A/N: Hey, mina-san! First of all, I am REALLY sorry for the REALLY late update, but it couldn't be helped. I am currently dealing with some pretty nasty back problems and I can only spend a limited amount of time sitting in front of the computer. So that's why. It sucks and I apologize in advance if this stretches to the next- and last- chapter. I want to thank all you wonderful people who take the time to read my story, and extra huggies and all to you guys who take the time to drop me a line- whether a review or a pm, I love hearing from you.

My anon. readers- not counting Kit and Hoshi no Neko who are just lazy! lol: Kakashi's Dog – Thank you, hon. I really appreciate it… and the lack of threatening pms about my late update. ;-) Insideout – Thank you, thank you, thank you. The Yamato chapter was fun to write and it really makes me happy that the "not looking into it" mood is coming across. I don't intend for the whole Village to know about Naruto and Sasuke, but I kind of like making it so that it doesn't go entirely unnoticed either. I'm happy you do too. ^.^ =] – Wow… thanks you… just thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and sorry for the late update.

Disclaimer: I own a pilates dvd that demands a lot of grace… and I totally lack grace. If I weren't miserable with back pain, I'd think it's a joke.

Tides and Ebbs of Honesty

Tide 18: Days are Scrolls

Each side of her body was a little numb presently. In truth she had almost forgotten what it was like to not be numb in some part of her body. The worst, by far, had been the numbness in her heart that day that seemed so long ago, but would forever be part of her present. Each time her son would look up at her with that hauntingly familiar gleam in his eyes, with each year that the boy would look more like his father, but, above all, with each year that Asuma wouldn't be there to witness all the marvels that having a child promised.

She shifted her shoulder slightly, so as not to disturb the little boy- her little boy- that had fallen asleep on their way back from the grocery store, and released a deep breath that would have been a sigh. It was a comfortable weight and the feeling of his little heart beating again her chest was ever soothing. It took a lot out of her to focus on that thought, instead of lingering in painful memories and half-said, sometimes misunderstood, goodbyes. Guiltily, she recognized that it shouldn't have been this hard, but then again, though she had been a mother figure for her students, she had never quite imagined herself being a mother until… Well, until it had actually happened. Now it was all she could do to relearn how to experience her days, to fill them with all those things she had never afforded herself or the people she loved, but would make damn sure her son would never miss.

Yuuhi Kurenai prayed to Kami that she would find the strength to hold on to this feeling, swelling in her chest, until the end of her days- whenever that might be. She prayed that she would be one of those fortunate parents, who died before they had to burry their own children.

"Kurenai-sensei!"

The voice startled her and she dropped the grocery bag- which was swiftly rescued by an orange flurry. She blinked. "Naruto…"

"Ah- sorry about that." The blonde boy apologized, balancing the bag in his arms. "I didn't mean to startle you, but it looked like you could use some help."

She arched a brow at that, then smiled graciously intending to thank him and retrieve her bag, when her little angel started screaming his lungs out at having been woken up so suddenly. With a smile of apology at Naruto, who seemed legitimately nervous, she rocked the child that, just as quickly, cooed at the relaxing motion that soothed him back to his sleep. He was a loud one, with very little patience- where exactly had he picked that up from?

"Sorry about that too…" Naruto whispered cautiously, not wanting to wake the source of what had sounded like an angry battle-cry. "Where is Shikamaru anyway- I thought he was supposed to help you out with errands and stuff…"

Kurenai made a face. "I can't keep imposing on Shikamaru." She said. Honestly, she hated needing help. It had been a foreign notion to her- disturbing too, because she had spent her entire life learning different ways to stand on her own. "I can manage."

Naruto tilted his head at her. "You do know he'd be pretty pissed off to hear you say that, right?" he said and started walking in the direction she had been heading.

