Chapter XXIX
Hello everyone! Here's Wagtail Shinobi's newest chapter. I know it's been a little while and this one's a little on the short side but I think that's acceptable given the content. Well, this is where things start to get heated, in multiple senses of the word, so just tell me what you guys think. As usual I'd like to thank my coauthors ncpfan and Jose19. Well, guess it's time for the reviewer responses isn't it?
1: She didn't die. It was a mixup during writing since that whole chapter was written months in advance and things changed since then. We simply forgot to update it. I'll make some changes to it later to prevent further confusion but no, Musubi is not dead. And even if she was you guys should all know by now that Sekirei can't die. Akitsu was injured fatally twice and Yahan was stabbed by Orochimaru. How it all works out will be explained soon but I think you guys should have been able to extrapolate that by now.
Pheonixblade: Yup, Mebuki. Yeah, I'm not exactly thrilled about it either but it was necessary for this whole section to occur.
Big fan: Well thanks for the compliment, it helps to keep me going. I'm glad you like it and there are other good stories out there, though I don't see any that handle the way I've done things, the Sekirei in the Naruto world instead of the other way around, the same way I have. But I'd say that's definitely a good thing.
james: Pandora? There are so very many things in the world of entertainment with the name Pandora I don't know what you're talking about. Could you be a little more specific?
JangCrome: There are several reasons. Her appearance isn't necessarily a reason but the way her story interweaves with everything else is a big reason. Hana? I don't see it. So far, no. I can't think of that many good Sekirei to go with those people, especially because I don't like Yuri and there just aren't anymore male Sekirei. Plus I can't think of any Sekirei pairing with Gai. He's just kind of on his own.
EmilTheUndyingOverlord: It was supposed to be this chapter but reasons are reasons. And for those reasons it won't be this one. You'll see in this chapter, plus in a little while I'll explain everything there is to know about the Sekirei, which will help all of this stuff make sense.
Oturan Namikaze: Yes it is very similar to canon.
Jose19: Romantic.
Fan-One-Great: Typo. Big typo.
Ironquaker: Ah. I see.
Hidden Leaf Village
Kakashi: No. 12 Hibiki, No. 11 Hikari, No. 55 Saki
Naruto: No. 01 Miya, No. 02 Matsu, No. 04 Karasuba, No. 07 Akitsu, No. 09 Tsukiumi, No. 10 Uzume, No. 16 Toyotama, No. 21 Ororo, No. 23 Satellizer, No. 47 Rias, No. 53 Karin, No. 65 Taki, No. 88 Musubi
Sasuke: No. 57 Yahan
Sakura: No. 06 Homura
Kiba: No. 14 Chiyo, No. 17 Yuna, No. 20 Hatae, No. 33 Kuzuri, No. 48 Kujika, No. 74 Narashino, No. 78 Nanami, No. 106 Shijime
Shino: No. 31 Sai, No. 85 Oshino, No. 96 Kujou
Lee: No. 86 Katsuragi
Neji: No. 73 Namiji
Asuma: No. 03 Kazehana
Ino: No. 107 Shiina, No. 108 Kusano
Shikamaru: No. 19 Ikki, No. 72 Natsu
Choji: No. 84 Yashima
Konohamaru: No. 28 Natsuka, No. 82 Hari
Mikogami: No. 05 Mutsu, No. 15 Himeko, No. 38 Mitsuha, No. 39 Mitsuki, No. 43 Yomi, No. 37 Chikako,
Izumi: No. 18 Ichiya, No. 59 Yuzuki (Unnamed 3), No. 22 Kochou, No. 24 Ganessa, No. 25 Miyabi, No. 26 Ingrid, No. 29 Trish, No. 30 Yu-Mi, No. 34 Elize, No. 35 Arnett, No. 36 Elizabeth, No. 40 Shi, No. 45 Cassie, No. 50 Rana, No. 52 Ticy, No. 56 Chiffon, No. 79 Yuko, No. 85 Oshino, No. 94 Masami (Unnamed 1), No. 96 Kujou
Saito: No. 41 Kanon (black), No. 42 Aiko (brunette)
Hidden Sand Village
Gaara: No. 87 Kaho
Kankuro: No. 101 Oriha
Hidden Cloud Village
Omoi: No. 27 Nina
Yugito: No. 13 Amebane
MBI
Ichinomi: No. 105 Benitsubasa, No. 104 Haihane
How's that?
Dansama92: That happens in long-winded sections.
Zeta Warrior: I have ketchup.
god's executioner REBORN: Yes, permanently.
Markus-Antonius: Hopefully it'll be worth the read.
TheatreFreak12: ...Uhm...thanks...I think.
Dregus: Yup.
That seems to be about it.
Naruto was just lying in bed thinking about nothing in particular as he heard his door open. Looking to see who it was, his eyes lit up when he saw Miya, followed immediately by Mebuki. Miya was carrying two plates of food, while Mebuki closed the door.
"Hello, Naru," Miya greeted him lovingly, "How are you?"
"Hi, Miya," Naruto gave her a weak smile as she placed both plates of food down on Naruto's desk, "I'm alright. How did I get back here?"
"Oh, that," Miya giggled demurely as she brought her sleeve to her mouth, "I brought you here after you passed out and laid you into bed."
"Oh…okay. Well, thanks for that."
"You're welcome," Miya told him warmly, "I'm just glad you're home safe."
She extended her arm in Mebuki's direction as she added playfully, "Mebuki here has been a wonderful nurse, Naru. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as attentive to a patient's needs as she's been over the last twenty-four hours or so…" she finished, once more with a demure laugh, bringing a blush to Mebuki's cheeks once more.
"I think she must know every square inch of your body like the back of her hand at this point…" she added with mischief as her laugh went from demure to somewhat…creepy.
