A/N: Well I'm back! I had a good vacation/hiatus from this and now I feel recharged mentally and I'm ready to get back at it! Just as a fair warning, there's a reasonable amount of sexual encounters in this chapter, for the sake of the holiday season, but I promise I'll tune it down until the inevitable fluffy Christmas lover interactions. Till then, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto or the lyrics to Better Place, they belong to Sevendust!


NARUTO-POV


November 25th, 2:00 am.

Ah, holiday season. The air is cold, all the more perfect weather for me and Hinata to snuggle up together by the fireplace, sip some hot cocoa and relax. Her father and sister were supposed to be back in town from a visit to an 'unspecified town' this morning, choosing to come eat with us.

Naturally, Hinata didn't want to be alone at her house so I slid on in there. It's been a rough week, honestly. My mom has been handling this as best as she could, but today is the day that everyone in our little fucked up family is gonna come over, and she's gonna have to face the music. It hurts seeing her break down over it.

Dad has been stopping by every day since the incident and talking with us, trying to get caught up with our lives and just associate with the broken family that is our family. In hindsight, I couldn't be happier with what I have right now.

"So, where do you think Hanabi and your dad went?" I asked Hinata. It was a little strange that they just up and left randomly to go to a town that none of us know what it is. I was guessing it was something to do with a Christmas present, but that's a guess.

She just shrugged, taking a sip of her hot chocolate and sighing. "I don't know, it's not like my dad to do this, just randomly leaving and being real secretive about it." True, Mr. Hiashi didn't seem like that kind of dude.

I pulled her closer to me, hugging her to my body. "Well, I'm sure whatever it is, he has a good reason for not telling you." I think, and I hope. She let out a happy sigh, smiling and laying her head down onto my chest. Brushing her hair out of her face, I laid a kiss onto her forehead. It dawned on me, what time it was. "Happy thanksgiving, love." I said, smiling down on her.

Looking up at me, she smiled as well. "Happy thanksgiving to you too, my handsome prince." We leaned in for a kiss, our lips enveloping each others in a warm, deep and passionate show of affection.

"Hmm, if you keep kissing me like that, you might just make my list of things to be thankful for a lot bigger." I muttered out after we broke the kiss. She kissed me again, trailing her hand down to my thighs, rubbing them.

The heat began to raise between my legs as she threw her legs over me, straddling my body. "I could give you so many more things to be thankful for, Naruto-kun." What a tease. We kissed again, as my erection grew and grew.

Suddenly, she started snaking her body down mine, till her head was right in my crotch area. I knew better than to ask her if she wanted this, she knows what she wants now. With a quick movement, she unbuttoned my jeans, sliding them down my legs until they hit my feet, where I finished the job, kicking them off. She started rubbing my now full erection through my underwear, making me groan a little.

Not too long after, she ran a finger under the band on my boxers, slowly pulling the waistband back until my rock hard cock sprung forward, almost hitting her in the face. She laughed a bit while sliding my boxers off, tossing them to the side with my jeans.

She got to work, twirling her tongue around the head of my cock, moistening it. Putting just the tip in, she slowly started sucking on it. Slowly but sensually. I moaned out, enjoying the attention she was giving the sensitive area. Then she started putting more and more of it in her mouth, sliding it into her mouth until all eight inches were in.

Stopping at the base she gagged a bit, but held it there for about five seconds before evacuating it from her mouth, gasping for breath. But she only paused for a second, before continuing the work she was doing. She continued this for a few minutes, before starting to slide her sweatpants off. I realized quickly she wasn't wearing panties, she planned this ahead.

I smiled at her, still moaning at her tongue work. "Y-you little minx, you planned on seducing me didn't you?" I asked, my question met with a momentary pause, a nod, and her continuing on. Before I knew it, she had stopped, crawling up my body until she was on top of me again, my cock lined up perfectly with her soaking wet pussy.

"And what if I did? Are you gonna deny your princess?" She asked me seductively, licking her lips and shaking her hip, rubbing her entrance against the tip of my cock causing it to twitch in anticipation.

Shaking my head, I groaned as she slid my member into her, going down all the way onto it before she started to bounce, moving her hips up and down, moaning louder with each thrust of me into her. So this was what they call cowgirl? I can't say I don't like it.

She took control of the situation, raising her hips up and slamming them down onto me faster, the sound of her ass clapping together filling the living room. She eventually reached the end of the line, crying out those fateful words 'I'm coming' as she stopped, her walls tightening around my cock as she released herself, her juices flowing from her pussy and onto my cock.

But we weren't anywhere near done, and it was my turn to take control. I pushed her onto her back, pinning her arms down and sucking on her neck, leaving a few hickeys as she sat there and moaned out for me to continue.

I worked her shirt off, exposing her braless chest. Circling my tongue around a nipple, I took one into my mouth, sucking on it hard and biting it. Reinserting myself into her, she moaned out as I picked up speed quickly, thrusting my cock in and out of her as we worked our way to an orgasm.

It came rather soon, as I remembered to pull out of her, shooting my hot seed onto her stomach and chest, while she squirted out her juices onto my thighs. Thank God I remembered that I forgot to put the condom on. "Here, lemme go get you a towel, Hina-hime. Sorry I forgot the condom." I felt bad for just randomly doing that.

Laughing, she just shook her head. "It's ok Naru-kun, I kind of took control there for a minute." She took her hand, scooping up my cum from her body and licking it off her fingers, giving me a wink. "Now, who said we're done, ne?"

God, I love this woman. Time to dive back in.


