Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Characters, I am simply using them to pass the time.
Well I'm Back!!
Unfortunately my Muse decided to switch with her twin sister, who is already board with this story since we figured out how it will end. Now she wants Hiei/Sango, Vegeta/Pan or Anko/Choji.
What can I say, she's actually a real pain in the backside. Basically this means that I got absolutely no writing done over the summer. But I am now going to do my best to get this story done.
I had to re-read the whole story so that I could remember what I have written. I also read through every single one of my reviews, all 2,000 of them! I am so honored to have such wonderful fans!
Anyway, since it has been so long, I'm only going to comment on a few reviews.
TheBlk1: I have no idea how Ausuma's hand blades work, so I couldn't tell you. This popped into my head and I ran with it.
Juopunumies & Lyronix: In regards to Kyuubi; I'm not going to start a debate on what male animals do to young that are not their own. I'm just going to say that I have made a number of changes to the demons in this story that I have not previously seen before. I can't say more or it will give away too much of the story line. I just hope that you hang around to see what I've done. But the choice is yours. Thanks for your comments.
25 25 25 25 25 25
Chapter twenty-five
26 days since Naruto found Temari
18 days since they arrived in Konoha
10 days since Naruto left on his mission
25 25 25 25 25 25
Kankuro was doing his best to function normally without snapping at every person that came to him in what he was now starting to mentally refer to as his prison, Gaara's office.
The uneasy feeling he had been plagued with a few nights before had changed. And to a feeling that he had never wanted to feel again.
Someone close to him was dead. In his heart he was praying he was wrong. But he had felt this before, when the Akatsuki had killed his brother by removing the demon that resided inside of him. The fact that Gaara had been brought back to life and later regained his demon tenant was a moot point.
The puppet master was well aware of what death felt like. Ever since he had been poisoned and nearly died himself, he had for some reason been able to sense when souls departed. Although not all of them did depart, he knew, he could see the ones that didn't move on.
He shook his head when he was finally alone again, if only for a few minutes. He needed to be alone, to grieve, although he as of yet had no idea which of his siblings he had lost. And in a way that was bothering him as well. Kankuro wasn't entirely certain if it was one of his siblings whose soul had left the land of the living.
Each member had a unique feel to them, he couldn't say it was their chakra pattern. It was something else that he knew was there but didn't know exactly what it was. But he could always feel them, even if he didn't know where they were.
And this loss, it felt…… different and yet the same as his family members. It was confusing and unsettling. He had felt a lot of death since the appearance of this ability, from acquaintances to complete strangers. And each had its own feel. This time his very soul ached so he knew it was someone close to him.
But who.
Getting wearily to his feet he walked to one of the windows. Gazing sightlessly across the village of his birth and the desert beyond.
"Who are you? What happened?" His words were carried across the desert by the ever present wind. And he wished for once that he it would bring back an answer.
25 25 25 25 25 25
Temari sat staring at the table top, her right index finger absently circling the rim of her tea cup. It was once again evening and she was faced with the prospect of getting ready for bed. Something that she was not looking forward too.
In the four days since she had gotten out of the hospital she had been having a very hard time falling asleep. Actually if she was honest with herself, it was ever since Naruto had left. What she wouldn't give to have the big blond walk through the door right at that moment.
She missed him more then she had ever missed anyone in her life. The experience was a little unsettling but she shrugged it off, he had saved her life. It was only natural that she would form some kind of attachment to him.
But as much as she missed him, there was another reason she wanted to see him again. Two actually. One, she wanted to have a decent night's sleep. Nightmares had been plaguing her ever since she had returned for the hospital. Although she couldn't seem to remember the details of the dreams once she was awake, she was pretty sure that each and every one of them had ended with him coming to her rescue. But it still wasn't the same as having him beside her.
But the second reason was that she really needed him to come home and tell her just what the hell was going on.
She couldn't be positive. But she had a feeling that she was forgetting things. Most obviously was her leg, or rather the injury to it. She kept forgetting she had it. And so was constantly attempting to move around without the aid of her crutches. Her absent mindedness had resulted in several falls when the injured limb had send shooting pains throughout her body and caused her to collapse. Each time breaking open the very thin scab that was forming over the cut.
And after each fall she would look at her leg, unwrap the bandage and have to think in order to remember what she had done to get the wound that she uncovered.
Temari had tried to shake it off as lack of sleep. But there were other things that kept giving her clues that she was forgetting something. Like yesterday when she had run into Might Guy on the way back from lunch with Iruka. The man had asked her quite bluntly if she was in fact staying at Naruto's apartment. Apparently news of her being there was spreading like wild fire. After she had confirmed the rumor, he had not so subtly asked if the two of them were shacking up. Luckily for her, the green clad jonin had started spouting off about youth and love and so on before she even had a chance to answer.
Unfortunately for her, she discovered that she couldn't remember why she was staying with Naruto in the first place. She had managed to sneak away from the still talking Guy who was so caught up in his speech that he didn't notice her absence until she was well away from him.
But a red light had gone off in the Sand-nin's head. Why couldn't she remember why she was staying with Naruto? It had taken her most of the day and into the night to finally piece together small snippets of memory that seemed to float randomly across her mind.