Mebuki sputtered with stunned indignation while Naruto…didn't really know how to respond, so he just smiled sheepishly and chuckled with mild embarrassment. Miya left the two of them to their own devices as she opened the door to leave the room.
"And Mebuki…" Miya said sweetly.
"Yes, Lady Miya?" Mebuki asked with mild anxiety.
"Naruto doesn't need to be told this, but I must inform you…" purple miasma leaked from Miya, along with enough killing intent to serve as a warning as she spoke in that spookily sweet voice of hers, "…that I have a cardinal rule: lewd, illicit, or otherwise untoward activities are strictly forbidden here at Maison Izumo. Okay?"
"Got it, got it!" Mebuki answered quickly, at which Miya's miasma and killing intent disappeared.
"But just to let you know," Miya added in a more sincere tone, "I'll let it slide if appearances might suggest such activities, as I think that both you and Naruto need the benefit of the doubt right now."
"Thank you, Miya," Naruto was the one to reply.
"Well, enjoy your lunch, you two. I need to get downstairs and serve the others. And don't worry: I'll make sure to keep them out of the room. They can wait until you're ready to get up and walk around before bombarding you with questions."
Both of them nodded gratefully as Miya left the room and closed the door behind her.
"Come on, you," Mebuki offered, "Let's get some food in you."
She gave Naruto his plate and chopsticks while taking her own food and eating it at his desk, allowing him to eat in his bed. She wasn't surprised that he wasn't eating very quickly, as she knew that given everything that had happened, the appetite was usually affected quite severely. He ate what he felt he could, but left one full third of his lunch on his plate before setting it back down on the desk and getting back into bed, laying on his side facing her. He closed his eyes, and the occasional stray tear made its way out of one eye or the other.
Mebuki felt so helpless as she watched Naruto go through such intense feelings while being numb at the same time. She knew how that felt – it hurt…a lot. She remembered how she felt when Minato and Kushina died. The hurt, the anguish, the grief, and that horrible gnawing numbness, as though the heart was both heavy and empty at the same time: she remembered how it all felt. She knew that there was nothing she could say to comfort Naruto.
Deciding that action would do more for him than words right now, she took her sandals off and got out of her dress. Naruto heard shuffling, but didn't bother opening his eyes to look at what was going on. Mebuki, now dressed only in a white silk opaque chemise that extended from her upper torso to mid-thigh and the garments underneath, pulled the covers up, slipped into bed with him, and wrapped her arms around Naruto, holding him to herself as she laid there with him. This did cause Naruto to open his eyes, both in mild shock and trepidation.
"What are you doing?" he asked softly.
"The only thing I can think to do for you right now, sweetie," she whispered to him as her mouth was just next to his ear, "Don't worry, I won't do anything you're uncomfortable with. I just want to hold you. Okay?"
"Okay…I trust you," he whispered back.
At those words, Mebuki immediately felt the same sensations she felt yesterday, only much more intensely this time. Her heart felt like it had just been jolted, and it began to race! Her entire body heated up, shown with a full facial flush, and her breathing suddenly quickened and became heavy and labored. She'd never felt anything like the burning sensation that was coursing through her at that moment.
'What is this?' she thought to herself, beginning to grow frightened, 'This…this heat again. It's just like yesterday, but it's so much stronger! I don't understand this – what's going on?'
Naruto, feeling the heat that her body was suddenly giving off, also noticed the sound of her panted breaths. Frowning in surprise and confusion, he pulled back to get a look at Mebuki so he could see what was going on with her. His eyes widened at what he saw! They widened even more when her hand suddenly went to the back of her neck and pressed on her spine there.
'What the…is she reacting?!' he yelled out in his own mind.
"Yes, Kit, I believe she is!" Kurama answered him.
'But she's not a Sekirei; she said so, herself! And even if she was, I've never seen an initial reaction this severe before!' he stated, 'Kurama, do you know what's happening to her?!'
"No I don't, but I can sense that if you don't get to the bottom of this and do something quickly, it could hurt her very badly!"
"Na-Naruto?!" Mebuki sputtered out, "Wh-what is this?! You look like you know what's happening to me!"
"Okay, Mebuki, I need for you to try to stay calm, okay?"
"I'm trying! But…I don't know what's happening to me! It's…becoming painful!"
"What?!" Naruto fired back in shock, "I've never heard of that happening!"
"Naru…to! What's happening…to me?!" Mebuki shouted as she was beginning to panic.
Naruto thought for a moment before deciding to go for broke, "Mebuki, I said that I trusted you. Are you willing to trust me right now?"
Mebuki looked at him through panicked eyes and nodded briskly.
"Miya, please understand," Naruto pleaded quietly as he suddenly pressed his lips against the older blonde's, causing her to gasp and moan in surprise.
Instinct immediately took over. Mebuki closed her eyes and gave herself over to the kiss, opening her mouth and sucking his tongue right into it, beginning to ravage it with her own. She suddenly felt the compulsion to pull something from within Naruto. She pulled at whatever it was she was compelled to pull, and her body started to cool, the discomfort starting to fade. After a few seconds, however, she couldn't pull anymore, despite how hard she tried, and the discomfort started coming back. She felt her grip over the force she was pulling at begin to slip, and she tried pulling harder.
Naruto couldn't understand it! Even Akitsu didn't have this much difficulty pulling on his chakra! He could feel her control over it slipping; if she lost it entirely, he didn't know what would happen! He then thought that if normal chakra wasn't strong enough to do the job, maybe she needed something denser!
'Kurama?!' he asked his tenant, wanting to use his chakra.
"Way ahead of you, Kit!" the fox replied, apparently of the same mind as Naruto, as he forced his chakra through the kiss into Mebuki's body.
The oncoming rush of such dense, intense energy was exactly what Mebuki seemed to need. Her reaction was running smoothly again, and she was pulling with greater intensity.