SHIKAMARU-POV


November 20th, 1:30 am.

"Yeah lemme get, uh, a number four, extra pickles with a coke, and a number six with a sweet tea." Gotta love pregnant women making you harass the poor fast food workers the night before thanksgiving day. Her and her cheeseburgers with extra pickles. And what is it with pregnant women and their pickles? I swear, from what other parents have said, it's a thing.

I mean, not every girl does it, but it is a vast majority. It's been almost two months since I found out she was pregnant, and two months and a week since she actually got pregnant. Sometimes I wonder why I deal with her and her mood swings, and her random spells of hunger.

But it's in moments like this when I look over and see her sleeping form smiling at me. I know it has to be stressful, even with me here to help her through it all. I smiled, leaning over and kissing her forehead softly while I waited on the cashier to open the window.

Once he did, I handed the money over to him, as he just smiled at me. "Pregnant?" He asked me, as I hesitantly nodded my head. How did he know that much? "Makes sense, my wife used to make me come here all the time and get the same thing, extra pickles, and end up falling asleep when she was pregnant." Ah, well that make sense.

I chuckled softly, running a hand through her hair. "Yea, she's a handful, but definitely worth it." The more I thought about it, I would do this over and over again as long as I got to keep the girl. As I was about to drive forward, I stopped, looking at him. "If I may ask, how does it feel, in the end, when you get to hold your kid?" I don't know what came over me, but I had to ask someone.

The cashier just laughed a bit, leaning on the windowsill. "I'm twenty-five years old and my son was born three years ago, and in that three years nothing has topped the feeling of awe and love that I felt that day. It's like once it finally happens, everything that's happened during the pregnancy is instantly worth it, and you realize how you'd do it again."

He spoke with stars in his eyes, emotion about an event I would, in due time, feel myself personally. "Thank you sir, have a good night." I spoke strongly. The rest of my experience was quiet as the young lady working the front window handed me the food as I drove off.

Thankfully, I had the ten or so minute drive to absorb what I had just heard and mull it over. Which was when I realized a few things. One, the woman next to me in this car is the woman I love and am going to spend the rest of my life with.

Two, the child she is carrying isn't some mistake, nor is it just her child, this is my child as well. The same as I am my father and mothers child, so therefore he or she will receive the same treatment as I received from my parents. It's the least I can do, but I aim to do a lot better. Not that my parents did a bad job at all.

And three, these moments right here are the reason I haven't gone insane and given up on life. My heart felt instantly warm and happy when I saw her, even in her sleep, smile at me. Whether she's dreaming of me or not, I have no clue, but to make her smile like that, a genuine, warm smile, no matter what the situation is, is exactly what I aim to do.

She doesn't deserve to ever feel sad, or to feel unwanted. June Fourth was her due date, and the wedding was set for July the Fourth, a month directly after that. Honestly, her strength to continue through high school no matter the weird looks and judgement she gets impresses me massively.

I need to let her know exactly how I feel and why I feel all of this, and the least I can hope for is that she feels the same way. Shit, why am I even doubting her? I know she loves me just as much, if not more than I do her. I pulled in to my driveway slowly, careful to not wake her.

Her sleeping form didn't move, so I went and opened her door, scooping her into my arms and walking her into my house and up my stairs, into my room. I reached the bed quickly, gently laying her down and heading back down the stairs to retrieve the food.

Once I got back upstairs, she was sitting up against my headboard, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "*yawn* thank you, Shika-kun, you're the best prince I could ask for." She sleepily said as I handed her the bag with her food in it. We ate pretty silently, sharing a few words every so often, but I know she was still tired.

Which was confirmed when she just balled up her trash and shot it into the can easily, setting her drink on the nightstand and curling up in my bed. "Hey, Temari-hime, don't you wanna get a bit more comfy before you lay down?" She was still in her jeans, shoes and dressy shirt from earlier when we visited her family. All I got was a simple nod, knowing I was gonna have to help.

Standing, I helped her slide out of bed and carried her to the restroom. There she had her sleep clothes laid out since earlier, knowing this was gonna happen. I set her down softly, before helping her slide her shoes and jeans off, leaving her teal lacy panties untouched. Next was her baby blue top, which I unbuttoned and removed.

That left her in her underwear. I slipped a finger under her bra strap, undoing it and removing it, letting her breasts hang freely. I grabbed her shirt, which was just an old tee of mine that fit her good, and helped her dress into it, before doing the same with her fluffy, black pajama bottoms.

I picked her up again, setting her back down onto my bed. She covered herself up as I went and lit the candle on my dresser before turning the lights off, throwing my shoes off, quickly changing into a pair of basketball shorts and a tee shirt before crawling into bed, wrapping my arms around my fiancée.

We laid there quietly, neither of us sleeping. I knew she was awake, because her breathing was still a bit heavy and she kept coughing. "Temari, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you, no matter what's going on or whatever you may say to me when your mood swings. Through thick or thin, hell or high water, I love you, princess." I whispered into her ear, kissing the back of her head.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, but I saw a single tear roll down her face. "I love you too, Shika. So much." Her voice quivered a bit as she spoke. "I can't thank you enough for being there for me like this." She turned her head, as we embraced each other and shared a warm, meaningful kiss.

We both fell asleep soon after, resting so that we can tackle whatever life may throw at us.


SASUKE-POV


November 20th, 3:00 am.