The comment produced a small smile on her lips. Shikamaru had been wonderful, his comfortable presence and easy-going manner made her miss Asuma sometimes a little less- and often painfully more- when he was around. Her mind drifted back to Naruto and her thoughts darkened again. She had prayed to die before her child and, though she still felt that way, the blonde boy was the epitome of the tragic paths an orphan might walk. Her eyes trailed the boy's form filled with well-concealed remorse for all the things that she wished she could have done different. But there was no changing the past- it was written in stone. All she could do was make different choices about the present. Days were, after all, scrolls.

Kurenai picked up the proverbial pen. "How was training?" she asked conversationally and noticed that the boy's shoulders tensed.

It was hard not to be fascinated with the boy that Hinata had spent years and years daydreaming about. Naruto-kun this, Naruto-kun that. The good-natured amusement about the plights of infatuations at that age, had quickly given way to concern and a pang of pain as she watched Kiba's feelings for the quiet, shy girl evolve from friendship to something much more- to borrow Shikamaru's trademark term- troublesome. The teases became just a little bit more curt- in the truest fashion of teenage drama- but he was mostly avoiding the subject altogether and, eventually, remarkably, he had been able to rise above his own unrequited emotions and be her friend. More often than not, she had found that she was not pep-talk savvy enough to deal with it- not as easily as Kakashi or Gai or Asuma seemed to anyway. Shouldn't she had been naturally better with emotional issues, being a woman and all? In her opinion, the whole thing about "female intuition" and "feminine side" were just over advertized. Thankfully, Shino had been there- with his quiet and peace-loving nature, his gentle mannerisms- to balance the emotional overload by the other two- though, if Shino ever got emotional over something… Oooooh boy… Asuma had made fun of her often.

"It was okay." he said hesitantly, bringing her out of her reverie, as he paused at the corner of the street they had been walking. "Uh… which way?"

All those memories had that seemed so vivid and yet so far away- like the faded ink on scrolls of days past- were pushed to the back of her mind as something about Naruto struck her as off. "Left. It's the house at the end of the street." She said pleasantly, but her mentor-mode had already set in and she was curious. Maybe it wasn't too late to start anew, on a blank piece of paper, anticipant for the stroke of her pen. "It must be nice to have Sasuke back again." She fished and was rewarded with Naruto's eyes snapping to her, wide and surprised. The guess didn't deserve much of a pat on the shoulder, since the Uchiha had been the easy answer in a lot of the blonde boy's mystery moods over the years.

What was truly befuddling was how Naruto didn't think he was quite as transparent as all evidence might suggest. "Is this it?" he asked nervously, gesturing at the house in front of him.

It then occurred to her that, perhaps, if one had lived his days unattended- and even unwanted- as the boy had, they wouldn't readily assume what others could see in them. Naruto wasn't presumptuous or arrogant, as many villagers assumed, when he declared that he would be Hokage one day. He had a dream and, for the sake of it, he had written most of his days on the sand, not a scroll- because it would be okay for the wind to carry the sand away and with it the bitter memories that might poison the future.

"Yes." She said, stepping in before him, leading the way. "This used to be Asuma's house. The Sarutobi clan insisted that I have it after his passing." She stroked her child's hair. Everything had been kept just as Asuma had left it- though much cleaner- other than a small garden she had been working on. "I thought that maybe this way he'd get to know his father."

Naruto stood awkwardly at the entrance for a few moments. She had known him better and better over the years, but always from a distance, always through others- and especially her own students. She knew that he was courageous and never gave up in the way he was constantly inspiring Hinata. There was a definite competitive streak in him and high tolerance for crisp comments, judging by how much Kiba enjoyed the blonde's company. However, he didn't seem to have much of a memory for faces and could be rather unaware of the impact of his words, if Shino's half-hearted grudge on the matter was anything to go by. More to the point, the blonde boy had managed to create a family out of competitive teams of peers, simply by being true and honest.