'Almost there! Just a little more!' she encouraged herself, knowing she had almost taken all she needed, despite not knowing what it would do or what the end result would be.
It was at this point in time that Miya rushed into the room, surprised at the sudden discharge of energy. Sakura had followed behind her to make sure her mother and Naruto were both okay. What Sakura saw caused her to face-fault.
"What are you two doing?!" she yelled out.
Miya, on the other hand, was surprisingly quiet, and if anyone could see her face at that moment, they would have been dumbfounded to see a satisfied smile on it!
Sakura began to move forward menacingly when suddenly, wings of bright light shot forth from Mebuki's back. The force of Mebuki Haruno's sudden winging threw Sakura backwards, out of the room, and caused her to collide with the opposite wall, hitting it very hard. She crumpled onto the floor, somehow retaining consciousness despite the force of the blow to the back of her head. She picked her head up and looked into the room, seeing Mebuki's wings fade!
"What the…" she said quietly to nobody in particular, "…how is my mom a…Sekirei?" She then grimaced in mild annoyance as she groaned to herself, "And why did Naruto of all people have to be her Ashikabi?"
Once her wings faded, Mebuki opened her eyes again, staring at Naruto in awe and wonder. She could feel everything he was feeling: his surprise, his confusion, his joy at having her as his new Sekirei, the overflowing love he possessed for all of his Sekirei, and now for her as well! Beneath that, though, she could feel his grief and his pain at the loss of Anko. She pulled herself out of bed and stood up. Seeing how spent Naruto was, her only desire was to see him rest and recover his strength. She knew exactly what to do.
"By the Holy Light of my Contract, my Ashikabi's pains will be soothed," she chanted, as her body started to suddenly glow with a radiant white light. She placed her hands on Naruto's face and quietly uttered the words, "Healing Rest". Several seconds later, Naruto's eyes rolled back into his head and closed – he was out, and would be out for the next few hours, but he would awaken feeling better than he ever had…at least physically. She gently laid him back down onto the bed and pulled his covers over him with a loving smile.
She turned to see Miya, who was smiling knowingly at the newly-discovered and newly-winged Sekirei, the newest Sekirei in Naruto's flock! Mebuki smiled back – all the answers she didn't have before suddenly came back to her! She remembered exactly how she got this way! She also knew exactly what had been happening to her body, both this time, and at the time when she'd had her first pre-reactions to Minato Namikaze!
Their attention was pulled away from each other when Sakura yelled out, "Okay what gives?! Mom, how is it possible that you're a Sekirei and I didn't notice?! Why do you look twenty years younger than you did before you were winged?! And…" Sakura suddenly pointed at her mother, "…WHERE THE HELL DID THOSE SUDDENLY POP OUT FROM?!"
Mebuki followed Sakura's finger to her chest, only for her own eyes to widen in amazement at what she saw there! What had been a healthy B-Cup before had to be a DD-Cup, if not an E-Cup bust now! She had to be at least ninety-five centimeters in circumference, probably more than that! She started to rub her hands over the contours of her new body, and she noticed that everything was a whole lot firmer than it had been before. Her hips were wider, her skin was smoother! Even looking at her hands, she saw that they were pristine! There were no more age spots or fine lines on her hands!
She suddenly looked up and said quickly, "Where's a mirror?"
"Just a moment, Mebuki," Miya interjected, "While I'm pretty sure you're not going to fit back into that dress anymore, we need to get you into something a little more appropriate to wear outside a bedroom, wouldn't you agree? Especially since your…enhancements…have caused your chemise to end higher on your thighs?"
"Oh…" Mebuki looked down and laughed sheepishly, suddenly noticing that she felt the draft in the room around her panty line, "Err, yeah…got anything to spare?"
"I have a couple of spare outfits she can borrow," they all heard Musubi chirp at the door before she ran in and hugged her new 'sister', "I'm so happy that Naruto's got another Sekirei! Welcome!"
"Umm…thank you!" Mebuki replied, "Now, about those spare clothes?"
"Right!" Musubi declared with a raised fist and a determined, flinty smile.
"Actually, Musubi," Miya interrupted once more, "I think I have a yukata or two that she can wear until we can get her some more suitable clothing."
"Thank you, Lady Miya."
"You can just call me Miya, dear," Miya offered with a smile, "Please wait here. I'll be right back."
Mebuki and Sakura were left alone with a sleeping Naruto as Miya left the room followed by Musubi.
"So…" Sakura began, "…you and Naruto. Who'd have thought?"
"Sakura," Mebuki turned to Sakura and asked, "Is this going to be a problem for you?"
Sakura looked back and forth between her and Naruto, and found herself surprised that she was at peace with what had happened.
With a smile, she answered, "Believe it or not, no, I really don't think so. As an Ashikabi, myself, I know that Sekirei react to the people they're supposed to react to. Naruto is your destined Ashikabi, and even though I'd never admit this to him, I don't think you could have found a better Ashikabi than him. He'll love you with everything he has. All of his other Sekirei are very happy with him, and you will be, too."
"Thank you, sweetheart," Mebuki answered, "And don't worry: your secret is safe with me."
"Thanks, Mom," she finished with a laugh.
It was at this moment that Miya entered the room with an exquisite royal blue yukata with a floral pattern for Mebuki to wear.
"This should do," Miya told her as she handed her the yukata.
Mebuki thanked her and put the yukata on, tying it around her waist with a red obi. She put her sandals back on and left the room, heading to the bathroom to take a look at herself in the mirror. Miya and Sakura followed her, wanting to see her reaction at her new countenance.
When Mebuki looked at herself in the mirror, she gasped in stunned wonderment at the spectacular beauty staring back at her. Her face had no fine lines at all! Sakura was right; she had somehow de-aged about twenty years! She ran her fingers across her face only to feel flawless, silky smooth skin. She took a couple of steps backwards to get a better view of her whole body. A wondrous smile crept across her face as she checked herself out, spinning here and there and looking at the shape of her now-perfect body in the mirror!