At least she was pretty sure they were memories. Temari knew that he had rescued her. But the from whom, and where, was still a mystery to her. She was fairly certain that she had been injured, rather badly injured in fact, and that he had healed her.
When that particular memory surfaced, and every time she had called it forth since. She felt as if a soothing flood of heat was flowing through her entire body. It relaxed her, made her less worried about her current state of mind. But unfortunately the feeling never stayed around for long.
After that, the only clear things she remembered was interacting with Naruto, and even some of those images were fussy. Then they had arrived in Konoha, she vaguely recollected meeting with the Hokage upon arrival. Going to eat dinner, meeting a bunch of Naruto's friends. After that it was a blank until she woke up wrapped in his arms as the two of them lay in his small hammock.
After that she was again really fuzzy, except that Temari was quite sure she had seen Hyuga Hinata smiling at her and telling her she was going to have a baby. That alone was enough to set the blond on edge. Because she wasn't entirely sure if that particular memory was a memory or a dream. After all, she had been dreaming of getting pregnant for years. Literally.
It was something that haunted her thoughts regularly, whether she was asleep or awake. She had wanted for so long to have a child of her own. But the fear of being a complete failure as a parent had always stopped her from doing something to fulfill that dream. Not to mention the fact that she seemed to have something about her that repelled men on a grand scale.
And now that image of the white eyed Hinata smiling down at her and congratulating her wouldn't leave her mind's eye. And to further confirm that the image was in fact a valid memory, she had found three books in the apartment that were related to pregnancy. While reading though one of them, she recalled Naruto sitting on the couch with her. Her feet in his lap as he read from that same book aloud.
So after a day and a half of replaying everything she could remember over a million times in her head. Temari came to one solid conclusion. That she was pregnant. How or when it happened she wasn't sure. Try as she might, memories of that nature refused to surface. And she found it both aggravating and a little unsettling.
She might have made it this far in her life still being an innocent in the physical sense. But she was pretty sure that sex wasn't something she would easily forget having. It just didn't make sense to her at all. She didn't drink as a general rule, so getting too drunk to remember was definitely out.
The whole scenario was giving her a huge headache. And so she hoped like hell Naruto would get back so that she could ask him what was going on. The blond kunoichi was positive he would know. After all, all her clear memories of that past couple weeks involved him in some way.
She couldn't help the thought that crept into her mind that whispered that maybe she had become involved with the tall blond shinobi. And that something had happened to her that was causing her to lose her memories.
The thought was terrifying. Yet she couldn't bring herself to go ask anyone else for help. What if they thought she was crazy and put her in the hospital? She hated hospitals. And it wasn't like she was completely loosing it, there were certain things that she recalled with complete clarity.
As far as she had been able to figure out, she had perfect recollection up to about five or six weeks ago. But then she just seemed to have lost a whole chunk of time that only restarted with her memory of Naruto finding her.
Then after that there was a combination of fuzzy moments, complete blanks and days that she recalled with perfect clarity. Like babysitting the Uchiha children and watching Naruto spar with Iruka. Visiting with Ino and more recently the lunch dates with Iruka and Kakashi.
The reminder of her time spent with the two men did give her something else to ponder for a time. She had known the Copy-nin nearly as long as she had Naruto. While Iruka she had only officially met a week or so before. And yet for some reason during their daily meals together, she kept having the urge to bury a kunai in the silver haired man's heart.
And it wasn't just a passing, 'what would happen if I did this?' kind of urge, it was strong and insistent. And the closer he was to her, the stronger the urge was. Not just to kill him, but to completely erase him from existence. She kept seeing a picture of her flicking her hand at him then watching him disintegrate into dust right before her eyes. As if by magic or some unknown power.
It was creeping her out. She had never really been a violent person. Sure, she loved to fight and tended to do whatever it took to win. But this urge was on an entirely different level then anything she had ever experienced in all her battles or training.
Propping her aching head in her hands Temari desperately tried to stop thinking about anything. Her mind was a jumble and unless she was with someone who could distract her, she seemed incapable of stopping herself from running through every memory and resulting theory her mind came up with a hundred times.
She just wanted Naruto to come back so that she could hopefully get some answers. Or at the very least, confide in someone that she was sure wouldn't think she had gone off the deep end.
Even though she was starting to fear that she was in fact, for some unknown reason, going insane.
25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25
"One…. Two… Three!" Four identical voices ended with a grunt as Naruto and his clones braced themselves and in unison started to lift the small two wheeled cart they each had a corner of.
Mud seeped through the blonds' pants as the added weight sent him deeper into the quagmire. It was well above mid thigh and so cold that he was starting to lose the feeling in his feet. But he gritted his teeth, channeled more chakra into his frame and kept lifting. His copies doing the exact same thing, resulting in the vehicle finally starting to lift.
Eight men stood on the bank, they were already covered in mud from the fight to get the two oxen unharnessed and safely pulled out of the giant mud hole. Two ropes had been attached to the back of the cart and four men had a hold of each.
"Now!" Naruto yelled as the wheel hubs finally broke surface.