Tonight was already a kind of weird night. My mom left way earlier around three pm to hang out with Naruto's mom, and the dobe has been at Hinata's since her dad and sister left for a, what they called, unspecified town. Shikamaru met with Temari's family since she'll be over here in the afternoon for our lunch, heading back to Suna for her families dinner.

So that left just me and Sakura-chan alone for pretty much all day past dinner time. Not that I'm complaining, I love spending time with her, it's just the way my mom and Hinata's dad and sister just left is having me wonder.

Tomorrow we're supposed to be getting together at one at Naruto's for lunch. Me, my mom, Sakura, Naruto, his mom, the fourth, Shika and Temari. Ino and Asuka have their thing with Ino's parents, and Shika's parents might swing by but they'll be busy getting ready to go over to Suna with Shikamaru and Temari that night.

For now, though, it was just me and my pink haired lover, alone, in my house. Normally we'd be having sex non stop, but tonight we wanted to take a step back and enjoy the company of each other, which is not a bad idea in my opinion. We had a chance to chill, watch movies and just talk about how things have changed in the past few months.

Did that mean we weren't going to use this opportunity to have loud, raucous, no holds barred sex? Nah, it just means we weren't going to do only that. I had made a trip to the store to get some new play toys, so tonight was going to be fun.

Right now, it was time to get stoned. We were sitting outside on my back porch, rolling a blunt and getting ready to get sky high. "Ne, what do you reckon the others are up to, 'Suke?" Sakura asked me, licking the paper and folding it over perfectly.

Good question, though. I just shrugged, handing my lighter over to her. "Well, if I had to guess, Naruto and Hinata are capitalizing on an empty house, Shika and Temari are sleeping and Ino and Asuka are, er, I don't know them that well." Yea, but they were probably going downtown, if ya know what I mean.

She nodded in agreement with me. "Yea, knowing that baka Naruto they're doing something right now. Don't let her fool you, though, Hinata has gotten a lot more forward with her requests. And knowing Temari she's either asleep or damn near there." We didn't even know how right we were.

The smell of marijuana burning filled my backyard as we passed it back and forth, getting high and swapping opinions on certain things, and talking about what we both are thankful for in our lives. Her with our friendships and the closing of a big chapter in her life, with her parents demises. And me with the same, and of course we both knew what the final thing was.

"Most importantly, besides my mom, I'm most thankful for you giving me a chance, Sakura-hime." I spoke to her smoothly, as she smiled at me. We leaned into each other, embracing in a kiss that would last for a minute.

Taking a deep breath in afterwards, she sighed and smiled at me. "I'm thankful for you and your mom taking me and, and for you being there for me and being accepting of my situation and conditions, 'Suke-love." We kissed once more, and after that, it was pretty much that greenlight that we were waiting for.

We couldn't wait anymore, as we deepened the kiss, our hands running all over each others bodies, grasping and groping whatever our hands landed on. I quickly scooped her up from her chair, trotting our way to my bedroom, never stopping the kisses from raining down onto her lips.

I threw her down onto the bed, stripping my shirt off and dropping my pants, my erection pressing against my boxers. She followed suit quickly after, going down to just her bra and panties. "Wait here, I'll grab the new stuff." I commanded, as she did as she was told, laying in the bed stationary.

Opening the door to my closet, I found what I was looking for, a duffel bag I stowed the stuff in. I drug it into the room, unzipping it and looking at the contents. "Now, stand and strip." Was my next command. And once more, she did as she was commanded, standing up and dropping her bra and panties, leaving her bare in my room, her pussy leaking juices that were running down her thighs.

Walking up to her, I started my work on her. First up was the leather wrist cuffs, with the matching ankle ones that I attached to her wrists and ankles. Next, nipple clamps, to which she winced a bit since they were a bit stronger strength than the old ones. I grabbed a ball gag, affixing it to her mouth. "Lay, on your back." I ordered her.

Once she had done what she was told, I attached some rope to the ankle and wrist cuffs, then attached said rope to my head and footboards, tying her into place. "Are you ready?" I asked, getting a nod of confirmation. I grabbed a leather riding crop, striking her in vital spots. Her nipples, clit, pussy and stomach were my main targets.

Her moans got louder and louder, at least, as loud as they could get through the gag. She was salivating through the gag, her pussy getting wetter and wetter. "You're not ready for daddy to pleasure you yet, you must first pleasure me." I untied her, forcing her to her knees on the ground. Next, I took the rope from her wrist cuffs, tying one to the headboard and the other to the footboard.

With her arms spread out, I undid the ball gag. "You know what daddy wants, don't you?" I asked her, dropping my boxers and letting my cock spring forward. With a nod, she opened her mouth, allowing me to slide myself into her mouth, thrusting in and out at my own pace.

I had forgotten she had gotten much better at this, moaning at the right times, her moans vibrating against my cock sending a wave of pleasure through my body. Grabbing her hair, I tightened my grip on it, thrusting faster and harder than before as she started to gag on my cock, which was assaulting her throat at a ramming speed and pace.

It wasn't long before I stuffed all of my cock into her mouth, shooting my cum down her throat as she gulped it down. "All clean?" I asked, as she opened her mouth, showing me that she swallowed it all. "Good girl, you're ready for daddy now." I picked her back up, laying her on the bed in the same position as before, on her back and tied down.

Now is when my fun began. I reached into the duffel bag, grabbing a battery powered hitachi wand, and making sure it worked. I turned it on low, rubbing it up and down the length of her pussy, making her moan and her face contort in pleasure. I turned it up, sliding two fingers into her at the same time. "Daddy...please..." I heard her beg, making my cock twitch.