Tears of joy began to fall from her eyes as she beheld herself in that mirror! This body, the body that she would freely give to her love, her Ashikabi, for him to enjoy and indulge in as often as he wanted! This body – the body that her Naruto had given to her with his love! She idly noted that thinking of him in such a way just felt so…right, now! It felt natural – as if this was what was always supposed to be!
"You look radiant, Mom," Sakura complimented.
"Yes, Mebuki, you truly do," Miya added, "Now come on. We need to introduce you to the other residents here as the newest sister in Naruto's flock."
Miya brought Sakura and Mebuki downstairs and then went to collect all of her other tenants. Once all of them save Naruto were in the living room, Miya introduced Mebuki to all of them, informing them that she was Sakura's mother, and that Naruto had just in fact winged her. All of them save Musubi looked rather surprised at this.
Miya asked her, "So Mebuki, why don't you tell us how you came to be…who you are, now?"
Mebuki, knowing what Miya meant, began her tale, "Well, I guess my story starts about twenty-five years ago. I was sixteen, and I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I saw Orochimaru of the Sannin killing a couple of chunin and kidnapping some child. I cried out, and he heard me. The next thing I remember was waking up face-down on some kind of table. I was strapped onto it, because I remember not being able to move, even my head – I couldn't see what was going on. The next several weeks after that were just…filled with pain that felt like pin-pricks. I do remember the feeling of having something painted on me right at the base of my neck, and then a burning sensation – I guess it was a seal that was painted onto me. Shortly after that, I was pronounced a failure by some unfamiliar voice…and then I remember waking up in the Leaf Hospital."
She took a breath before continuing, "I didn't remember anything of those last several weeks. I didn't remember seeing Orochimaru kill those chunin and abduct that little boy, and I didn't remember anything that was done to me. I do remember that when I awoke, the Hokage and Orochimaru both came into my room, and apparently Orochimaru had told the Hokage that he had been returning from a mission where he'd found me passed out on the road. He said that he had recognized me from seeing me around the village, and knew that I shouldn't have been out in the middle of nowhere, unconscious, especially because I was a civilian. The friendly smile on his face made me drink in his words like some kind of nectar, because I bought the lie – even though I had a sinking feeling of dread…whenever I would look at him from that point onward."
All of them were quiet for a few moments before Matsu interjected, "I think I can piece together what happened. You're most likely the classified 'prototype hybridization' experiment that preceded Ororo. And because there was no outward change in your physiology, despite having Sekirei DNA inserted into your genome, you were deemed a failed experiment. I can only guess that Tailed Beast chakra was the missing catalyst in activating the dormant Sekirei genes – at least if Naruto's sudden surge of the Nine-Tails' chakra and its absorption into your body is any indicator."
"That would make sense," Ororo added, "Tailed Beast chakra was what activated the Sekirei DNA inserted into me."
Matsu continued, "I also think it explains why Sakura was able to cause a reaction in a single-number Sekirei of Homura's power when she had no previous Sekirei before her. Sakura's power as an Ashikabi probably comes from her mother's once-dormant Sekirei DNA being a part of her own genetic make-up."
"In any case," Taki was the one to speak up this time, "Welcome to the Family, Mebuki!"
After several minutes of chatter and greeting, Miya quieted everyone and spoke up, "Now that Naruto's alright, I wanted to let all of you know that tomorrow morning, after I take him to handle some business with the Hokage, I'll be taking him out of town for several days to…an isolated location, just him and me."
Before the objections that she could see were about to be put forth, she raised her hands and said, "I understand that you might have objections, but please hear me out. Naruto has just lost someone he loved dearly – Anko Mitarashi was a very important person in Naruto's life, and she was there for him long before any of you were. He needs to be able to grieve over her death in peace – by himself! I know that all of you mean the very best, but as someone who's been through what he's going through, I have a much better idea of what he needs. Ororo, I can see that you, at least, know what I'm talking about?"
They all turned to Ororo, who nodded somberly, recalling the loss she felt at both her parents and the chance she never had to see her baby brother alive.
Miya continued, "Please know I'm doing this for all of our benefit, not just his. I know that most of you are a bit frustrated with the…impasses in your relationships with Naruto. Understand this: I know things about him that the rest of you don't, and my purpose in bringing him with me is to help him so that he can move through these impasses. If I'm successful, all of you will thank me later! For now, I'm asking – please be patient."
Many of them still wanted to object, but seeing the look on Miya's face, somehow both stern and pleading at the same time, they all acquiesced. They could see that Miya understood just how hard it would be on the girls without their beloved Ashikabi with them, that she had reasons for keeping whatever it was she knew from them, and most importantly, those reasons were likely very good ones.
"We do understand, Miya," Karasuba took the liberty of speaking for Naruto's flock, naturally fitting into the role of commander as his most powerful Sekirei – at least at the moment, "And we trust that you'll tell us everything we need to know upon your return. We just worry for him because we love him, is all."
"I know," Miya answered her friend turned enemy turned friend once again with a grateful smile, "And again, I'll tell you everything I can when we get back. While we're gone, Matsu and Karasuba will take joint responsibility for running the Inn. Mebuki, can you handle all the cooking while we're away, starting tomorrow morning?"
Mebuki nodded reassuringly.
Miya nodded back with a smile before turning back to the others, "Matsu will assign out all the other day-to-day responsibilities…" the temperature in the room began to drop sharply as purple miasma flooded out of Miya's body, her hannya mask forming immediately after, "…and Karasuba will do an admirable job of making sure that none of my household rules are violated in my absence. Do all of you understand?"
Those Sekirei who weren't Karasuba couldn't nod their heads fast enough. Even Matsu was nodding her head at the fear she felt from Miya. Karasuba simply smirked at Miya and nodded, though if one looked closely enough, they could see that the tall gray-haired woman had paled slightly. Evidently, even she was not immune to Miya's ability to incite terror!
