Disclaimer: Nope don't own Naruto, and I never will. I'm only saying this because I'm at gunpoint. I do own Naruto…I mean I don't!
Story: Naruto is outgoing, outspoken, and oblivious. His female counterpart is the same, only she's engaged, in love with a jounin, and the Hokage loves to dress her up. And she can use mokuton jutsu.
Set as an AU.
Spoilers: Eh, not really.
Warnings: ?
Pairings: KakaNaru, NaruOthers
Yare, Yare! Naruko Gaiden
Chapter Nineteen: Love So Life
There, shocked and in various stages of disbelief, stood the very group she had run away from. There was dazed and hurt Kakashi, who she guiltily looked away from. And there was gaping Jiraiya, taken aback Tsunade, curious and questioning Shizune…and her two Hokage companions, both faces stoic, though their eyes were intensely watchful.
"Um…hey," she muttered, because she didn't know what else to say.
She nervously searched out Nagi's hand, though she didn't face him, and she was relieved that he took hers without question, squeezing in comfort.
"We should take this elsewhere," Nagi, thank goodness for him, calmly suggested.
He quickly paid the discounted price for the guitar to the cheerful merchant, who wished them luck and went to tend to other customers. And then the mixed group was heading to the inn, where they led the others to their room. Inside it, she puttered around the room and put on the kettle for tea, trying to avoid facing the group. Instead, Nagi quietly faced them, all of them sitting down and waiting.
"I think perhaps Naruko should explain her side first, before you ask questions and bombard her with them," Nagi told them, and they all couldn't help frequently glancing at his blindfold.
He knew, but he didn't say anything.
Naruko didn't know whether to pout at him or to continue to be grateful that he was setting the pace and helping her structure the talk, as well as getting her the time to speak first and have a chance to explain.
So she went ahead and spoke, speaking honestly about what she was thinking and that she just panicked and ran away, and that she wouldn't blame them if they hated or feared her.
'Course, she hadn't expected for Tsunade to scarily pick up the table and threaten to throw it at her.
"Baka gaki!" her fellow blonde yelled, table held high above her head. The others freaked out and were attempting to calm and persuade Tsunade to put down the table, but she wasn't listening. "How could you think such stupid things! You silly girl. You are incredibly important to all of us, and nothing like a mistake like that would ever make us hate you."
"I highly doubt you can do anything that would make anyone hate you," Shizune added.
"You could even get away with murder, I bet," Jiraiya chortled, and had to duck to avoid the table being swung at his head.
After that, Tsunade finally, though reluctantly, put down the table to its correct place, but she continued to glare at Naruko.
"Seriously, brat, I can't believe you ran off like that, and actually thought we would hate and be angry at you."
Naruko smiled sheepishly, though hesitantly. Still, she sought out Nagi's hand again, in reassurance, which caught everyone's eyes.
Kakashi clenched his jaw, staring at the held hands for a moment before forcing himself to look at Naruko and the Kazekage's faces. Tsunade also lifted her eyes from the held hands, licking her lips anxiously.
"Um…about you two," she started tentatively. "How about we get an explanation on how that happened? Please?"
"It would help if maybe we start from Naruko's side," Jiraiya inserted himself, unusually looking serious. "And then we can start with Nagi, and from how you're still alive and ended up in this place. However the hell you two, of all people, managed to luck out and meet each other in the first place, and then up together, if your positions mean anything."
Naruko scrunched up her nose, but Nagi's warm and firm hand was still holding hers, so she started on how she'd ran until she made it to this village and then her meeting with Nagi in this inn. She told about how they ended up sharing a room, and the things that happened since then, including Kabuto's reappearance and Sasori's introduction to her, though she skimmed over some parts (not wanting them to know too much details about her and Nagi –it'd be embarrassing to talk about some of the stuff that happened in their first meeting, Nagi's continuous teasing, and the other affections since then…).
After that, Nagi continued without any prompting, speaking about how he'd survived his attempted assassination. And that eventually, he'd been found and healed by some travelers, who brought him to a medic-nin, who further healed him as best as they could. Then eventually he'd gone here, and had stayed at the inn by himself for awhile, until Naruko's reentrance into his life. Then he spoke candidly about his feelings for her, and even went back to how it'd started at their first actual meeting, his thoughts in the desert when he was dying, and all the times through the inn until he managed to eventually get together with her certainly.