In a way that she could never adequately communicate, Kurenai knew that she owed him for teaching her kids things she had failed to pass on- the way to persevere, not by calculating the odds, but against all expectations, against the world itself. She also knew that she had never paid up her dept. Maybe she hadn't been able to help the blonde in the past- not as much as she should have, as keenly as she could have- but perhaps she had been granted the opportunity to change that now. The boy seemed troubled and, if he gave her the chance, she'd listen to what weighed on his mind; perhaps relieve him of it even.

"Come in, Naruto." She offered and, blinking in surprise, he followed after her.

When they had entered the house, she showed Naruto to the kitchen and excused herself. Rocking her child in her arms and absently humming a soothing lullaby, she brought him to the bedroom and set him down in his cradle, beside the large bed- that she could swear still retained Asuma's warmth. Tentatively, she covered him with the soft blanket that Kiba had gifted to him- a small yellow blanket with doodled dogs, which her son adored and refused to part with at nighttime. Kurenai smiled at the sleeping child, wondering what other kind of surprises he had in stock for her in the coming years.

Kiba had appeared on her doorstep a couple of weeks ago, with a canine grin- and if that hadn't served as an adequate herald of good news, he was holding a large bowl of homemade Sekihan [1] to go with the smile. Before she even had a chance to inquire as to the occasion, the boy announced, proudly, "Guess who asked Hinata out.". It was an easy guess the way he was beaming, but she couldn't resist responding that, after all these years of pinning for the girl, he shouldn't expect her to be impressed. She remembered Kiba's look of mock-indignation and it drew an effortless small chuckle from her- that she quickly stifled, lest her son have something to say about it. Then she also remembered that she had a guest waiting uneasily in her kitchen and mentally kicked herself.

Kurenai walked back in a hurry to find Naruto fidgeting with the bag that he had placed on the counter. He was currently moving it around- a few inches to the right, the back again, then to the left- as if trying to center some kind of artistic masterpiece. The things people would do when they were nervous. On an upside though, he seemed unaware of how long she had been gone.

He finally designated a spot for his charge. "Is this okay?" he asked when he saw her, still uncertain.

"Perfect." She nodded approvingly- rather relieved that nothing in the bag needed to be immediately refrigerated- trying to sound a serious as possible in spite of her amusement. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Obviously taken aback, the blonde boy, once again, blinked at her. "Uh, yeah… yeah, sure."

She walked to the kitchen stove and gestured at Naruto to help himself to a chair. Brewing tea was a soothing ritual- heating the water, stirring the tealeaves in just long enough, then remove them before the tea attained that bitter, woody undertaste. It was a kind of motif that she had found very true to life. For everything- and everyone- there was a specific way to handle in order to bring out the full potential- anything less and it's never good enough, anything more and it's far too much.

Kurenai came back with two white china cups and a steaming teapot. "Thank you for your help with the groceries." She said with a smile, pouring the tea in the cups. "Having a child should really come with instructions. I can't seem to do a single thing the way I used to."

Naruto smiled at that, watching the warm liquid fill his cup. "With earplugs too…" he added, before his eyes darted up at Kurenai, apparently wondering if his humor had been out of line. After all, they weren't particularly close.

Her chuckle was all the assurance she needed to give him. "Yes." She sighed. "They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I could settle for an extra pair of hands when I have to cook."

Somehow her attempt at humor had hit a wrong turn, because the boy's eyes filled with sadness and sympathy. "Like Asuma-sensei…" he lowered his gaze, looking guilty. "I'm sorry…"

Kurenai, very much wanted to ask what he was apologizing for. Asuma had lived and died for his village, scribbling an account of days filled with little regret and much service. Somehow the boy seemed to carry the guilt for every wrong that had occurred when he hadn't been there to prevent it. It was a profound- and unreasonable- outlook that she didn't have the words to change for the blonde, so she simply accepted the sentiment with grace. "Thank you." She said quietly. "My greatest regret is that he will never meet his father. He was quite a guy… but there are extraordinary people that he will get to meet. He'll be fortunate that way."