Dinner was quiet, as everyone felt rather somber over the events of the last couple of days. Sakura and Mebuki were both saddened at the loss of Kizashi as well as Naruto's current state, while Homura was saddened over Sakura's pain. Sasuke and Yahan were as quiet as always, though their usual playfulness was absent. The rest of the girls were feeling sad for Naruto.
Naruto had woken up and joined them for dinner, taking the place to Miya's left that she had reserved for him. This time, it was Mebuki who was seated at his other side. He was numb – the energy he would normally exhibit just seemed to have been completely sapped from him. Even the pace at which he ate was slow, as if eating was a chore for him and he was only doing it because his body was screaming at him to feed it. Mebuki and Miya would both rub his back in an affectionate, comforting way from time to time – this seemed to lift his spirits and allow him a greater appetite.
Once they had finished dinner, all of Naruto's Sekirei offered him what comfort they could. Offering them all a grateful smile when they were done, Naruto went out to the backyard and made his way onto the roof. Once he got up there, he found a random spot, sat down, closed his eyes, hung his head and let his tears fall silently.
As he sat there, some of the images and scenes from when he had been with Anko filled his mind.
Eight year old Naruto and Itachi were in the Forest of Death, their now normal training ground, working on basic chakra control. Naruto was, to Itachi's dismay, horrible at it. What little control he did have at the time what has shoddy at best, he was barely able to manage enough control to use chakra paper as a test for his reserves.
However, as they trained they, mostly Naruto, hadn't noticed a strange onlooker to their activities.
Their training continued for a few more minutes until Naruto heard a female voice say, "Wow, so this is the runt you're training, eh Itachi?"
Itachi silently moaned, he did not like Anko very much.
Naruto looked at the woman in shock as she appeared. He stood up swiftly and shouted, "Itachi-sensei! Where'd she come from?!"
Itachi folded his arms with a light sigh. "She's been here the entire time. You simply didn't notice."
Naruto paled. "Oh…"
"So, you're learning the basics, huh?"
Naruto stumbled to the ground as she was mere inches from his face, though he then looked at her and turned a little red.
"Oh, what's wrong little man?"
"You're scary," that gained the woman a tic mark, "but you're also really pretty."
Anko looked at him puzzled for a moment before laughing loudly. "Well, well, only eight years old and already a charmer!"
Naruto looked at her as she continued to laugh, Itachi sighing in resignation.
A little while later, when Naruto was nine, he was busy training with Itachi and Anko, who had since joined his small group of people.
Anko was teaching him a few basic jutsu, mostly the academy ones.
Naruto attempted the Clone Jutsu, but both Anko and Itachi looked at him in disbelief as his clone was pathetic and deformed.
Anko sighed. "Oh boy, this kid's gonna need some serious training." She then smirked at Naruto slyly. "Maybe I can provide a little special training, hm?"
Naruto looked at her confused and worried when a voice similar yet different to Miya's said, "My, my Anko, a little young to be putting the moves on him, isn't he?"
Anko turned white as a ghost, "Oh…uh…hi. Didn't see you there."
The woman giggled lightly, "I can tell."
After another span of time, Naruto had just turned eleven, and five other people were present to celebrate, Itachi, Anko, the same woman from before, another Uchiha and Maito Gai.
Gai assumed a supposedly powerful pose. "Right! To celebrate this momentous occasion, I shall let my flames of youth explode!"
Anko twitched and eyebrow and threw a sack over his head before kicking him in the ass. "The only thing that needs to explode is your head you creepy frog-man!"
Gai stood up in a Nice Guy pose, bag still on his head, and said muffled, "I am not insulted by your insult. I wish to be like the frogs, constantly energetic and vigilant."
Naruto laughed uncomfortably, "Err, Gai-sensei, I don't think it works that way."
"Oh? It doesn't?" Gai asked, facing the completely wrong direction because of artificial blindness.
Sasuke and Yahan had retired to Sasuke's room once dinner was finished. Now that they were alone, they had completely let down their carefully-constructed façade. Sasuke was sitting in one of the chairs in the room while Yahan was kneeling on her futon. She just watched him as he seemed to stare off into space, though she knew better. Even though she no longer had the benefit of the Bond, she knew that look on his face – he was deep in thought, troubled by something.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and sighed softly, "Silky, what do you think about everything surrounding Naruto lately?"
His use of her pet name made her feel warm: Silky, given to her because of her ability to move as smoothly as silk through the shadows without sound or friction, and doing it in such a beautiful, elegant manner that it could only be compared to silk.
She regarded him thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure what you mean."
He sighed again before he began to explain quietly, "I'm just sick of it all – all the crap that everyone in this village gives him, all the crap that life just seems to dump on him…I just wish I could do something about it."
Yahan smiled at her love's regard for his best friend, "Stony, I owe Naruto my life…quite literally. I love him the same way you do, and the mistreatment he suffers frustrates me just as much. I honestly don't know how people could be so stupid and filled with hate that they can't see what right in front of them."
Sasuke gave an ever-so-slight smile at her use of his pet name: Stony, short for Stone-Face, as it spoke of Sasuke's stoicism to the general public. Yahan got up off the bed and walked towards Sasuke, taking his hands in hers once she was next to him. Sasuke, in response, held her hands as she held his, bringing his gaze to meet hers.
Seeing the love she held for him in her eyes, his smile grew slightly more as she continued, "But…I think Naruto would say that you're already doing more for him than you give yourself credit for. There might not be much you can do about the villagers' attitudes, but you're his friend – his best friend, his brother in every way that matters. The bond that you two share: it strengthens you both. It challenges you both. I'd go so far as to say it helps to define you both."