The men started pulling, while the four Naruto's heaved the cart in their direction. One clone ended up backwards in the muck. But the cart did land four feet closer to the edge. After helping his copy up Naruto moved back to his spot and once again grabbed a hold of the wooden vehicle. Silently the clones did the same and the process was repeated three more times before the wheels finally landed on solid ground.
A cheer went up from those gathered around the pit. Naruto just waved a hand to dispel his jutsu before bending over to catch his breath. He felt a chill seep further into his body as the cool evening breeze skated over his bare chest. The sun had still been warm when he had come to help free the farmers cart, so he had stripped down to his pants in order to keep his sandals and the rest of his clothing as clean as possible.
But now the sun was already partly set, and he found himself debating whether or not he should put on his jacket. Despite the fact that he was caked with mud from head to toes.
"Uzumaki-sama."
Turning he looked down at the petite young woman who had addressed him. Akiya was the headman's youngest daughter and she had been following him around quite a bit over the last few days. Now she held several towels out to him, a soft smile on her face.
"Thank you Akiya-chan." Naruto returned her smile as he took one of the offered towels and started wiping the mud off of his chest and arms. He tried to hide the fact that he felt uncomfortable with her attention. Everyone in the village had been going out of their way to see that he had every comfort that they could offer.
But there were a few of the women who were making it quite clear that they were willing to do more. He easily recognized the coy looks that had been sent his way, after going through everything that he had with the members of Kyuubi's fan club, he knew all too well what they wanted.
Akiya had been sticking close to him and was being especially forward, as she had ample opportunity to be near him since he was staying in her families' home. But the blond shinobi found that he just wasn't interested.
Trying not to seem rude he moved away from the smiling girl and moved to where he had left his discarded clothing. To his dismay two other of his admirers were holding the items for him. And they made no attempt to hide the fact that they were staring at him.
Mentally he groaned, and wondered again how long it would take his clone to deliver the last message that he had sent to a merchant he knew in the land of Waves. He really wanted to go home.
Outwardly he smiled and thanked them all for their help. After wiping the worst of the mud off of his feet he slipped on his sandals and shrugged into his jacket. Ignoring that fact that he still had a great deal of mud covering his back and torso.
"Oh Uzumaki-sama, you'll get your jacket all dirty!" The shrill exclamation nearly shattered his eardrums. Trying his best to hide a grimace of pain, he glanced down at the blond girl the sound had imitated from. And he found that for the life of him he couldn't remember her name. But her voice was sure shrill enough to make her memorable.
Doing his best to keep his smile in place Naruto waved off the girls concerns as the other two added their agreement. "Clothing can be washed."
He tried to walk away as politely as he could, but as his luck would have it, the trio was hot on his heels. He wasn't really sure why they annoyed him so much, after all he was used to having females fall all over him when he was in a village a good distance away from Konoha. He had even used that fact to aid him in a number of missions when he was still an ANBU. Having Jiraiya as a sensei had turned out to have some benefits. Even if it was only how to easily blend into the lower levels of society.
Glancing back to the three girls who were keeping up with his long legged strides remarkably well. He couldn't figure out why he didn't find any of them attractive. Sure they were all pretty girls, but there was something missing. Something he just couldn't put his finger on.
The blond had somehow figured out how to stay by his side without looking like she was struggling to hard to keep the fast pace. He took a moment to inspect her a little closer out of the corner of his eye. He didn't want to give her any ideas. Her hair was cut so that it just brushed her shoulders, it was a deep vibrant gold that set off her startling blue eyes. If he didn't know better he would almost suspect that she was related to Ino. She had a lovely figure despite her petite frame. So what was not to like? Besides the high pitches her voice could attain.
Returning his gaze to the road ahead as he and the girls entered their small village home, Naruto mentally tried to come up with a logical reason to explain his sudden lack of interest in the female species.
For a brief moment he almost wished he had Kyuubi to talk to. The fox had far more insight from his vantage point then the blond liked to openly admit. But as soon as the thought occurred he shoved it back down. If anything on this trip, he had come to realize that somehow over the years he had come to rely too much on the demon inside of him.
Even if they hadn't really talked the last couple years.
And truthfully that scared him. Who was he without the nine-tales? Had he obtained all of his strength and abilities just because he had managed to learn how to draw from the kitsune's power, then later actually merge with it?
If so then who was Naruto? A mere puppet that was a human shell for the larger power to inhabit and control when the right moments presented themselves?
He had to know.
So what if he couldn't remember the source of all the scents he had encountered in the forest. He could learn, he was sure of it. He knew for sure that there were four that he would never forget. At least not until he had gutted their owners and watched them die a slow agonizing death.
Realizing that he had gotten way off topic, the blond shinobi took a deep cleansing breath. And pushed all thoughts of his tenant as far back in his mind as he could.
Glancing at the girls flanking him, he was relieved to see that none of them seemed to have noticed his brief laps. He almost smiled when he realized the reason for that was because they all seemed to be getting a little out of breath from keeping up with his pace.
The polite side of his character told him to slow down and accommodate his entourage. But the rest of him was too annoyed, not to mention uncomfortable with their constant attention to want to be too nice to them.
They were all very nice, pretty girls. But their scent didn't drive him to distraction, nor did they possess silver eyes veiled by silken flaxen hair that haunted his dreams. They just couldn't compare to ……….