"I can't wait anymore, baby girl, it's time for daddy to fuck his baby girl." I said, cutting her feet loose, kneeling in front of her before quickly ramming my hard, seven inch cock into her pussy, making her cry out in ecstasy. Wasting little time, I started pounding into her, reaching up and pinching her nipples with one hand, choking her with the other hand.

Leaning in, I kissed her roughly, absorbing her moans into my mouth as I fucked her harder than I had ever done before. Neither of us would last long, maybe five minutes at the most, before I pulled out my cock, fingering her to an orgasm as I rubbed myself to another orgasm, shooting my load all over the outside of her pussy.

She leaned her head back, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she let out her last moan. "That...was good, 'Suke-kun." She breathed out, as I just nodded in agreement. But we weren't done here, as I went and grabbed some toys, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

This was gonna be a long night.


INO-POV


November 20th, 2:45 am.

Twas another quiet, drug filled night in the Ino and Asuka chapter of life. Asuka was finally fully integrated into my house, sharing the same bed with me as we sat here and let the drugs fill our system, boosting us into another realm. A realm we seldom saw, but a realm we loved, nonetheless.

Between her parents never even trying to contact her and trying to keep in touch and having to quit selling and moving into a house she didn't know, I'd say she's taking it all in stride and she's taking it very well. The amount of strength she's showing makes me proud to call her my girlfriend and to call her my lover.

My parents have been accepting of this too. Even though I haven't fully come out and said that me and Asuka are a 'thing', I'm sure they know. The way they look at me and her when we're laying on the couch and holding each other is a look of acceptance, and judgement, but still acceptance. I know they're not big on the whole lesbian and gay thing, but I'm happy, and so are they.

But as we lay here, figuratively floating on a cloud, one of the biggest questions lingers in the air. "What are we gonna do when you go to college?" My fiery, red headed lover asked me, and it is indeed a good question. My mom and dad are adamant about me going, but what would Asuka do?

I pulled her warm, almost naked body closer to mine, hugging her tight and kissing the top of her head. "Honestly, I have no idea. You didn't even finish high school, so the chance of you going with me is almost non existent." As much as I would love that, I know that the chances of that happening are under five percent.

She sighed a bit, as a tear rolled down her face. "I just..." she trailed off, rubbing the tears out of her eyes "I just don't want these nights to end. These nights are what keep me alive and they keep me from going back to the old me, and I don't want that." Agreed, but I don't have a choice but to go, or move out on my own and we're not ready.

A sigh escaped my body too, as I thought over the options. The only option I liked was...wait..."I could just go to the community college here, it's only a half hour down the road, no?" I said, as a sensation of happiness filled my bones. Looks like this wasn't just a pipe dream, after all.

Flipping around, Asuka turned to face me, the still present sadness on her face. "You...you'd do that for me?" She asked, a flabbergasted look gracing her face now as I just nodded slowly, smiling at her. "Ino-chan..." was all she got out before her lips crashed down on mine, our near bare bodies pressing into each others as we shared a deep kiss. "T-thank you, so much..." she muttered out, burying her face into the crook of my neck.

Her tears dampened my neck as I ran my hand up and down her back, comforting the crying girl in my arms. It was a surreal moment for me, the girl who was tougher than nails, the girl who aligned with one of the deadliest gangs ever, is now my girlfriend, and is crying onto my skin, a show of weakness.

We stayed in that position for a few more minutes, before her tears seceded, and she looked back up at me, a soft smile on her face. I smiled back, pecking her on the lips gently yet quickly. We did the only thing we knew to do in these moments next, grabbed the bag of drugs and chopped up some more of the light brown goodness.

After we did the last lines for the night, we decided it would be the best idea to get ready for bed. I stood up and walked over to my door, locking it, before turning and going to the curtains, drawing them completely closed, shutting out any light from the outside. I lit the candle on my TV stand, before heading to my dresser.

I hit play on the iPod dock I had, shuffling my music playlist. My skin tingled when I felt Asuka's soft, cold hands run up my spine and to my bra strap, undoing it and letting it fall to the ground, my D cup breasts hanging freely. She sank to her knees next, removing my panties agonizingly slowly.

Turning around, I was graced with the sight of her completely nude body. "We don't have to do anything, Ino-hime" she whispered out quietly "I just wanna lay next to you and feel you body against mine, love." With a soft but long kiss, we headed to bed, throwing the covers over our bodies. I hugged her into me again, her form fitting mine perfectly as we cuddled, the music serenading us in the background.

Hold on, we try to live a dream, we lose the fight again. I take the promise I believe, and keep it close to the end.

"Asuka." I breathed out into her ear, gathering her attention to me. "I promise that no matter what we go through, I'll always be there for you. Because you mean the world to me, love, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. I love you." I ended on a strong note, kissing her cheek.

(Collide.) I'll start a war inside. (Now stop.) Drop and cover me, my sense of peace is burning. Shutting down, I'm falling down. (I can't believe it's happening to me.)

Her breath hitched a bit when I muttered those three special words to her, and I could tell she had a lump in her throat, especially when it was her turn to speak to me. "Ino." She semi-mimicked me, pausing for a second. "I would be the happiest girl in the world if you did that, and I would love to make the same promise to you, love. I love you too." No matter how many times I hear her say it, my heart still skips a beat.

Can I give it all away, just to get back to that better place, that better place, today. And I give everything away, just to get back to that better place, that better place today.

Once more, we kissed, as she turned her body around to hug me, deepening the kiss. When our legs intertwined, my pussy started rubbing against her leg, and vice versa, as we both made a slight humping movement, moaning into each others mouths.