His smile slowly fell as he responded, "I know – and I know there's really nothing I can do right now. I just don't like feeling helpless or frustrated. You know me: I get more comfort out of taking action than in being patient and waiting for something to happen."
Yahan giggled in response as she began to lean in towards him, "Is that why you keep putting off my advances instead of acting on them?"
"Oh, no, not at all…," he replied with a smirk and a chuckle of his own, "…I just know better than to do anything that would put me in Miya's crosshairs."
"But Stony…" she began with a playful whine, "…even when we're out and about…" only for Sasuke to finish her sentence for her.
"…you would do something that would cause you to lose any semblance of future self-control, possibly making you as bad as Matsu if not worse even when back here at home. This would in turn cause Miya to paint a permanent target on my chest, and possibly my manhood as well. And…seeing what she's able to do with that blade of hers…" he smirked at her once more, "…I choose to err on the side of caution, and not give the only woman on Earth who scares the ever-loving shit out of me an excuse to do just that."
Yahan sighed and grunted grumpily, "Fair point."
"Be patient, Silky," Sasuke encouraged her with a warmth that he would never show anyone else, "That'll come in time, and I'll show you how much I love you all you want. There's no rush."
Yahan gave him a content smile before closing her eyes and leaning in closer, planting a gentle kiss on Sasuke's lips, a kiss that he returned with equally gentle affection. After a few moments, she pulled away and opened her eyes once more.
Regarding him with a warm smile, she said softly, "Please don't keep me waiting too long, dear. Our marriage is important to me."
"It is to me, too, Silky," he reassured her sincerely, choosing to remain silent about the plans that had recently begun forming in his mind, knowing that Yahan loved surprises.
Much like Sasuke, Sakura and Homura had retired to their room as well. Sakura had just collapsed onto her bed, emotionally spent and numb from the upheavals and surprises that the last several days had brought.
Homura, knowing that there was nothing he could say, simply laid down on the bed next to her and took her into his arms. Sakura didn't resist, allowing herself to be drawn into Homura's comforting hold and bringing her own arms around him as well.
"I'm tired, Homura," she told him, her exhaustion evident in her tone.
"I know."
After a few moments of silent contemplation, she continued just as tiredly, "There's still so much I don't know. I mean…I've learned things about my parents that I never would have imagined in a million years. My life has been turned completely upside down…ever since I've seen the real Naruto, but…" she trailed off with a sigh.
When Homura held her a little closer, she found the clarity to continue expressing her thoughts, "…the last couple of days have just been…I dunno. I mean, with Daddy acting like a monster, and then being executed this morning, to Mom hiding things from me, and then to finding out she's a hybrid Sekirei like Ororo is, with Naruto as her Ashikabi…I just don't know what I should think or feel right now."
She paused once more for a few moments before her voice just started to break as she continued, "And still…what I'm feeling probably isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to what Naruto must be going through."
She sniffled, a few small sobs forcing their way up from her diaphragm as she struggled to maintain her composure, Homura tightening his hold on her even more. He could feel his Ashikabi's tears soaking into his shirt as she clenched the back of his shirt with her fists.
After another pause to allow her sobs to subside, she asked quietly, "How can he stand it, Homura?"
"That's a question only he can answer, Sakura," he told her quietly, "I really don't know how he does it. I can tell you that I've never met another soul with the strength of character Naruto possesses. Life, unfortunately, has beaten most of his toughness into him. Some of it, I think he was born with, but then, so were you."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, confused and still sniffling.
Homura answered her unasked question, "I think about how you've handled your world being turned upside down, and then I think about how Ino reacted to something as trivial as when you and Sasuke defended Naruto to her in the Tower. She shrieked and ran off over something as small as that. You, on the other hand…well, you're handling everything that's happening really well from what I can see."
Sakura smiled in gratitude to the man she loved, while he smiled back and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.
"So give yourself some credit, Sakura," Homura encouraged her, "You're stronger than you think, and even if you were going through a time as intense as what Naruto's going through right now…I think you'd find a way to stand up under it."
"Thank you so much, Homura. I love you," she told him gratefully and sincerely, while he simply brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. She leaned into him and lay her head against his chest while he held her to himself contently. Their companionable silence was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.
"Sakura?" Sakura recognized her mother's voice, "Can I come in?"
She looked at Homura, who simply smiled and nodded.
"Go ahead, Mom," she responded as she and Homura got off each other and sat up as Mebuki opened the door and entered the room, closing it behind her. She saw that Mebuki had her keepsake box with her.
Upon seeing Sakura's tear-stained face, she frowned with worry, "Sweetie, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom, really," she reassured her mother with a smile, "Everything in the last few days just finally caught up to me, that's all. Homura helped me through it."
"Oh, good," Mebuki responded with obvious relief, "Listen, Sakura, if this is a bad time…"
"No, no, it's okay," Sakura was quick to reassure her mother before asking, "What do you need?"
"Well…" Mebuki began, "…yesterday I told you that I wasn't ready to disclose everything about myself or about what you heard."
Sakura nodded.
Mebuki offered, "If you're ready to hear it all now, I'm ready to tell you…"
"Oh…yeah, okay. Homura, do you think you could…?"
"No problem. I can go…"
"Actually Homura," Mebuki interrupted him, gesturing for him to stay where he was, "Why don't you stay? Part of what I want to say concerns you as well."
"Oh…alright then," he responded warily.
"It's no cause for concern or worry, I assure you," she reassured him with a disarming smile, raising her hands in a placating manner. This seemed to calm Homura's nerves, while Sakura just sat where she was and patiently waited for her mother to tell them what she wanted to say. Mebuki sat down in the only free chair in the room.
"Well," Mebuki began, "I'm thinking about putting our home on the market and selling it."
Sakura nodded understandingly, voicing her suspicion as to her mother's motives, "You want to live with Naruto, right?"