Naruto stumbled to a halt, ignoring the fact that two of his companions nearly ran into him. He was comparing them to Temari? His brain stumbled to a halt at the realization. He knew he had been dreaming about her, but he had assumed that it was because he was still worried about her.
But this…….. this was something completely different. How had he let himself become so attached to her? He was supposed to be helping her get over a horrific ordeal, and then make sure she was avenged once she was safely back with her family.
"Uzumaki-Sama?" Akiya's voice brought him out of his stunned state. "Is something wrong?"
Blinking several times Naruto found he wasn't able to force any cheerfulness into his voice. "No,' He lied. 'I've just got a lot on my mind right now."
Suddenly he felt that he needed some time alone, quickly continuing his trek he tried his hardest not to dwell on his revelation until he could find some privacy. His stride lengthened even more, as he completely ignored the three women following him.
It only took a few minutes for him to reach the residence where he was staying. The headman's wife met him at the door and informed him that a bath had been prepared for him. Thanking her, he quickly escaped him entourage and locked himself in the bathing room.
Slumping back against the closed door, the big blond closed his eyes. How could he be so stupid? Allowing himself to even consider falling for Temari.
At the thought, a picture of the Sand kunoichi drifted across his mind's eye. Of her smiling up at him, welcoming him home. His chest tightened at the memory, she was way to perfect, he didn't know why he hadn't noticed it long before now.
But the part that hurt him the most about the revelation, was the fact that he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't impose himself on Temari like that, despite how well she seemed to be recovering, he knew she wouldn't be ready for a relationship anytime soon.
With a groan he scrubbed his hands over his face before pushing himself away from the door. Who was he kidding? He could never allow himself get too close to her, she didn't deserve to be subjected to having him as her partner, even if she did for some reason become interested in him.
No one deserved to be subjected to his life, to him.
Shedding his mud caked clothing, Naruto moved over to the shower stall and turned on the water. He barely flinched when the first blast of cold hit his skin, he didn't care.
His mind was too busy trying to figure out how he had managed to allow his heart free rein. He had been so careful to keep from feeling too much for anyone after Jewel had disappeared. But here he was, on the verge of falling for a woman under his protection.
He knew himself well enough to know that that's what would happen if he allowed himself to get any closer to Temari. Every part of his being longed to have someone to share his life with, but experience had taught him that it was an impossible dream.
With a sigh he moved forward, resting his forehead on the cool tile while allowing the now hot water to cascade down his back. Not for the first time he found himself wishing that he had not been chosen to be the nine-tails prison. He knew it was selfish, that his father had had no choice in the matter. The sealing of Kyuubi had saved countless lives.
But he couldn't help it, ever since he had learned who his parents were; he had found nothing but more heart ache. They had both died to protect him and others, but he couldn't help wondering what his life would be like if even one of them had survived.
Shaking his head he pushed the thought aside, it was a mute point. And therefore pointless to dwell on. But it did bring him back to what he had been thinking about on the way back to the village. Who was he really?
Because he had been twenty when he had unexpectedly found out who his parents had been, he had already been powerful enough with Kyuubi's power so he had never bothered to try to develop his inherited abilities.
He was the last of two clans, and apparently both had blood limits, his eyes closed in anguish. Since his son was dead, both those bloodlines would end with him. He had failed in every aspect of his life, he had nothing to show for all the battles he had fought, the hell he had gone through just to keep himself alive as a child.
A low bitter laugh escaped his lips as he moved to scrub his skin free of any clinging mud that still remained. After all that, here he was wishing to have a relationship, sometimes he had to confess that he was pretty sure he was the most thick headed person he knew. After everything that had happened to him, one would think he would learn.
Finally satisfied that he was clean, he turned off the shower and stepped into the tub. Sinking down into the hot liquid he forced himself to stop thinking about his own life. Something he was good at.
Instead he started mentally going over everything he had seen today in the mist village. Making sure that he didn't overlook something that might be important to his mission.
25 25 25 25 25 25
Kyuubi sighed as he watched the torment his host was putting himself through. Why Naruto tortured himself so much, the fox would never understand.
In his opinion the boy took far too much on himself, most of which was not his fault. The kitsune theorized that it was actually the blonde's kind heart that caused him to assume so much responsibility, and at the same time all the blame for situations that were not of his doing. He cared so much for those around him, that he was willing to do anything within his power to make their lives easier.
But at the same time he held in so much pain and hurt that the kitsune wasn't sure how he managed to function eighty percent of the time. He had been getting better as of late, especially after he confided in the blond female about the loss of his kit.
His moods had been lighter, his focus so trained on the female that he forgot to worry about everything else. Which was a good thing as far as Kyuubi was concerned, most of the things that his host held onto were frivolous and unimportant, yet the blond always seemed to make things into more then they were.
On the bright side, it looked to Kyuubi like Naruto was finally starting to realize that he was attracted to the blond female. True he was fighting it with everything that he had, but Kyuubi was confident that sooner or later his defenses would fail and she would be firmly entrenched in his heart.
25 25 25 25 25
Naruto didn't say much during the evening meal. Pleading exhaustion, which also allowed him to retire early without any questions being asked of him.