Holding on, I suffer like a fiend. And try to face the day. I gotta say I'm a little relieved, to see you stay till the end.

I gotta thank god for having a bedroom far away from my mom and dad, and having the music there too, cuz I didn't quite want them to hear their daughter moaning as her and her girlfriend tried to rub themselves to an orgasm. That would be fun to explain.

(I try.) I took the war inside. (Then I.) And pushed it out of me. My sense of peace is burning, open now, I'm not falling out. (I can't believe it's happening to me.)

Our moans and movements continued as we made out with each other, before soon enough, we locked lips in a deep, long and passionate kiss, as we reached our climax, our orgasms rocking our bodies for a moment.

Can I give it all away, just to get back to that better place, that better place today. And I give everything away, just to get back to that better place, that better place today.

We didn't even move from that position, our bodies so exhausted from the sex and drugs that we drifted off into sleep almost instantly after that release. Still, one thing remained on out minds.

"I love you, Ino-hime."

"I love you too, 'Suka-hime."

And now, it all remains the same, till I get back to that better place, today.


KUSHINA-POV


November 20th, 3:15 am.

I couldn't believe the way things were turning out since the day I went to the hospital. I thought for sure that hell on earth was coming for me, like the devil had arose from his throne on hell and came to make me pay for my sins against my family and friends, most importantly my own son and my former lover/fiancée.

Speaking of ole Minato-kun, he's trying so hard to recapture what we once had, and I don't have the guts to tell him I'm not feeling it one hundred percent. Earlier today he brought me flowers, some pretty yellow roses, just because he was thinking of me and wanted to bring me something.

That's when he told me he was planning on dropping in during our thanksgiving lunch. Once again, I didn't have the guts to tell him that I thought it would be a bit awkward for him to show up, then we'd have to explain to everyone the truth, and I don't think I can face them right now. Guess I'll have to suck it up and figure it out.

But I couldn't help but feel good that neither of them were mad at me, at least not outwardly. Right now, my best friend and occasional lesbian lover is asleep and I am, once again, sitting in the garage and getting higher than a kite on a sunny, windy day while listening to some of my old school jams. It helped calm my nerves and prepare me for what I was about to handle.

Holy diver, you've been down too long in the midnight sea, oh what's becoming of me?

God I loved Dio, nothing better than sitting here, bobbing my head along to some good tunes and blazing. I'm convinced there's a lot of people in Konoha that are secretly stoners and are just waiting for the shit to become legal. Except the reasons I do it are more medical than others.

Ride the tiger, you can see his stripes but you know he's clean, oh don't you see what I see?

The doctor even said if the shit was legal, it's be the best thing for me, but it's not. But I digress. I had a turkey in the oven, pies cooked, sides are gonna be cooked when Naruto and Hinata get here to help me at ten, if they're not getting stoned and having sex.

They think me and Hiashi are stupid, but we're not, we know exactly what they're doing. Hiashi leaving with Hanabi was random, but if my suspicions are right then there's a really good reason he's doing what he's doing. If my son is smart he'll have her clothed fully and in bed by six am when they're gonna be back. Make it five just to be sure, though, Hiashi is a scary man when the need arises.

Hinata and Naruto are perfect for each other, he'll break her out of her little shell and she'll break him of his more brute and manly habits and turn him into a loving, caring man just like his father. Ow, yeah, that hurt a bit. They remind me of, well, me and Minato just a little bit too much.

I fucked up. It sucks, yeah, but I know I fucked up, and I just don't know how imma fix it. "You know, you should really lock your doors at night, Kushina-hime, you never know who would wanna hurt you." I jumped at the voice of the intruder, dropping the blunt in the ashtray.

"Damn it, Minato, you know how I scare easily!" I yelled at the man behind me, no doubts about who it was that was talking to me. And surely enough the blonde haired man strutted over to the table I had set up and took a seat, his brightly shining smile damn near blinding me. "And put that thing away, it's three in the morning and I don't wanna be blinded."

He just laughed, smiling even wider. That smile of his should be classified as a weapon of war. "If you insist, princess." Ugh, please don't start, I'm not ready for the whole pet name thing. "So, what're you doing up this early, besides getting high, of course." Duh, genius, I'm just getting high and worrying about you.

But I just smiled, waving the blunt around. "What does it look like, Copernicus, I'm getting high and planning out the day. Your son should be here with his girlfriend to help me prepare at nine, but you know how kids can be." I think he understood at least that much.

And then, like he's been doing, he inserted himself into stuff without really asking or thinking. "Well, I'll come by then, it's the least I can do." I don't know why he's acting like it isn't even my fault, like he did everything wrong, but it's getting on my nerves, and I've had enough.

Cue random Kushina rant, here. "Look, Minato, I understand you're trying to fix things between me, you and Naruto, but sometimes you have to just lay off a bit!" I felt bad for yelling, but it needed to be done. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm having a hard time feeling the same way that you feel, I'm fucked in the head right now, so please just back off!" I took a deep breath, finishing my rant.

Yet he still sat there with his little grin, annoying me even more. He cut me off before I could go off again, though. "Kushina, do you know why I'm doing what I'm doing? With me, and you, and Naruto?" To torment me and cause me hell for leaving you?

All I could do was shake my head. "No, Minato, I have no idea, would you please enlighten me." Okay, the sarcasm wasn't needed, but I used it, whatcha gonna do about it? Hate me? Leave me like I left you years ago?