"I do, yes," she replied, "He is my Ashikabi, after all, so that effectively makes him my husband, just like Homura's yours, right, Sakura?"
Sakura frowned in thought as she pondered that idea. She had heard Tsukiumi refer to herself as Naruto's wife many times before, and his other Sekirei all seemed to share similar sentiments, but she'd never applied that idea to herself and Homura before now. But she found that as she thought about it, it did in fact seem to be the most fitting analogy for their Bond.
'Maybe Tsukiumi really was onto something,' Sakura thought to herself as a smile crossed her face. "Yeah, Mom, I guess that's true," she answered her mother as she looked at Homura, who was blushing and acting coy, "Homura is my husband…and I couldn't be happier for that."
Homura just sputtered with bashful embarrassment, prompting Sakura and Mebuki to giggle at his expense. Their giggles caused him to go from sputtering to glowering and pouting, which only served to produce full-blown laughs from the mother and daughter.
"It's okay, Homura," Mebuki assured him, "There's nothing to be ashamed of. I think my baby girl did pretty well with you."
"Oh…well, err…thank you, ma'am," he replied respectfully.
"You can use my name, you know…" Mebuki teased him, "…or you can call me…Mom?"
Homura face-faulted at this and began sputtering once more, while Mebuki seized the opportunity to tease him further, "Or how about Momma? Or maybe Mommy?"
Sakura began to laugh uncontrollably, clutching her stomach, falling to her side and rolling around on the floor, her guffaws growing louder and louder until she was laughing so hard that she was shedding tears and coughing.
Homura went back to glowering and pouting as he told Sakura, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
Once the laughter had died down, Mebuki adopted a more serious posture, "Anyway, I plan on putting my house up for sale, but it'll take some time to find a buyer. Until it sells, I wanted to know if the two of you would like to move in with me, there."
"Huh?" Sakura asked, surprised at the offer, and at her mother's desire to live away from Naruto, "But why aren't you going to live with Naruto right away? Don't you want to?"
"Of course, I do, Sweetie," Mebuki told her with a nod, "But I'll get my chance to do that. I think it would be good for us to spend some time together as our own little family unit, too. This will give us that opportunity – we need to grow closer. It'll also allow the two of you to…properly engage each other without the…restrictions Miya has told me she's placed on the residents, here?"
"Mom?!" Sakura shouted, shocked at her mother's candor concerning her "marriage".
"Sweetie, you two are Sekirei and Ashikabi – it's only natural that you'd take that step."
"Mebuki…" Homura interjected, "…how do you suddenly know so much about Sekireis and Ashikabis?"
"I'm not sure," she answered plainly, "But I think the knowledge was…implanted into me, somehow? Anyway, that's really not important. When Naruto and Miya get back and I've done what I promised Miya I would do in her absence, do you two want to move back in with me?"
"Well…" Sakura began, before turning to Homura, "…I don't have a problem with it if you don't."
Homura thought about it for a few moments before a slow smile crept across his face. He turned to Mebuki and gave her his answer, "Let's do it. Don't get me wrong, I love Miya like a mother…please don't tell her I said that…but it would be nice to get away from that Sage-awful mask of hers."
"Wonderful!" Mebuki replied as she quickly approached the two of them, hugging them both. They returned her hug without hesitation, all three of them smiling happily. Once she let them go, they all sat back down and Mebuki adopted a sober expression once more.
"Okay, Sakura, I said that I would tell you everything, so now I will."
Mebuki would spend the next several hours showing Sakura and Homura her keepsake box, telling them the stories behind every picture, every memento, every keepsake.
Naruto had been on the roof alone, weeping in silence for half an hour. He suddenly sensed a powerful presence that was somewhat familiar. Turning his head, he saw none other than Mutsu, Mikogami's strongest Sekirei, land on the roof and walk his way. Naruto would have adopted a defensive stance, but he sensed no killing intent from the man. Even his posture indicated that he was not there to fight or cause trouble.
Naruto just continued staring at Mutsu as the ash-blond made his way over and sat down next to him.
After a few moments of silence, Mutsu quietly offered, "I'm sorry for your loss, Naruto."
Naruto frowned in confusion, "How did you know?"
"Kakashi told me. He thought that I might be able to help…" he smirked before adding, "…his exact words were, 'Naruto could probably benefit from a testosterone-based influence, being around all that estrogen'."
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle in response, "Yeah, that sounds like something he'd say."
They shared a companionable silence for a minute or two before Naruto broke it, "You're connected with my folks, too, aren't you?"
"Your father…" Mutsu answered with a nod, "…I'm not surprised you figured it out. Though I'm curious as to how you pieced it together."
"Really wasn't hard," Naruto told him with a shrug, "I know I've gotten quite a bit stronger in the last several months since I've gotten involved in the Sekirei Plan, but no matter how strong I got, you always seemed to be a…certain distance ahead of me. That told me that you're likely either pulling your punches so as to not really cause me any harm while trying to make it look convincing to others that you're playing for keeps, or you're possibly giving me a tangible goal to shoot for in my own training…"
Naruto's explanation was interrupted by a chuckle from Mutsu, "Okay, I am surprised that you figured that part of it out. You really are just as sharp as your old man, kid."
Naruto smiled weakly at Mutsu's compliment before continuing, "…then, there's the fact that Karasuba and Miya both knew my parents, so it wasn't much of a stretch to guess that the rest of the First Generation Discipline Squad did, too. I'm guessing with this next one, but am I right in that you didn't want anyone to know you were aware of who I am, or what your connection to my family is?"
Mutsu raised his eyebrows in astonishment, "Right again. I made a promise to Minato that I would protect you as best I could. Ever since you were born, I've been doing that from the shadows, preventing incidents where I could and also keeping certain…interested parties…from acquiring you."
"Danzo Shimura and his drones?"
Mutsu showed his astonishment once more, this time with a frown, "Okay, how do you even know who they are?"
