She'd like to blame Sasuke clean room on Naru but the boy was actually neat.
"Sup' Numbnuts?" She took a sip from her drink, eyeing the blond boy that was one of the more bearable people she had to deal with on a daily basis. He had grown up over the past year, not a lot, but enough to showcase a bit of muscle on his body. He still wasn't a man by anybody's definition, but it was growing harder to call him a boy.
Naruto barely reacted to her sudden intrusion, instead he looking up from his book, a manga to be exact, and raising an eyebrow at her. "Did you run in here just to make my bed wet?"
"You should be honored its the only time a girl will make your bed wet." She wiggled her but onto his bed and bounced once getting a wet smack of her hair. "Besides what are you doing home? Still depressed?"
"I'm not depressed."
"And I'm not a redhead. Up next on things that aren't true, Kushina Uzumaki isn't insane, Naru hates Sasuke and Sakura and Karin are in a lesbian relationship. Wait, shit that last one might actually be true." She stirred her drink, watching as Naruto's face began to burn. Teasing him had to be good for her skin or something. "But really, what's been eating at you?"
"How could you tell?" Naruto turned in his chair, manga now closed at his desk.
"For fucks sake, you're sitting alone in your room reading a goddamn manga Naruto, in the middle of summer, instead of going out there and training, running around, pulling pranks, or peeping on hot girls with Jiraiya, And don't pretend you don't do that cause I've caught you more than once looking through that peephole you think I don't know about. Like really staying inside all day reading is something Sakura or Karin would do." She took a long sip of her drink, glaring at Naruto and letting her words sink in. "Now tell me what's got your panties in a twist."
"I don't wear panties."
"Pfft, whatever I don't kink-shame, now tell me what's wrong."
Naruto sunk into his chair. "You're not going to leave me alone until I tell you are you."
"Oh, so there is something wrong." She smiled at his pout, allowing the ice cubes of her drink to clang against the glass. "But yea, I ain't leaving until we talk this shit out."
Naruto groaned. "Well I mean, it's kind of my mom."
She figured as much. "Oh, no what's she done now?"
"She hasn't done anything and I'm happy she's a part of my life now. But, I don't know. I just feel like she's more obsessed with finding me a girlfriend than she is spending time with me." Naruto flopped his hands about, never keeping them still for long like he was wringing out all the stress. "I mean I'm happy she does it but at the same time. I don't know. Like she's just wasting her time. I mean, look at how many girls she's tried to set me up with, all of them have kind of not gone anywhere."
"Hey, hey, hey!" She sat up and gave an obnoxious slurp from her mostly empty glass. "This better not be about you thinking you're the problem here. You're a great guy Naruto. And there are plenty of girls that would date you. Just not with your mom trying to push you down their throats with all the talk about marrying, cute babies, and whatever other nonsense she spouts."
"Do you really mean that?" Naruto asked his blue eyes all but pleading. Damn that insane woman. She meant well, probably. But she clearly wasn't helping.
Tayuya snorted, reaching into her drink for a still fresh ice cube and crunched down onto it. It was still hot as balls. "Have I ever lied to you once?"
"Well no but,"
"But nothing. Even if I was lying, which I'm not by the way. You wouldn't even know because you've never seen me lie to you." She stood, kicking at the boxers that sat on the ground. "Now come on, let's get out of here go to the movies, get some ice cream, just not be in this house. Studies say there's no better way to cure a teenage boys depression than spending the day with a pretty girl."
Naruto smiled, finally standing from his chair. Damn, he was taller than her now. Not by much, but by enough. Which considering how she was hyper-aware of how short she was, that meant she could spot an inch of difference from a mile away. "So who's the pretty girl that'll be joining us?"
She punched him. Right in the stomach. "Just for that, you're paying for everything."
Naruto buckled, clutching his stomach doing his best to milk her brashness for all he could. Unfortunately, she was fresh out of pity. "Why do I have to pay? You make more than me!"
"Cause spending money on fun stuff is also a cure for depression." Probably. Made her feel better sometimes. "Or at the very least it'll make me happy."
"Fine, should we get dressed or are you going to walk around in a bikini all day."
"I'll put on a skirt."
XXXX
"So, which one do you want to see?"
"Which one has the most explosions and the hottest chicks?"
"Wow, mom was right you are a lesbian."
Tayuya snorted, crossing her arms with a huff, rather than an actual skirt she had on a floral pattern towel wrapped around her waist. Except instead of flowers it has Shuriken and was black and red. Naruto had opted for shorts and a plain orange shirt. They both opted for sandals. "She's just projecting."