Once in bed, he tossed and turned for a good hour, his mind running through a hundred memories that could never be changed. Finally he was able to settle his thoughts enough to fall into a fitful sleep.
25 25 Dreaming25 25
Naruto was walking down a wide forest path, the sun shone brightly around him, the air was silent, and it had a feeling of sadness about it. He knew he was dreaming, he had been having a number of these kinds of dreams lately. Where he knew he wasn't awake and yet it all felt so real.
He continued to walk, inspecting the area as he moved, waiting for something to happen. After what seemed like quite some time, the path gave way to a grass filled glade, and there sitting on a large boulder at its center sat Temari.
So many of his dreams lately had centered around the blond kunoichi that he did not find it odd that she was there. Although he immediately went on guard, usually something was trying to attack her in his dreams, so he had to be prepared.
Making his way to her side, he noticed that she sat with her head bowed while her hands fisted together in her lap. She was the picture of unease.
"Temari?"
Her head lifted immediately, and he could see the uncertainty in her eyes, even as she gave a small smile in greeting. "I'm glad it's you Naruto."
He was about to ask who else she would be expecting, but shrugged it off as unimportant. "What's wrong Temari? You look upset."
She sighed heavily, her head once again lowering as she focused on her hands. Not wanting to rush her, Naruto took a seat by her side. After a few moments of silence she finally spoke.
"Naruto, I think something is wrong with me." She once again met his gaze, and he could tell that whatever it was, was really bothering her.
"Why do you say that?" Absently the thought crossed his mind that he had never had a dream about having a conversation with anyone before. Accept Kyuubi of course.
"I'm forgetting things." She confided, her eyes serious as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "A lot of things."
"Everyone forgets things sometimes Temari, its no big deal." He assured her, even as he wondered why he was having such a strange dream.
She shook her head. "It's not just a little bit Naruto, its everything. I can't remember why I'm staying in your apartment. I know you found me somewhere, but I can't recall where or why."
She once again looked him directly in the eye. "Was I injured when you found me?"
Naruto had to blink a few times before her words and her question really sank in. And he was starting to worry as well, even though he knew it was silly, that this was all a dream that he would wake up from eventually.
"Yes you were injured when I found you, badly so. And you're staying with me because you didn't want to be alone while you waited for your brothers to come retrieve you."
She nodded slowly. "How did I get hurt"
He cringed at the question, thoroughly convinced that the Temari in real life would never ask such a question. It took him a moment to decide how to phrase his answer. "You were taken captive Temari."
His words brought no recollection to her eyes. "I was?"
He nodded. "Yes."
She opened her mouth to speak then seemed to think better of it as she looked away, her gaze focused on a spot somewhere out in the small clearing they resided in. There were several moments of silence.
"That's right, I remember fighting with them in Suna, there was five of them." She murmured.
Naruto frowned at her words as he wondered why he would dream about her saying she had been attacked by five men. He clearly remembered only detecting four scents on her person when he had found her. He inwardly cringed at the memory; she had been put through so much. It amazed him that she was recovering as well as she seemed to be.
There was again silence, but this time the air didn't seem to be the blanket of sadness that it had been before.
Again it was Temari who broke the stillness. "I had so many questions for you Naruto, but right now there seems to be only one I can remember." She turned her silver eyes back to meet his. "Am I pregnant?"
If he hadn't thought so before, Naruto was now sure he was having one of the weirdest dreams of his life. None the less, he felt compelled to reply.
"Yes Temari you are."
A brief smile touched her lips. "I'm glad that wasn't a dream."
Naruto gave her a questioning look.
"I have been quite literally dreaming of having a child of my own for so many years." She looked a little embarrassed at the admission. "That much I do remember. But men just don't seem to be interested in me, of course I've never really met someone I was attracted to before………." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "Except for one time." Her last words for so faint that Naruto almost didn't hear her.
He looked down at her, trying to fight off the urge to ask who she had been attracted too. He knew it was probably Shikamaru, after all it had been common gossip that she and Ino had been fighting over the Nara heir for many years. But the look on her face was so wistful that he couldn't help himself, justifying his question because she appeared to want to talk about it.
"Only one? Well Shika sure was a lucky bastard wasn't he." Naruto cringed, that had not come out the way it was supposed to.
Temari looked startled. "Shikamaru? What about him?"
Infinitely glad that she hadn't seemed to notice how rude his comment had been. Naruto did his best to stop the color from rushing to his cheeks. Stupid dreams, always putting him in weird situations.
"Well he's the one you were talking about right? The only guy you've ever been attracted too."
Temari frowned. "Well I guess I was attracted to him in a way." Her head cocked to the side as she seemed to think the matter over. "He was passable in the looks department I suppose."
Naruto blinked, even as he decided that there was no way this dream could get any weirder he found himself saying. "Only passable? The way you and Ino scrapped over the guy, you would think he was some kind of a god."
Temari smiled as his words, but it was a sad smile. "So much time wasted for no reason." She murmured.
Naruto knew he probably looked as shocked as he felt, because she took one look at his face and started to explain.
"I was attracted to Shika because of his abilities, being such an excellent strategist, not to mention the only heir to a clan made him an acceptable match for me. At the time I think that I wanted to feel more, in order to make it easier to form a relationship if he had decided to pick me instead of Ino." She blew out a breath, making her golden bangs ruffle slightly. "The things we do for political reasons."