The others stared at him in shock and surprise, while Naruko's face burned a bright red.
She was also inwardly pleased that he wasn't afraid to talk about his feelings for her or admit he was with her in the first place.
For that, she couldn't help smiling widely as well.
She missed the concerned looks and somewhat irritated gazes on the Shodai and Nidaime's faces, as well as the stoic look in Kakashi's lone eye, but Nagi's continued presence beside her and held hand kept her happy and grounded.
"Well…that's been unexpected," Jiraiya blinked, but shrugged. "Ah well. It's all good, I suppose. Kakashi sent back a kage bunshin to Konoha, to inform them we'll be late and of our success in retrieving Tsunade, so we should be heading back pretty soon. I guess we'll be taking the Kazekage with us then?"
"I'd like to stay dead please," Nagi said suddenly, and he was stared at again. "I'm content to be assumed dead, and to be able to continue staying by Naruko's side. I'd…like to not have to face the pressures of the office and the village again."
Tsunade snorted. "I say it fuck it. You served them long enough, and did a helluva lot. Why the hell should you have to be forced back, if you don't want to? Damn, just go ahead and mix it up with Konoha, and move in with Naruko."
Nagi's lips twitched upwards and Naruko was just beaming in happiness and excitement. She got to keep Nagi and he could potentially move in with her. It wouldn't be so lonely around anymore, and he would be with her still.
"I can take a look at your eyes before we leave though," Tsunade said, making both Nagi and Naruko excited and anxious. "I'm confident I can do something about it, though it may take awhile for you to see completely again. And we'll have to stay here a bit, in order for you to have your eyes healed enough to be fit for travel."
"Yatta! Tsunade-baachan is the best!" Naruko cheered, though she didn't duck away in time for Tsunade to grab her head and roughly dig in her knuckles into it in retribution for the name. "Itai, itai, itai!"
"Gaki," she huffed. "Alright, come on, Nagi. Let's take a look at your eyes," she dragged the man away, to the other side of the room for some peace and quiet. Shizune joined them, ready to help and be in attention for when she was called on.
Jiraiya looked at the others who were left, and shook his head. He didn't want any part of this confrontation. Huffing quietly to himself, he announced that he was going to check out the area, as well as scout for any news that may be interesting or could be of important note to them. He also wanted to see if he could get anything about Sasori, especially considering since the Puppet Master was supposedly part of the S-class missing-nin organization of Akatsuki and had an unhealthy interest in Naruko.
"I can't believe you," Kakashi immediately started, once Jiraiya was gone, with his tone short.
Naruko was taken aback, looking at him unsurely.
"N-nani? What's wrong –"
"What's wrong is that you didn't trust in us –in me –enough to know we would never think that way about you. Ever. Even if you went crazy or went off and decided to be a missing-nin, I wouldn't feel that way. You are very important and cared for. Don't ever underestimate that," a sliver of hurt escaped into his tone, and Naruko flinched, starting to feel bad about it all over again. "I'm your sensei, and I'm also someone who cares a lot for you, Naruko. Don't ever forget that please, okay?"
And he reached over and grabbed her hands, grasping them tightly before letting go quickly. Naruko gave him a small smile and nodded, apologizing with her eyes and hoping he wouldn't be upset anymore.
However, though she didn't know, he was still upset and hurt about this new development about her solid and happy relationship with the Kazekage, and intensely jealous.
He kept it to himself though, even when the two formerly dead Hokage gently took Naruko and led her away to a corner, intent on having their own talks with her. He was a little confused and wondering about what those two needed to say to her personally, and especially to have her taken away for a private talk, but shrugged to himself. He wouldn't be able to know, and it didn't seem like they were going to share.
It wasn't long until they were all together again, and it was dinnertime. Dinner kaiseki came, and Masahiko blinked at the sudden multiplication of people in the room. Her eyes widened as she realized that this was most probably the family, and that they must've caught up. She hoped things went well, and that Naruko and Nagi were able to weather this and stay together…
She delivered the food and left in a hurry, trying to rush to spread the new development to the others quickly.
Naruko sweatdropped, having a guess at what was going through the woman's mind and what she must've been thinking about the situation she witnessed.
Dinner was kind of awkward, being that they weren't sure how to act with the Kazekage there, and that it was odd to see Naruko and Nagi close and acting warmly to each other. And there was Kakashi and the two Hokage acting weirdly for some reason, in response.