Naruto's smile had a twinge of uncertainty, as though as he wanted to disagree, but decided against it. He had not had the chance to meet his own father either, so maybe he could foresee emotions that she didn't want to believe her son would ever taste. "Ah…" he nodded, then grinned. "We'll show him the ropes, 'ttebayo!"

The smile was very much contagious. His had been a simple assurance, but it meant so much more coming from a person whose whole life revolved around keeping his promises. Her mind returned to her previous concerns about her child possibly sharing Naruto's harsh life and it dawned on her that there were so many people who would make sure that didn't happen- Shikamaru, Naruto, Konohamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Shino. Everyone. Kurenai had to wonder when it had happened exactly- when had the pages of the Villages cruel past been torn to be replaced with the promise of such strong bonds and hope for the future.

"So tell me about you." She offered a change of subject, in an attempt to gauge his troubles. "How are things?"

The boy's blue eyes trained the ceiling pensively, as though he were chasing after his thoughts on the wooden beams that crossed over them. "Okay, I guess…"

Not too convincing, that. "You seem rather preoccupied." She observed, then ventured to hazard a guess. "Kakashi had told me that Sasuke's hearing would be yesterday. Did something go wrong?"

"No, no… everything went well, I think." He said quickly, then frowned. "Or at least I assume as much, since Ibiki-sensei let him out in one piece…"

That was a surprise. "Morino Ibiki was involved?"

Naruto's features darkened a little. "Well… yeah. The Elders needed some answers from him."

The warm china felt soothing against her lips as she took another sip, watching the blond boy carefully over the rim of her cup. "And you as well?" she tested.

The question snapped him out of his reverie and those cobalt blue eyes settled on her- she'd dare say- somewhat suspiciously. "Huh?"

Who would have thought that, for all the ways that Naruto was loud and daring when dealing with danger and powerful opponents, he'd be so guarded about his personal predicaments. Kurenai wondered if he would have been the same way with Kakashi, but quickly dismissed the thought as inconsequential to the present. "It's no secret that you keep yourself involved in matters that concern you… most of us try to do the same thing, you see." She set her cup down and interlaced her fingers on the table. "Sometimes we may not, though… when we are upset."

The note seemed to make the boy recoil a little. "Sounds like grown-ups don't get much wiser with age…" he said a little tersely. "Kind of makes you think that if someone is an insensitive pri…" he was about to add, obscenities, she could tell, but caught himself, "person, they will pretty much remain the same way in the future."

The- rather unintentionally- blunt honesty was rather refreshing. "That may be true." She conceded. "But the people we care about the most tend to infuriate us the most as well. They wouldn't have such power over us unless we cared, ne?" she asked with a smile and got a resigned nod from him. "You want to talk about that person who drives you crazy?"

"Uh…" he stared inside his tea. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Kurenai supposed that today would not be the day that she would rewrite history- and that was okay, because people's own pace should be respected. Not everyone was always ready for a leap of faith or moments of revelation. "Alright." she said- very simply, very quietly. "Whatever it is, though, don't let it linger too long. Time is not infinite- especially for us." She took a deep breath. "Stay is a truly charming word in a loved one's vocabulary… I only wish I had said it more often."

Naruto looked at her with those sad eyes again. "You are talking about Asuma-sensei…" he said as quietly.

Kurenai smiled a little, because, even beyond veil of death, that man had that much sway over her feelings. In so many ways he wasn't dead- not in ways that mattered. As long as she remembered, as long as she loved him, he would remain alive in her heart. She could hear his voice in her mind clear as though he were standing behind her, in a corner of the room that she could never see. It was teasing, assuring, chastising, carefree- it was all things Asuma. "Him and anyone who means so much to another." She said, her heart brimming with the emotion so much it hurt. "You know that feeling, ne?"

He blinked a little, surprised. "… Yeah." He said a little reluctantly, taking another sip of his tea.

"You are one of the few of us that lead by example, Naruto." She said, rolling her cooling teacup between her hands recollecting her thoughts. "Sasuke is your precious friend and, in spite of everything, you have never been shy about asking him to stay. Even though he didn't, for a while."