Naruto nearly fell off their perch as she finished her confession, he couldn't have been more surprised if she had said that she had actually been after Ino all those years.
Once he got his balance back and managed to figure out how to get his tongue working again, he found that he just had to ask again who it was she had been attracted to. Because it was obvious to him that his brain was on some kind of weird binge, and was throwing the most farfetched stuff at him that it could imagine.
"So if it wasn't Shikamaru, then who was the lucky guy?"
He watched as she started fiddling with her fingers, in a rather Hinata-ish manner, while a blush stained her creamy skin.
"It was…….well." She stole a quick peek at him before she averted her gaze again.
"It was…..." She cleared her throat. "I'm sure it was nothing, just heat of the moment and all that."
She refused to look at him as she spoke, and Naruto had to fight the sudden urge to reach out and stroke her cheek until she looked at him.
As the silence stretched, the blond shinobi remembered that he was dreaming, therefore he could do whatever he wanted. Dreams had no repercussions in the real world.
Sliding closer to her he wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her gently against his side. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable Temari." He murmured into her hair.
"Its all right, I'm just not very good at talking about this kind of stuff." She confided as she snuggled closer into his embrace and turned her head to nuzzle the crook of his neck. "At home I don't have anyone to talk to at all so I don't get any practice."
Naruto made a noise that he hoped sounded understanding to the woman in his arms. Because it was more of a stifled groan then anything else. It felt so good to hold her close, and she smelled so good. Even if it was a dream he was going to enjoy every second of being able to hold her without repercussions.
"Tell me what happened to me Naruto?" Her soft voice was nearly lost on the big blond as the way her breath heated his neck when she spoke was sending shivers through his body.
Taking a moment to compose himself, he gave her a light squeeze. "You don't want to hear about that Temari, Trust me, you're better off not remembering."
Pulling away from him far enough that she could look up into his eyes, Temari's gaze seemed to search his for a moment. "I am?"
He nodded silently as their gaze held for a few more seconds before Temari broke the contact.
"What about everything else?" She questioned.
Frowning Naruto was confused about what she meant, he could understand her blocking out the trauma of her ordeal. But what else was she thinking she had forgotten?
"Everything else?"
Temari nodded as she straightened, although she didn't move out of his arms. "There are a number of things that I can't seem to remember, for instance." She looked up at him again. "I don't remember when our child was conceived."
Naruto froze, feeling like the breath had been knocked out of him. His brain stuttered to a halt as he stared at her upturned face.
"Naruto is something wrong?" Temari turned in his arms and reached up to touch his face when he was unable to reply.
The big blond flinched at the touch as his brain finally decided to function again. And his first thought was that his subconscious was masochistic. That was the only reason he could think of that he would dream something like this.
"Naruto?" Her soft voice once again brought his attention back to her.
"I…….. Temari I'm not….." He stumbled to a halt.
Why was it so hard to tell her the truth? He silently questioned. Why was he having the overwhelming urge to let her assumption stand? That the two of them where an item and the child she carried was his.
Releasing his hold on her, he stood and started to pace. His mind suddenly a mad jumble of thoughts. Sure this was all a dream, but even in this, his own mind he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. As much as he wished he could make it easier for her by doing so.
But how to tell her what had really happened when he had just finished telling her that she was better off not remembering what she had gone through. He really wished he would wake up and not have to finish this conversation.
"Naruto?"
Once again her soft voice caught his attention. Coming to a halt he turned to face her, only to be struck by how beautiful she was perched on that boulder, a confused frown on her face. In that moment he found himself ready to lie, to do anything to keep her for himself.
Closing his eyes he took a strangle hold on that feeling and shoved it down, reminding himself that it would be cruel to try to bind her to him like that. He was not worthy of one such as her, he would only bring her pain.
Finally resolved, he opened his eyes and moved to kneel in front of her. Taking her clasped hands in his he took a deep breath before looking up to meet her gaze directly.
"Temari I wish I could tell you we had that kind of relationship……. But we don't."
Her frown deepened as she tried to decipher his words. Seeing that, he realized that he would have to be a little plainer.
"Temari, your baby isn't mine." He tried to keep his voice steady, but he found it harder to admit then he thought it should.
She drew in a sharp breath, her face going from confused to hurt in a heartbeat.
Sensing that she was about to pull away from him, Naruto tightened his hold on her hands. "I wish I could tell you different Temari. But it's the truth."
He watched her blink rapidly to stave off the tears welling in her silver eyes. "Then how?" Her voice trembled. "I don't remember."
Taking a deep breath Naruto hoped he could tell her without traumatizing her all over again. "You were captured by a group of shinobi, we don't know who they were yet. But they had you for quite a while."
He watched as she assimilated his words, her emotions showing clearly in her eyes.
"I don't understand, what does that have to do with………." Her voice trailed off and he saw the moment that she understood what he had been trying to say. She looked at him, the question in her eyes that he confirmed with a nod.
She squeezed her eyes closed and he felt a light tremble shake her frame. Naruto tightened his grip once again as he felt her pain as if it was his own. He tried to remain calm as he waited for her to break down, or explode. He wasn't sure which way she would react this time.