"My old sensei told me to watch out for him and anyone working for him – he said I'd be able to tell who they were by their blank ANBU masks with the inscription for ROOT on them."
Mutsu hummed in thought before responding, "I guess Itachi had real fears of Danzo making concerted efforts to snatch you up once he was out of the picture. Good thing, too – it made keeping my efforts secret a whole lot easier."
Naruto turned to Mutsu, frowning in confusion, to which Mutsu responded, "I've taken down nearly half of Danzo's Foundation forces to keep them from getting their hands on you, and he still has no idea who's responsible. If I'd had to reveal myself to you before now, chances are Danzo would have put two and two together, and that would have made my job complicated."
"I can imagine," Naruto replied with a chuckle, pausing for a few moments before asking, "You mentioned Kakashi. I'm guessing he knows about all this?"
"He does."
"So then…why is it that even though nobody else might be around to see you, you and him still fight to the death?"
"He's rarely without his Sekirei," Mutsu explained, "Can you picture Hikari and Hibiki being able to keep a lid on a secret like this?"
Naruto nodded his acknowledgment of Mutsu's explanation, "Yeah, they do have a tendency to put their foots in their mouths, don't they? Probably best that they don't suspect anything."
They shared another few moments of companionable silence before Mutsu spoke up once more, "I know what you're going through. I went through the exact same thing when your father died."
"Yeah?"
"Mmm…" Mutsu responded with a nod, "…he was the best friend I've ever had, and we were brothers in everything but blood…" Mutsu turned to Naruto and added, "…much like how you and Sasuke Uchiha are, now."
Naruto chuckled with a thought that he decided to express to Mutsu, "I guess that makes you like my uncle or something, then, doesn't it?"
"Something like that, yeah," Mutsu replied with a chuckle of his own before his smile dropped and he added, "I still need to keep this a secret, so we won't be having any more interactions like this anytime soon. I'll still do all I can, but I still need to keep Mikogami and all his other Sekirei safe as well. I can't have Danzo targeting them to get to me. So…" he turned to Naruto with a steely glint in his eye before finishing with, "…you need to regard me as an enemy any time you see me on the battlefield unless circumstances dictate otherwise."
Naruto closed his eyes and nodded with a sigh, understanding Mutsu's reasoning.
Mutsu offered a small smile once more when he added, "On the other hand, you've impacted most of Mikogami's Sekirei in a positive way, as well as Mikogami himself. He hasn't been able to get what you said to him about Sekireis having the right to choose their own Ashikabis out of his head. He hasn't sent any of us hunting for Sekirei to join his flock since then."
"That's good to know," Naruto replied, "I hope the days of us doing battle are behind us from here on out."
"So do I, kid," Mutsu shared his sentiment, "But be prepared if they're not."
Naruto adopted a serious expression as he nodded, "Got it."
"Alright, then," Mutsu stood up and began to walk away, but turned around to add one final thought, "Your dad and I had a lot of adventures together – I've got some stories to tell. I hope that one day, I'll get the chance to do that."
"I'd like that, Mutsu."
"Well…good night, Naruto," he said as he waved at him.
Naruto simply responded with a wave of his own. He sat there and watched as Mutsu leaped off into the night, leaving Naruto once more to his solitude and his thoughts.
Once Mutsu left, Naruto spent the next several minutes going over his latest encounter with the powerful single-number Sekirei in his head when he suddenly felt a pair of arms slip around his chest from behind him, and a pair of breasts squishing into his back.
He stiffened and gasped at the contact until he heard a familiar voice say, "It's just me."
"Miya?" he asked as he turned his head to see the face of his lilac-haired landlady out of the corner of his eye, only inches away from his own.
"Mm-hmm," she responded in the affirmative, "How are you?"
"I'm…as good as can be expected, but better than I was. Believe it or not, Mutsu was just here…" Miya raised two surprised eyebrows as Naruto continued, "…he told me all about his friendship with my father, and how he promised to look out for me whenever I needed it."
"So the cat's out of the bag, huh?" Miya asked rhetorically with a giggle, "Yes, both Mutsu and I have been doing that all your life, except for that one time…"
"It's okay, Miya," Naruto assured her, "I know that something must have prevented either of you from being able to stop that one beating."
"Thank you," she offered, relieved.
Miya just hugged him from behind for a few minutes before leaning in to kiss his cheek, bringing about another gasp from him.
"Naru, I'm so sorry. I know how much Anko meant to you. Is there anything I can do for you right now?"
Naruto smiled in gratitude at Miya's desire to help him, "Not really, no. But if there is something, you'll be the first one I ask."
"Thank you," she replied with a chuckle before adding, "Naruto, listen – I want you to pack for a week-long trip tonight."
Naruto frowned in confusion, "Why?"
"Because tomorrow morning, I'm going to take you to the Hokage so we can get some personal business handled for you, and immediately after that, I want to take you out of town for the next several days."
His confused frown deepened, "Where are we going?"
"To an isolated spot that I know of."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Miya smiled knowingly at him, "Naru…I'm not asking this lightly, and I have good reasons for taking this trip with you. Please…trust me?"
After a few seconds, Naruto smiled weakly and nodded.
Miya let go of him, stood up and nodded back, "Alright, then. We'll see the Hokage at seven tomorrow morning, and if everything goes well, we should be able to leave town by eight. We can grab some breakfast on the way out."
Naruto nodded, "Sounds like a plan. I'll start packing right away."
"Oh…" Miya just remembered, "…and Naru?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't bring your track suit with you," she requested with an amused yet wry smile.
Naruto laughed, "No problem."
Naruto then stood up, and both of them jumped off the roof into the backyard before returning into the house, both of them leaving to their respective rooms to pack for their trip tomorrow.
And that's it. That's the end of this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Again, I know it was a little short but hopefully the content of this one and the next make up for it.