It was really, really odd.
More so when they all had to fit in the room together, so they could sleep the night. They would probably have to get another room, for the next few days they might have to stay in town, in order to have time for Nagi's eyes to heal properly…
They all had to find a spot on the floor, and Nagi and Naruko continued to share their futon, though it was much harder to fall asleep that night, considering there was an odd tension in the air that had never been there previously. Nagi just held onto her tighter and focused on her smell, breathing in deeply and relaxing instantly as he forgot all else. She, in turn, snuggled up to his chest and fell asleep without much prompting, once they ignored whatever it was causing the tension.
The next morning had Jiraiya going out and looking to acquire a new room, Kakashi stomping out, and the two Hokage were keeping silent vigil in the room. Tsunade had Nagi laying back and was focusing on healing his eyes, having told him that there had been minute traces of a type of poison having seeped in, an airborne type (and hard to detect) that must've been expelled in the quick ambush Orochimaru had set up against his double and Anbu guards. It wasn't enough to be deadly, but still an adequate enough amount to collect around the area of his eyes and cause damage that would affect his eyesight. Good news was that it hadn't been there for long, and it was still early enough for her to reverse the effects and remove all traces of the poison completely.
Shizune sat close by, and was a quick study in being ready for anything, as well as observing her teacher and learning about the process. Naruko was also there, holding onto Nagi's hand as Tsunade worked, trying to give reassurance and comfort to him. The burning in his eyes increased, the longer the procedure went on, and he hissed at the pain that built up in intensity.
Naruko looked worriedly at him and squeezed. She hesitated, glancing up at both women and the Hokage behind her, before biting her lip and making the decision to lift his hand and brush her lips tenderly against his knuckles. Though she hadn't been sure of showing him such obvious affection in front of the others, she soon forgot about that as she focused on him and his increasing attempts to not show his pain, even though it was obvious in his face and body.
She hummed a comforting tune and caressed his hand as she held it gently, landing soft kisses on it every once in awhile. She missed the awed and astonished looks from both women, just doing her best to comfort the red head from the pain.
In fact, Tsunade managed to finish quickly as she continued to watch her little gaki be so in tune and affectionate with someone, especially considering whom that someone was. She and Shizune moved back, and Naruko really hadn't noticed as she leaned over Nagi and softly cupped his face in her hands.
"All better?" she murmured.
"All better," he gave her a small and wry grin, though he winced and was still breathing heavily.
She shifted until she was sitting just above his head, placing her forehead against his.
"I'm worried," he mumbled.
"About what?" she frowned lightly.
"…About what's going to happen now," he admitted. "I'm scared. I've been scared since the others showed up. That…that things will change, and you'll be gone. You'll leave me behind and you'll stop caring."
Naruko's face crumbled and her heart hurt. It sounded just like the Nagi from her dream and who had such similar worries, and she just wanted nothing more than to be able to reassure him that that would never happen. Ever.
She moved her forehead from his and shifted her face lower, kissing him upside down sweetly. And then she nuzzled their noses together, before lovingly rubbing her cheek against his. She shifted his head to the side and then she lay down, with their heads facing each other and their bodies in opposite directions. Her fingertips lightly brushed against his eyelids, encouraging them to open, and he tentatively did so, blinking blearily.
"Everything's still a little blurry…but I'm really happy that you are the first thing I got to see," he gave a wide, trembling smile that she inhaled sharply.
She leaned in and kissed him. "I would never leave you," she promised sincerely. "I need you so much closer."
They leaned in towards each other and placed their foreheads together again, eyes fluttering close as their hands drifted down and clasped together tightly.
The others in the room tried to make themselves smaller and ignore the feeling of intruding on something private and intimate.
Jiraiya sighed to himself, running a hand through his thick wild mane. What a mess. A foreign kage practically abdicating and playing Romeo to Naruko's Juliet, which will eventually crash into the CRA plans already in place back home. Never mind Kakashi's despondent and hurting fool of a self –he hadn't missed the jounin sensei walking in on that scene and reeling back in pain, retreating after he'd stopped being ensnared by the tenderness and the couple had gone into a peaceful, light slumber together.
Don't even get him started on the trouble in that town. He'd gone around and heard the rumors Naruko and Nagi had fanned about themselves. Runaway forbidden love…he snorted, shaking his head. It had spread all over and everyone was in a tizzy and championing mood about the two, and suddenly Jiraiya and the others were the enemy and earning glares and wary glances from the locals. It was enough to make him let loose a couple of hysterical laughs.