What he said next, I wasn't prepared for. "Sure, it's simple. I know you still love me, I can see it in your eyes, and I refuse to let whatever is ailing you mentally to take you away from me, again." The conviction in his voice when he spoke was unbelievable. "So no matter what, I'm going to fight to gain back what we both lost, our love and our family."

I looked at his stern, stone cold serious face in shock and disbelief. I do still love him? I...I do...but...how can he still love me after all these years, I've got an overworked mom body and too much mental baggage, so..."How? How can you still love me after all I did?"

Once again, his answer rocked me to my core. "Because, Kushi-hime, no matter what you did, I'd be stupid to let such a beautiful woman like you slip through my grasp again." He stood up, walking over to me and looked me in the eye, before slowly planting a soft kiss on my lips. "And you still taste the same. See you at ten." He left after that, leaving me in shock.

His lips felt the same, after all these years. His words still hit me the same way they did when we first met. And his kiss still made me feel like I was floating in air, not a care in the world, no worries to drag me down from the cloud I was oh so comfortably perched in.

In this moment, and just this moment, everything became clearer and clearer. One, I need to get some sleep after turning the turkey onto low. And two, that he was right, not that I'm surprised. He has a penchant for being right in these situations.

Walking into the kitchen, I see he already turned the turkey on low. "Fucking bastard couldn't even leave me that." I cursed under my breath. Oh well, I walked upstairs and climbed into my bed next to my best friend, who just stirred slightly, before falling back asleep quickly.

As I drifted off into the land of sleep, those three special words drifted with me, swirling around my head. I had to say them, just so I know I can.

"Minato...I love you."

And with that, my eyes shut.


November 20th, 9:00 am.

"Do you think she's dead?"

"Baka, she's just asleep and tired, no doubt stressed."

"Aye, alright, got it, no reason for hostility."

"Well, if someone didn't keep me up till almost six in the morning-"

"Hey now, it was your idea in the beginning, Hina."

"Oh...true."

Okay, I can't listen to them bicker anymore, especially not about their...sexual activities. "Okay, you guys can quit arguing, I'm up!" I semi-yelled at the couple standing over me in my bed. Their eyes shot over to me, before they both started laughing softly.

Naruto, my adorable little shit of a son, was the first one to speak. "We knew you were up, we were just seeing how long it would be until you said something." He continued laughing alongside the dark haired girl next to him. "Unsurprisingly, it wasn't that long."

Well of course not, genius, you were sitting there hinting at your night life, something I don't wanna hear about, ever. "Yeah, I figured it wouldn't take long, Ms. Kushina, but don't we have some stuff to prepare?" Honey, you're in my good graces, don't screw it up. Oh yea, we've gotta cook!

I shot up out of bed, running to my bathroom franticly. "Shit, I almost forgot what time it is! You two, go start cleaning off the back porch while I shower!" I commanded, as I continued on my way to the bathroom, almost forgetting my clothes. The two kids dispersed when I started grabbing my clothes, specifically my undergarments. Seriously, it's just underwear, guys.

It wasn't long before I was in the shower, quickly washing my hair and body, finishing in an astonishingly short twenty minutes, a feat unheard of for me, just ask Naruto. I started to get dressed, throwing on my black bra and panties. Next was my tight, dark wash blue jeans and a Simple Plan tee shirt, for now.

My family was never big on dressing up real fancy for thanksgiving. But at least Naruto was wearing nice jeans and a long sleeved button up red and black flannel shirt. Now Hinata, as usual, was a stunning beauty in her jeans and nice, black furry jacket. It was quite the bitter cold day.

Naturally I found that out when I came walking outside to the back porch, the cold air punching me in the face and instantly making my, er, nipples hard. Thankfully I realized this and ran back to my room, grabbing a jacket and throwing it on. Why were we cleaning the back porch? Well, it was supposed to warm up by one, so we could hang out outside and drink our coffee.

Being old comes with it's things. I ran back outside, seeing that they already pretty much had it done. "Wow, I wasn't expecting you guys to work this quick." I muttered under my breath while inspecting the work they had done.

They just smiled at me, waving to me. "Hey ma, feeling a little nippily today?" Huh? But my nipples aren't even visible...oh you little shit. "I wasn't expecting you to look, ma." My son managed to laugh out. Today was not going to be my morning.

But then I remembered, they're here to help me, and by help I mean be my little slaves. "Oh, Naruto, we've just started the day." I said in a sickeningly sweet voice, wearing a evil grin to match as he gulped in fear. "Yep, we're just getting started."

Time to start the torture. Maybe I'll go easy on Hinata. Maybe...


12:30 pm.

And torture I did. We had everything set up in the kitchen, and the dining room was just finished being set as I looked over everything I had out. The turkey, stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, broccoli cheese and rice casserole, green bean casserole, deviled eggs and the cranberry sauce.

As for dessert it was kinda simple, pumpkin pie, apple pie, carrot cake, sugar cookies and a cheesecake. Did we have enough food? I'd say we had enough to feed an army and then send some home to their wives. But everything was set as the guests started rolling in, surprisingly first was Shikamaru with Temari.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Kushina, how're you doing?" The aforementioned pineapple haired boy asked me, removing his jacket and Temari's as he set them on the coat rack gently. I didn't think he had this in him, but it's a good thing.

I politely answered him, as they went and met up with Naruto. Sasuke, Sakura and Mikoto were next, the latter having left my house at eight to go take care of things at here house before coming back to mine. They got the same, generic greeting as the group before them. The only person we were missing was the man of the hour, little ole Minato Namikaze.