But after a few minutes of Temari sitting silently, he watched her take in a long deep breath. Then slowly she opened her eyes, but he was unprepared for soft smile that curved her lips.
"Thank you Naruto, I am sorry for making such an assumption."
The big blond felt as if a huge height had been lifted off him by her soft words, even as he wondered how it was that she could be so calm and accepting.
He felt compelled to add. "I wish I could tell you different Temari."
Her smile stayed in place as she extracted her hands from his and raised them to cup his jaw. "So do I."
A comfortable silence fell between then, in which time Temari's fingers started tracing the contours of Naruto's face. The big blond felt his eye lids grow heavy as her caress fluttered over every inch of his features. Her touch was almost addicting and he wished it would never end, if only he could come up with an excuse to never leave her side.
But he knew that the only place he could let down his guard with her like this was here in his dreams. In real life he wasn't good for her, wasn't good for anyone really.
As if sensing his thoughts, Temari spoke. "Something's bothering you Naruto, tell me what it is."
Even here in his dreams he didn't want to tell her the truth, at least not the whole truth. That he wanted to step into a relationship with her, to be part of her and her child's life. It was suddenly such a clear picture in his mind, a family consisting of the three of them.
But even with his messed up life that had demon haters around every corner set aside. He still carried the guilt of failing his own son. How could he be of any use to a wonderful, strong woman like Temari if he couldn't even deal with his own life. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he failed her, he always failed eventually no matter how hard he tried not to. It would be better for her and her son or daughter if he was merely a friend that came around from time to time.
He was sure once she was around him a little longer that she would change her mind about her request that he be the kids Godfather. After all she had asked before he had told her about his past with Jewel and the death of her and his son, soon Temari would realize that he wasn't fit for that kind position.
"Naruto?" She prompted, again dragging him from his thoughts.
Somehow he got the feeling that she wouldn't allow him to avoid her inquiry. And yet couldn't bring himself to lie to her outright. So instead he voiced a thought that had been reoccurring in his mind almost since the day he had found her.
"I was thinking that it's too bad that we didn't get a chance to get to know each other like this when we were younger and unattached." It was true, but then again not completely. It was more like a wish spoken out loud. "I think that back before all the shit that happened in my life to mess it up more then it was when I was a kid, we might have become more then friends."
He looked up at her then and saw the sad smile on her face. "I think you may be right Naruto, but life is what it is."
The big blond nodded, even though he got the feeling that she was only humoring him with her words. There was no way she would want to be involved with the likes of him, then or now.
When she didn't pull away from him, or stop teasing his skin with her finger tips he decided to just stay in the moment and let this dream go where it may. Shifting his position slightly he leaned forward and tentatively rested his head on her lap. He gave a sigh of relief when she didn't protest but started threading her fingers through his hair.
"I just get lonely sometimes." He admitted quietly.
"We all do Naruto." Temari assured him. "Every single one of us feels like that at times."
Closing his eyes Naruto savored decided to simply savor the moment. He felt like he was in heaven, and just as he had wished to wake up from this dream only moments before. He now wished that he would never wake up, that he could just stay like this, with Temari in a quiet forest glen without another soul around.
It seemed like hours that he stayed kneeling at the kunoichi's feet, his head in her lap and her gentle fingers playing with his hair.
But all good things eventually come to an end.
"Naruto, I think you need to tell me everything that I forgot." Temari announced softly.
Reluctantly he pulled back and sat down Indian style on the grass covered ground. "I don't think that is the best idea Temari."
"Why not?" She slid closer to the edge of the boulder as she looked down on him.
"Well it's been really hard on you already, I don't think you need to go through all of that again." Naruto explained. He clearly remembered the nights of hysterics and tears that he had held her through. He wasn't sure if he could see that again, even if it was only in his dreams.
To his surprise Temari slid off her perch and settled herself in his lap. "If you're here I'm sure I'll be fine."
She then stunned him with a radiant smile before wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling into his chest. When he didn't respond after a few moments he felt her poke him in the side.
"Start talking mister."
Yup, definitely the weirdest dream he had ever had.
Taking a deep breath he decided to follow her orders, so he started at the beginning when he had first found her. And continued on to tell her the edited version of what she had told him that night out in the woods.
She didn't once flinch, as he continued to recount the events that took place after they had arrived in Konoha. To his relief she didn't so much as shed a tear throughout his telling. In fact she was so quiet that he was starting to worry about her.
"So it sounds like I've been a lot more trouble then you bargained for." Temari remarked when he was finally finished with bringing her up to date.
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief. She was one outstanding woman.
"What?" She finally sat up to look at him questioningly.
"You really are amazing Temari." He confided as he slipped a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear.
"As are you." She smiled at him before turning serious. "And you left out one part."
He raised a brow at her. "I did?"
She nodded, her expression turning sad. "You lost your son, and because of me and my situation you have been reminded of that every day since I found out I was pregnant."
Naruto tried to keep his tone light, although the fact that she remembered that part of their time together when other parts were blurred left him unsettled. "Like I said before, my life went to hell years ago. And none of it is your fault, it's just the hand I was dealt."