And when he'd said the truth, the crazed town was still in love with the couple, continuing to still see them as star-crossed.
He had to admit, that two very different people, from different backgrounds and having no reason to ever cross paths, to meet again…it seemed the type of fated thing that people would talk about. And for them to have only one, seemingly insignificant, and so very brief a meeting before…
Why did it seem like the Powers That Be were all mocking them?
Nevertheless, he waited until the room was all but empty, minus the Kazekage. He approached the still semi-blind man, who was recovering and couldn't leave the room just yet. His eyes were still healing, and then he would have to wait for them to adjust after that.
"Nagi," he called out, and then took a seat beside the man.
"Jiraiya," he greeted stoically.
"I'm going to only be saying this once, so please listen carefully," Jiraiya's voice took on a very serious and warning tone. "I am not altogether happy or alright with you and Naruko together. I may act differently, but I do care very much and seriously concern myself with Naruko. She is my goddaughter. I will not tolerate her getting hurt or all this foolishness of yourself or any of the others with her, especially concerning events back in Konoha."
Nagi opened his mouth to inquire about it, but Jiraiya held up a hand.
"I will explain about that later, but for now I want to talk about this thing with you and Naruko. I suppose, after everything back home, this newfound relationship is the last straw and what's tipped the scale for me. So I am warning you right now, Nagi. Kazekage or not, even former, I will destroy you if you hurt her in anyway. Do you understand me?"
Nagi's face was unrevealing, but he nodded surely, which relieved Jiraiya just a bit because it meant the man was certain and wasn't hesitant about how he felt about Naruko at the least.
"Now that I have sufficiently warned you properly as a godfather should, I would at least want to ask that, as a person who sincerely cares for Naruko –as I can clearly see and you are not playing around –that you would work a bit with Kakashi in that regard, as someone who also cares greatly for her. You, who feels for her honestly and deeply, could understand him, who feels the same as you but has to suffer seeing her happy with someone else.
"I say this, as the events I talk about back in Konoha, would require great support and comfort to Naruko in the coming times. She cares and confides in you already and so much, so it would be on you to understand and be a strong support, despite how you will feel about certain things."
"What…what events are you talking about?" Nagi asked, feeling more than wary now.
Jiraiya sighed. "For one, the Clan Restoration Act has been enacted in Naruko's name. Both the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans are expected to be revived, and one of the problems would no doubt be the political messes that will evolve from that."
Nagi's jaw visibly clenched. "I see."
"In this respect, I hope that as the person that Naruko currently cares and needs the most, that you would not only stand by her, but also take the lead in trying to work with the other men to keep Naruko from panicking or worrying herself too much. Kakashi could help, not just as a potential candidate…but as someone who shares your feelings for her…as opposed to some of the others, who may not share the same sentiments."
Nagi grimaced, but was listening attentively and reluctantly understanding. As much as it pained him to have to share her, he had to accept it and knew he couldn't let Naruko go through it alone.
"I won't let her down," he said firmly.
Jiraiya smiled grimly.
Started 4/16/13 – Completed 4/16/13
A/n: I decided I'll be clear on who was supposed to be in the reverse!harem; it was supposed to be Kakashi, Genma, Asuma, Hiashi, Sho, Ni, Kabuto, Nagi, Nakago, Yamato, Inoichi, and Sasori. However, I have yet to put in Yamato, so it's up to you guys whether or not to keep him in or replace him with Shikamaru's Dad or not (as he was one of the ones frequently requested, and who I'm a little interested in adding). A and Bee are still up for debate, and separate from this. I wanted a specific number, so that's why I'm having a replacement, rather just adding more guys. An Update Schedule is now in my profile, if you all are interested. Also, please review if you enjoyed! Hopefully at least ten, but more is great!
To Guest: Thank you! Yeah, I know –I finally updated. Glad you liked it.
To awwwwwwww: I'm glad you like this so much. It's great that you even like the filler chapters a lot too! Yay for Inoichi, Hiashi, and Asuma then, eh? XD But I'll be stealing a bunch of those red velvet cupcakes!
To yay: Yeah, sorry they won't be. But I will say that Zabuaza won't be lacking screen time! Ahahaha. The other guys in the actual harem will have to deal with him XD