The boy fidgeted in his chair a little. "… Yeah…" he said a little curtly.

It made her arch a brow. "Having second thoughts?"

"No!" he said quickly, then run a hand through his hair in frustration. "Sasuke is…" he paused. "It's just… pretty complicated right now."

"Most things are." She acknowledged. "But in the end all you can do is clear your side of the pavement. That way, when all has been said and done, you know that you have given it your all."

"Easier said than done…" Naruto muttered. "Most of the time you don't even know what the- er, person" he amended whatever epithet he had intended to use once again, "wants from you."

"So you talk to them." Kurenai smiled. "Don't act on what you think you know, you're not a mind-reader- none of us are." She looked out the window at her garden, overflowing with the red flowers that Asuma had once given her. Flowers would always remind her how fragile and transient life is- but also persistent in blooming all over again, in spite of its certain end. "Don't wait to say what's in your heart, Naruto… time is precious and it's never enough. It may run out anytime- for you or someone important- and all those things that you've been meaning to say but never quite got around to, won't mean a thing. All those times that you've wanted to say thank you, but didn't, every time you wanted to say I'm sorry, but your pride got the better of you… every time you wished you had said don't go and let reason stop you. And there aren't enough days in a lifetime to say I love you to the ones you love."

The words seemed to resonate with him this time. "Well…" Naruro tapped his chin pensively. "I say thank you every time someone does something nice for me… I think… I have to work on the apology department a little…" he admitted with a slight blush that deepened as he added. "I don't think I can do the I love you part though…"

The comment made Kurenai chuckle. "Love makes cowards out of all of us."

"Some more than others…" he grumbled.

That was unexpected. All this time, she could have sworn that they had been talking about Sasuke, but there was something about the way he said that that was quite familiar to anyone who had ever experienced it. "Oh?" she smiled a little, because no one was ever spared. "Is that love-troubles I'm hearing?"

Kurenai doubted there were adequate words to describe the amount, controversy and intensity of emotions that pooled in the boy's eyes. "What?" he choked.

It would have been comical under different circumstances- like, when it didn't seem as though as the boy was legitimately hyperventilating. "It's okay, Naruto- it happens to everyone." She hurriedly assured him.

"What does?" he asked in that same winded tone.

"Let me get you a glass of water." She suggested, buying for time and half convinced that he would make his escape the moment she turned her back to him. Yet, there he was, exactly where she had left him, looking none the calmer. "Here." She offered. "Drink slowly."

The advice fell on deaf ears apparently, because he gulped the water down as if it was some magic potion that would ease his heart. "What are you saying?" he asked, sounding a little better, although he didn't look it.

If she had to guess, she's think that the blonde didn't actually want to hear the answer, but was convinced he had to. Damage done and everything, she decided that the truth was probably the best approach. "Honestly, Naruto… it sounds like you're in love and the object of your affections is giving you a hard time." She said carefully- which did little, if anything at all, to soften the impact of her words.

Naruto's tan skin paled to an almost ashen shade. He wasn't just shocked, he was afraid. Very, very afraid. "In love?" he said in a really small voice. "That's what I sound like?"

If there was any way that she could have known beforehand that her seemingly innocent comment would have had this kind of effect on the boy, she would have kept her mouth shut. Unlike many of her peers, she didn't think that truth was always necessary and had found that it rarely set people free. After all this time, she should have known better than being this candid with someone she didn't know well enough. Especially in matters of the heart. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a part of her noted, with a kind of amusement that she couldn't help, that Hinata had a very similar reaction to a very similar talk she had had with the girl years ago.

"Which is perfectly natural in your age." She added in a rush to help rationalize whatever was causing Naruto's reaction. "It can be scary, but having your feelings isn't an emotional indulgence. It's something that is necessary for your mental and physical health."