"Well I'm sorry anyway." She murmured reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug, which he returned.
Pulling back she gifted him with a smile that had him forgetting to breath. "Come home soon Naruto, I miss you."
Before he could think of anything to say to that unexpected statement he felt her grip on his neck tighten, pulling him closer to her. Then without a warning lifted herself up and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss was hardly more then a peck, yet the demon vessel felt its affect through his entire body. And he was stunned to his very core by her actions, it happened so quickly he had no time to respond before she pulled back and once again smiled.
"Stay safe."
And then she vanished into thin air, leaving him sitting alone in the forest clearing that was rapidly starting to fade around him.
Naruto had to blink several times before he realized that he was suddenly awake, hence the reason that the dream had vanished.
"I'll be home soon." He murmured before he rolled onto his stomach and fell back into a dreamless sleep.
25 25 25 25 25 25 25
Kyuubi wasn't sure if he should laugh or just settle on being smug. He wasn't even sure if he had the words to describe what had just transpired inside his host's head.
The golden female had even more power then he could have imagined, for she had actually been there with them. It wasn't just a meeting of conscious's, as the previous dreams had been. Somehow her very essence had traversed the long distance between them and she had been there.
Even for one of his age it was baffling as to how she had done it, as far as he knew humans didn't usually have those kind of abilities. Even in demons that kind of ability would have been unusual.
If it wasn't for the fact that he had never sensed any hint of a demonic aura around her, he would have started to suspect that she was more like Naruto then anyone would have thought.
But she wasn't a demon host, or even a demoness in disguise. What she was was a complete enigma to him, a puzzle that didn't seem to want to be solved.
In truth the kitsune was starting to become more then a little attracted to her himself. It was really too bad that he didn't still have a body of his own, or he would be courting her himself. Something he wasn't sure his host would be happy with should he find out about it.
Turning his gaze to the crack in his cell, that only seemed to be this prominent when the female and her power were close by. The nine-tails wished that he had had more time for females in his previous life, if he had perhaps he would understand them better.
Because this one was an enigma like he had never known.
25 25 25 25 25 25 25
Temari opened her eyes to a dark bedroom, still more then a little asleep she curled onto the pile of pillows she was sleeping on. Her conversation with Naruto had brought everything back into perspective. And she was so grateful to him for being patient with her.
Yawning as her eyes slowly drooped back closed, she played their discussion over in her mind. A light blush covered her cheeks when she realized that she had kissed him before he left. Although she probably wouldn't have been surprised she supposed. Their talk had reminded her of the first time she had seen him use the full power of the Kyuubi in battle.
It had been when Itachi had attacked Konoha, she and her brothers had come to help their allies. And she had ended up with a front row seat to Naruto and the Kyuubi killing Kisame. It had been the first time she had really looked at the blond Leaf shinobi as anything other then her younger brothers friend.
But it was after the battle that she really remembered. Shikamaru had been killed that day, the shadow master had been overwhelmed by sheer numbers and Ino had been hysterical in her grief as she clutched his lifeless body. Uncaring that she was as soaked in his blood as he was.
Not even Sakura or Tsunade had been able to get close to the girl. But then Naruto had walked up to them, Temari clearly remembered being amazed to see the way that the Kyuubi's fiery chakra and seemed to be sucked back into Naruto's body as he walked, the other ninja making a path for him.
Everyone gathered around them could easily feel the power he held, and yet it was a different kind of strength that caught Temari's attention. Kneeling down he had wrapped a surprisingly unresisting Ino in his arms, holding her tight as she continued to weep, and without a word he was able to separate her from the body of her lover.
Once she had calmed down some he had beaconed Sakura and Hinata to take her. The two girls had to hold up the grief stricken blond between them to keep her from collapsing on the ground. Naruto had then knelt down and carefully picked up the broken body of Shikamaru and silently carried him back into the village.
Temari clearly remembered the way everyone, even the ANBU and the Hokage had seemed to move about him and help him as if following instructions, and yet he never spoke a single word to any of them.
She remembered seeing the grief in his own eyes as he held the body of his friend, and yet he had been able to keep it mostly hidden and looked after those around him instead.
In that moment she had wanted nothing more then to walk up to his side and stay there, to be of assistance to him. There was a light about him that seemed to call to her. But she had been too embarrassed to even consider doing such a thing, and then the opportunity had passed by. Because he had then left to go after Itachi and Sasuke who were last seen having a battle of epic proportions, while she had to see to an unconscious Kankuro and a comatose Gaara.
A soft smile curved Temari's lips as she remembered that day. Yes it had been the first and only time she had truly felt attracted to a man, and it had been Naruto. Funny that she had forgotten about that until their conversation.
Too bad she didn't have the guts to tell him that it was him that had caught her eye all those years ago. Maybe someopday she would tell him.
25 25 25 25 25
Well I was originally going to make this chapter longer, but now that my muse has some interest in it again, she had decided to go in a much different direction then I had previously planned. As such I will leave the story here for now or it would be another while before I put this chapter up.
Next time there will be a little more information on the mystery of the White chakra, and Temari sets a whole new chain of events into motion.
Thank you all for your patience and support over the long wait between updates.
I hope you enjoy.
Legilmyth