He walked in a few minutes after everyone else and, to my surprise, no one batted an eye. I'm assuming Naruto already told this little core group of his friends, but failed to tell me that he did that. I swear if I could put him over my knee I would beat that kids-"Hey Kushi-hime, how are you doing this afternoon?" What was I talking about again?

Admittedly, I forgot the second I laid eyes on the blonder haired Hokage in front of me. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks, a dark orange long sleeved dress shirt and his black dress shoes. It was pretty much like..."The first time we went and met my parents...you were dressed in this..." I managed to mutter out.

"Oi, you ok? You haven't gone full crazy on us yet, have you?" Once he asked the question, I snapped out of my ruse, apologizing and giving him the same, boring 'I'm doing good, thanks for asking' shtick.

Surprisingly, the dinner went smoothly, as everyone conversed with each other normally, even with Minato. I mean, he is the fucking Hokage, after all. It was two thirty when everyone had finished up eating and gathering whatever leftovers they requested before the all filed out, one by one, minus Naruto, Hinata and Minato. Of course, now that we were alone, it was time to wind down.

We moved out to the back porch, sipping on some coffee and just enjoying the decently cool weather. Naruto and his father were engaged in a conversation about tobacco of all things, while me and Hinata looked on. "Helluva thing, ain't it, Ms. Kushina?" The soft voice she had broke my thoughts.

I looked at her questioningly, before I understood what she meant. "It really is, here I am, having a hard time moving on and coming to terms with this and they're over there bonding like good friends that served in the army together for years." It was an interesting analogy, but spot on.

"You wanna know what I think?" Once again, I glanced over at her questioningly before nodding slowly, intrigued. "I think maybe, just maybe, a part of you just doesn't want to change, you were comfortable with just you and Naruto, despite all the stress, and now with him reemerging, you have more stress and something to get used to, whereas before you had already found your system of dealing with it."

Her words ringed through my head. Could this girl, not even eighteen, be right about me, a forty year old woman? I must have sat there staring off into space for a while, cuz by the time I realized she was right, both Naruto and Minato were inside making more coffee and Hinata was just staring forward, much like me.

Turning and looking at her, she noticed my gaze and faced me as well. "Hinata, thank you, I think you've cracked the code on my craziness." I said, with a little laugh on the side, which she answered by laughing a bit as well.

"Well, I wouldn't call it craziness, per se, just a bit of mental dispute." Mental dispute, with myself, got it. So how do I solve this internal, infernal mental dispute? Hmm, this might take a minute to think about. "How about a vacation? I hear the land of Tea is pretty nice this time of year, nowhere near as cold too."

A vacation sounds good. "Well, would you come with us too? It can be a good stepping stone for all of our relationships." I'm sure ole Hiashi wouldn't care, but it's have to be sometime around Christmas break, that's for sure.

She nodded, smiling at me softly. "I'm sure Naruto would love that, and I'd love to see the land of Tea, I've heard too many good things about it and the people there." This is true, it is known to have very hospitable, respectable people.

Just then, Naruto and Minato came rushing out of the house, calling us in to see what was on the TV. They had turned it on for the incoming football game, but it was cut, due to what had just happened. We took our seats, as the newscasters went on and on about what happened, as we stared in shock. Why today? Of all days, why would this happen today?

"An attack occurred today on the bridge over the great river Jin causing the deaths of thirty people with hundreds injured. There's no motive or attackers identified yet, and the local authorities are doing everything they can to find the person or people responsible for the attack on this thanksgiving day."

Minato just stared at the TV, knowing that this meant he had to go, departing after a few quick goodbye hugs to each of us. "I didn't think this would happen, what does this even mean? I hope it's not another war." Naruto trailed off, sitting in a thinking position.

I honestly don't know, Naruto, but I hope it isn't another war either.

Only time will tell.


MINATO-POV


November 25th, 4:00 pm.

I ran into my office quickly, as Shikaku and the head of the military followed in suit. Their words were jumbled as I tried to clear my thoughts. Calls for action, calls for non action filled the room before I slammed my hands down on the table.

"Oi! Shut up!" I yelled, rubbing my temples in annoyance. "I know we need to take action, but we're not gonna find the right answer sitting here yelling and jumbling ideas together, so sit down!" They just stared forward at me, before doing as I said. "Thank you, now, what are we looking at, Junto?"

The man, Junto, looked at me, clearing his throat. "Sir, two perpetrators were spotted driving two cars, one each on the south and northbound sides of the bridge, before parking them directly in the middle and bailing over the sides, making the twenty foot fall into the river below. Shortly after, the cars blew up, taking out the supports on the bridge, causing a partial collapse on the bridge."

"Damn!" I pounded a single hand on my desk/table again. "Do we have the Navy out on their boats searching the river for these bastards?" I received a nod from Junto, sighing in relief for that. "What do you think, Shikaku?"

He looked at me, forming his opinion before speaking. "In my opinion, mobilizing more than just the Navy will scare them into deeper hiding. I suggest calling in the Konoha special forces, they would know how to take care of this situation in a quicker and more efficient manner."

K5K? "You're referring to the K5K of course?" Once more, I got a nod. "Do you second this movement, Junto?" He nodded as well, as I sighed deeply. "Mobilize them, now, get this situation cleared up, now! Find the terrorist bastards and clean this situation up!"

With nods and a chorus of two 'yes sirs', they moved out, leaving me in my thoughts. Why couldn't I just have a nice, peaceful thanksgiving with my family? Of course, something had to go and happen.