"My mom's not gay, she was married to my dad and had me. That's like the straightest thing ever." Naruto turned pouting.
"Whatever, don't come crying to me when she brings home a girlfriend. Hell, I think part of the reason why she's trying to set you up with a redhead is because she's trying to live through you." Tayuya shrugged, looking over the three possible movies; Battle for the Sage Two, Yojimbo, and Kunai of Steel. "Hmm, Want to see Battle for the Sage Two?"
"I haven't seen the first one."
"Yojimbo it is!" She grabbed his arm pulling him towards the theater, waving towards the booth operator. Perk of being the Hokage's assistant, and being with the son of the Hokage. Free movies! Especially if they bought some overpriced and super buttered popcorn. Wait. She wasn't paying for it anyways.
"Huh? What about Kunai of Steel?" Naruto asked, almost bouncing on one foot behind her.
Tayuya rolled her eyes, smiling back at him. "That's a chick flick, you watch that you'll be having your puberty in no time. Though that might be a good thing, your mom can set you up with that Gaara dude if you're a girl."
After Naruto bought the popcorn and a drink - the cheapskate only bought one! - they headed into the theater, finding a seat in just the right spot.
"So, umm why don't you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend." Naruto added on that last bit with a smile that she wanted to slap off his face. "Like, you're pretty, smart, and funny, it shouldn't be that hard for you."
"You forgot my award winning personality and my resting bitch face."
"Actually I heard someone say you have a resting 'I'm going to kill you face'"
Tayuya shrugged, they weren't wrong. She did glare at almost everybody far more than she should. It served her well in life. "I'm just not interested in anybody. Like at all. Like really look at the boys around our age, There's Busy-brows, that's probably the hardest pass ever, Neji looks like a pillow biter, that Shikamaru bastard pisses me off for some reason. Basically, they're all undateable trash."
"Besides," She shrugged, grabbing a handful of popcorn. "If I wasn't single I wouldn't be able to watch movies like this with you, I don't have to worry about hurting someone else's feelings or any of the junk. I get to look out for me and me alone. Being single is great."
"Huh, I never thought about it that way." Naruto leaned back in the chair smiling as the previews began to start. "You, know you're pretty smart."
"Pfft, tell me something I don't know." She slapped his arm over and over. "Now, shut your fat mouth the movie is about to start."
XXXX
"Oh, man that was awesome!"
"Right? If is saw that when I was a kid I'd try to be a samurai or something!"
"You still are a kid, you dork."
"Hey, you're not that much older than me." Naruto crossed his arms pouting despite the smile on his face. It lasted for all of a second. "But did you see the way he used his sword to cut through that arrow! That was so cool!"
"I know right! And then the way he cut down the big baddie at the end, what was it that he said again?" Tayuya laughed, nudging Naruto in the arm.
Her movie partner flipped a bit of his hair down, much like how the samurai had a tuff over his right eye, that hid the eyepatch that contained the third demon eye of Sanosuke. "I do this not because I enjoy it, but because it is my duty as your vassal."
"That's it! Ha! Man, that guy was a badass," Tayuya hummed swaying from side to side. "Now let's go get some ice cream, and head home."
"Isn't it close to dinner though? I think mom would be mad if we ate ice cream before dinner." Naruto pursed his lips, eyes closed like he was deep in thought.
She grabbed his arm, pulling him down the street again. She was going to force a good time down his throat even if it killed her. Well, it'd probably kill him. "I won't tell if you won't. Besides it's hot as fuck, all we have at the house is popsicles and Karin's lab experiments. And I want something that is chocolaty as shit."
"I don't think poop is very chocolaty."
"Shame that the only time you can be smart is when you're being a smartass."
Once they had gotten to the ice cream place and she ordered a chocolate monstrosity, that had chocolate sauce, fudge, brownie, chocolate chip cookie dough, all held together by a rich chocolate ice cream, while Naruto got a cone of some kind of sherbert, they began a slow walk home.
"I had a lot of fun today, Tayuya, thanks," Naruto said in between bites of his ice cream. He probably got it because of all the orange. "We should do this again sometime."
"Sure, just remember you're paying for it."
"Oh come on! Can't you pay some of the time?"
Tayuya rolled her eyes, taking another bite of the ice cream. "Hmm, how about, maybe? If I feel like it."
"That's better than a no."
AN: I wanted to write NaruTayu...