Anything that was leaving her mouth seemed like a dynamo that was mysteriously gaining momentum by the time it reached his ears, because, what should have been words of reason, was translating so some kind of emotional blow. The boy buried his face in his hands. "This can't be happening…"

Considering that the love subject was what had brought on this havoc, maybe generalizing would help matters. "Most of us go through seasons of life that create the feeling of juggling- having responsibility for more objects than we can reasonably handle… but life happens anyway."

"I can't deal with this right now… or ever…" Naruto muffled out. "This isn't about life happening, it's about things that just shouldn't happen. Ever." He dropped his hands by his side and slumped back on the chair. "Especially between certain people."

It was always that certain kind of people that seemed to easily invoke emotions like that, though, wasn't it? The people that one shouldn't be with- because it made little sense, because it would never last, because their positions deemed it unwise. Maybe it was the lure of the proverbial forbidden fruit or maybe- just maybe- life's book demanded that one earned the right to a happy ending.

"Trying to hide your feelings from someone?" she asked knowingly.

Naruto probably choked on his saliva. At that point she was getting progressively certain that she wasn't actually being of any help and suspecting that she was unknowingly driving him over whatever edge he had been oscillating, trying not to fall. In a sense, he had already failed in that task, because he had obviously fallen for someone and, if he was really trying to hide from that girl, he had better run like the wind and avoid her at all costs. If he happened to catch her eye, there would be no secrets.

Speaking of girls, a quick account told her that most of the Village's kunoichi were already involved with someone. Maybe the problem, then, was that the girl was already taken and her boyfriend a drear friend- because, really, Naruto was close with so many people in Konoha it was mind-wobbling. That might explain the boy's reaction. "Is it Sakura?"

The blonde blinked at her, his expression morphing for a split second to what she recognised as a cringe. "With all due respect, sensei, I've had this conversation once before and it didn't end well." [2]

Kurenai decided that perhaps the best she could do was let things be. Naruto would be probably better off discussing this with someone who knew him better- or at least someone that he felt comfortable with. At the very least someone who wasn't unintentionally putting his anxiety on the matter on a tailspin. Seriously though, she hoped that she'd be better at this by the time her son hit the Teen Hall of Horrors. "I understand that you don't want to deal with this, Naruto… but I have to tell you that you can't run away forever."

He let his head hang back as his eyes trailed the ceiling again. "Especially if it's chasing after you, wanting to talk…" he said softly.

So softly in fact, that she wasn't sure she had heard right. "What?"

Naruto looked at her offering a weary smile. "Just rumbling, sensei…" he said and got up from the chair. "Thanks for the tea… and the talk." He said, and this time the smile grew genuine. "You can count me to help out as well- not just Shikamaru."

Kurenai smiled back. Maybe it hadn't gone as bad as she had feared. "Thank you, Naruto."

The blond boy was about to leave, but he paused in front of the door and looked at her over his shoulder. "Asuma-sensei… we will all make sure that your son knows his father."

Her smile broadened under misty eyes at the sound of those words. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. When she opened them, the boy was still there, looking back with that resolute expression on his face. She nodded, accepting his words. "The best way to serve Asuma's memory, Naruto, is to not repeat his mistakes… or mine. Don't take time for granted." She said and this time her voice came out confident, because this was the one thing she was certain of. "For us the present is all we have… sometimes it's all we'll ever have."

Naruto appeared to consider this for a moment, before bowing a little, respectfully. "Thank you, sensei…" he said and this time he did leave.

Her strange, copper eyes stayed on the door for a while, before she said aloud. "How long do you intend to just stand there?"

A shadow broke off the tapestry of the evening colours, followed by the sound of steps that were no longer stealthy. "You knew."

This time she turned to look at the young man with a smirk. "Who do you think you're talking to?" she said, just a little haughtily- because, unlike the uncertainty she had experienced in her previous interaction, talking to him was just getting easier.

"Ri-ight." Shikamaru drawled, then put his hands in his pockets. "You did it again." He accused nodding at the grocery bag.

She rolled her eyes. They've already had this discussion enough times. "Have you had lunch yet?" she asked.