I can't be selfish, though, thirty people and surely a few more to follow have lost their lives in this cowardly attack. I need to prepare my speech, these people need to hear me talk and address the situation. But what am I going to say to thousands of people who are worried sick?

Such is the job of Hokage.


5:00 pm.

I walked into the press conference room, a few flash cards stowed in my shirt pocket. All eyes were on me when I stepped onto that podium, clearing my voice and motioning for the hundred or so people in attendance to quiet down.

"Citizens of Konoha." I started sternly, drawing the attention to me fully. "Today, at approximately three thirty-five in the afternoon, two accomplices took part in a terroristic attack on the bridge crossing the river Jin. From what I've been informed, we do not know yet what their motive was, or if anyone else was involved in it, but we are doing everything we can to take care of the situation and apprehend the perpetrators."

Questions flooded the room, but one stuck out to me. "What do we do now? Well, sir, what we can do is stay sharp and vigilant, for answers will soon be doled out, alongside punishment against those who have attacked this great nation. I will keep everyone updated when we find out more information. Thank you."

I rushed out of the room, flocked by security. I hope we find answers soon, at least.


KINJO-POV


November 25th, 10:00 pm.

"Fucking hell, Nato! I told you it wasn't a good idea to do this! We should've just waited like you originally said!" I yelled at the cowering man before me. It was solid plan, yes, but we weren't counting on the damn K5K getting involved.

They tracked us down and forced us into hiding in a cave in a mountain of the side of the river, about two miles down. It was supposed to be just another message to the Konoha government, but it ended terribly. Someone saw us bail, and now, well, it looks like we're fucked.

It's just me, him, and our handguns versus a group of twenty or so specially trained individuals armed to the teeth and trained to kill people just like us. "Kinjo, I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to go like this! I was sure of my planning!"

I turned to the young man to my left, backhanding him and knocking him to the ground. "Fool! When dealing with one of the biggest superpowers, you have to more than sure, you have to be damn sure! Now it looks as if we've reached the end of the line, all our hard work and planning, ruined because you had to assure me this plan was with out a doubt foolproof!"

And I wasn't wrong, knowing the K5K, they'd be at the mouth of this cave in fifteen minutes, ready to capture and/or kill us. "I'm sorry, sir, but what are we gonna do now? We surely can't let them capture us!" Good point.

Grabbing my little nine mill. that was holstered to my side, I tapped my head with it. "We can always send one last message, no?" Nato looked at me, questioningly at first, before he got what I was trying to say.

So we got to planning, setting up our positions and preparing for our last hoorah. It happened right on time, as fifteen minutes passed and the group of soldiers flooded the cave. I caught sight of one of them, aiming my pistol and firing, hitting him in the shoulder as he fell.

I cursed myself for missing his head, knowing his armor prevented me from doing any damage. Bullets started flying our way as we ducked and ran, hitting the same dead end of the cave we were stuck at in the first place. With a gaze over to Nato, he looked at me. "Farewell, friend, it was a good try. I'll see you in the afterlife." He said

With a quick nod to him, we shook hands and shared a hug. The soldiers saw us, and raised their weapons, ordering us to drop our weapons. Instead, we raised them to our heads, turning and smiling at the armed men in front of us. "Remember this day, Konoha! The Shadow will never die!" I yelled, hearing Nato squeeze his trigger, blasting a bullet into his skull and killing him.

Smiling, I followed suit, pulling the trigger and allowing death to take me.

And as such, a shadow has been killed.


INO-POV


November 25th, 11:00 pm.

We gathered at Naruto's house to await any news of what's been happening. Shikamaru and Temari were with us as well, postponing driving to Suna since they didn't know what was going on either, and the bridge that was attacked was the bridge they usually took to get to the sandy desert village.

Fifteen minutes ago, we received the news that the two attackers were taken down, and the Hokage was on his way back over here to spend the rest of what time he has with Naruto and Ms. Kushina.

It was everyone's cue to head home, including me and Asuka. I'm sure my mom and dad are worried sick about us, but it's not like we had anything better to do just sitting at the house with my mom and dad. Of course, it's their job to be worried about us.

The drive was a quiet one, as we tried to make small talk, but failing. I don't know why, but there was a sense of gloom over us two. Ever since the attack, it's like we knew something was wrong, we just couldn't quite put our fingers on it.

Once we reached our house, I parked the car in the driveway, throwing it into park and just sitting there, the car still on. Eventually I turned the car off, heading inside with my red headed lover. We tried our best to dodge the questions of my parents, assuring them we were okay and we didn't mean to take off like that. We truly didn't, but I couldn't stand to just sit there.

Me and her almost literally dove into bed, of course after locking the door and getting undressed. An hour or so passed, before our near slumber was interrupted, a phone call coming in from a number unfamiliar to us.

The caller? Konoha hospital. The reason?

"I-Ino..." Asuka stuttered out, a tear welling up in her eye.

"Yea, hun?" I asked, wiping the tear from her eye and smiling.

"My parents are dead." The monotonous voice she said it in, so cold and harsh, almost broke me apart. "They were on the bridge when it blew."

Shit. Can we ever get a break?

I guess not.


A/N: This is the last chapter before the vacation, so there will be another catch up chapter next week including the vacation with Naruto, Hinata, Kushina and Minato. So stay tuned for the introduction of the Land of Tea (if you couldn't tell, it's gonna be a Naruto version of Texas). Let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews, and favorite/follow. Ja ne!