He settled on a chair- which was response enough- and his clever eyes moved to the door. "Catching up with Naruto?" he tested.

There was no point in running circles and, really, Naruto hadn't actually said anything about what had been on his mind. "Not exactly what I'd call catching up." She said with a grim at her shortcomings on the matter. "Maybe we can try that, after he's dealt with his love troubles."

He had been about to hand her the china cups, but almost dropped them. "His what troubles?"

Kurenai's swift reflexes kicked in and she caught the cups. "I think your friend is in love." she said simply, setting them safely in the kitchen sink.

That drew a perplexed frown from the boy genius. "Did he say that?"

"He didn't deny it." She replied, which was true. More to the point, Naruto didn't have to say it. People in love were not as discreet as they might like to think. They were very happy, very sad- words held a different kind of power over them. "Would you happen to know who's the lucky girl?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.

Shikamaru shook his head vehemently- more like trying to get rid of a mental image than denying knowledge. "No."

Kurenai decided to shrug off the matter. "Okay then… What brings you here?"

The question made the laid back boy nervous. Was everyone acting weird today or was it really her? "There's someone I want you to meet next time she visits…" he said, trying- a bit too hard- to make it sound less important than it was. "From Suna."

She picked the different vegetables for the stir fry, giving him an almost motherly smile. Well, well… "Sounds serious."

"It's not." He said deadpan.

People in love thought they could hide behind their pinkie, when the truth of their affliction was written all over their faces. She supposed that no one was able to spare themselves the embarrassing ostrich syndrome. "Okay…" she conceded, trying not to sound patronizing.

Shikamaru's eyes returned to a vague spot on the door, as though he could see Naruto walking away though it. "… You think he'll be okay?"

After a moment's thought, she sighed. "I think he has a good chance at it. That's the most any of us can ask for…" she said and started chopping the vegetables with a small smile. "Now tell me more about…?"

He breathed out- most likely in exasperation at all the cliché paths the conversation was about to enter. "Temari." He said a little awkwardly.

"Temari." She acknowledged, noting that this was one more feisty blonde that she ought to know more about. "Tell me all about her."

Kurenai listened as Shikamaru started to talk about Temari's duties and her position as a liaison between Suna and Konoha, making a curt list of all the ways she was a good shinobi. Then she listened as his voice slowly, unconsciously, became softer as he really spoke about her. If he could hear himself, he'd probably force that dismissive tone on his words, but for the time being, she was oddly content to listen to Konoha's Ace account of the girl that was probably the most troublesome of all- she had to be for someone like Shikamaru to fall prey to her unintended charms.

And so another story started to unfold, promising to intersect hers in the future. It was a welcome prospect. There probably weren't enough days in her future to make up for a blood-soacked, painful past, but whatever she had, she would fill with all the things that she had never thought likely for herself.

Some people would write the account of their days in stone- but rock was a heavy thing and pretty soon they found their backs hunching under the weight of their memories. Most days were wasted. People spent them carelessly in trivialties and petty emotions, in lingering bitterness, as though they could afford an eternity of them. Time was given to each person in tiny little pieces of paper to make notes of moments that are worth filling them- so small that when one needs them the most they are nowhere to be found.

However one chose to spend their days, there was one truth that some were unaware of, but most just didn't want to face. Days were scrolls- forever marked by the ink of one's actions, one's words- and, intentionally or not, they wrote on them what they wanted to be remembered.

So this is the Kurenai chapter. I am REALLY sorry for the late update. I say it again because I get pretty impatient as a reader when authors don't update and I hate to do that. So one chapter to go in which Naruto and Sasuke will finally talk and the story will be resolved. Thank you all for reading and being patient with my back plight.

Tons of love!

M.

Notes:

[1] Sekihan, "red rice", is made with red beans or azuki and that's why it has that distinct color. It's reserved for celebrations in Japan. :-)

[2] Making reference to Sasuke's fishing expedition about his dream in the chapter Yume Ka that I had written eons ago… ;-)