HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
This chapter is dedicated to TheBeauty! I really appreciate everyone's reviews and questions - and thank you all so much for reading and following my stories.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. I nearly live for reviews and will take advice and suggestions from my readers and sometimes add them to the story. Have a wonderful remainder of the holiday season and a very happy New Year!
Thinking
Biju, etc. speaking
Biju, etc. thinking
Emphasis
"You seem depressed, Naru-chan, not like your bubbly self at all, ne?" Naru shrugged her shoulders, looking completely defeated.
"No matter how I feel, I'm going to do anything I can for Kakashi-sama, just as he's done for me. My feelings are my own, and…" Naru answered, her blue eyes filled with tears. This entire situation hurt so much; it was hard to do anything these days. She dragged herself to the shower, and when she came out, she was greeted by her boyfr- no, by her Hokage.
"Morning, koi," Kakashi said, scratching the back of his head. The love of his life didn't look good. Well, she did: she was beautiful, after all, but he didn't like how exhausted she looked. Nor did he like the look of fear she gave him when she finally realized he had entered her room. Perhaps he'd ask Sakura for some of that blend for Naru that had helped him finally get some sleep last night. "What do you say we go into town and get some breakfast, ne?"
Naru stood up and bowed. "Arigatou, Kakashi-sama, but I'm not really hungry."
There's that damned honorific again. He held back a wince at it. "Maa, maa, Naru, you have to eat! You remember Sakura's orders, ne? And she is really strict…" He went on speaking to the blonde while she began looking off to the side, biting her lip.
"Ano, I… I actually didn't pay any attention to what she was saying." She looked and sounded so cute, standing there blushing - so much like she did when he was really falling for her, Kakashi felt his heart skip a beat. Suddenly a thought - a rather manipulative thought - crossed his mind.
"That's no problem, hime. Sakura discussed your orders with me." Seeing her look so uncomfortable, and knowing her caring nature, he continued. Good thing his mask was on or there was no doubt she'd see the smirk on his face. "First things first: hugs!" He held out his arms for her and smiled. Naru's eyes became huge and she bowed and began apologizing, saying something about it not being appropriate. After the last couple of weeks, he was expecting it. "Maa, Naru - don't you want to help me too? After all, I have to follow Sakura's orders as well." Naru stopped and tilted her head at him cutely; for once he was so glad she was so innocent. She didn't understand that he was up to anything, it seemed.
"You've heard of serotonin, oxytocin, and such?" Naru shook her head: she had no idea of what those things were. "Well, Naru-chan, they're chemicals in the brain. If any of those chemicals are low, we don't feel well, ne?" He looked into huge big blues, looking so bewildered and he wanted to kiss her entire face, but held himself back. She scratched the back of her hairline, frowning and he continued. "It's a medical thing, that's why Sakura can even boss me around about it! Don't tell her that I acknowledged that, okay?"
Naru could do that for him. She bobbed her head. "Oh! Sakura-chan's going to give me some stuff to read!"
"Hai. I heard about that. We'll go over there today…"
"No, Hokage-sama, you have too many other duties! I've seen the work you have to complete every day: it's overwhelming. You don't have time to take me…"
Gods, now she's calling me by my title. How much does that suck? A LOT! "I manage my time and myself, hime, and plus we have to obey Sakura-chan's wishes while we're under her care." When Naru asked why he was under her care, too, he thought he might have her. "Maa, I've been feeling bad - kind of low... Enough so that I've had trouble sleeping." Naru's eyes shot up at him in worry. "Sakura even had to give me medicine last night to help me out." While he was speaking he lowered his mask and tried to look pathetic, hoping she'd bite. Sure enough, her eyes grew even bigger and she approached him, taking his arm in concern. He had to hold back a grin.
"I'm so sorry, Kakashi-sama. I promised to look after you and here I've failed already." She looked away and bit her lip, driving Kakashi a little crazy unknowingly. "From here forward, I will be more dutiful." She backed away and bowed low again.
Seeing her bow to his waist level made Kakashi realize that he really needed to either get his hands on her, or find something to keep his libido at bay. At least when she said something about "duty" it pissed him off, therefore keeping him in check. He cleared his throat and stretched. "Well then where's my hug?!" Seeing her frown in confusion he continued his devious plan. "Remember what I said about those brain chemicals, hime… Hugs and kisses make them rise in your bloodstream and brain, so we'll feel better." He took her in his arms as she stood frozen, running his hands through her long blonde locks happily, and repeatedly kissed her head. She finally reached around his waist awkwardly - nothing like before, but at least it was something. "See? Don't you feel better now?" Naru nodded her head into his chest, trying to keep her breathing calm and even.
"Can I have a kiss?" Kakashi asked. Naru made a squeaking sound. "Maa, I understand that this old man's not too good-looking, so I guess it's understandable that you wouldn't like that," he said, sighing dramatically. Naru looked up at him, wide-eyed, and eventually shook her head. No, huh? "Don't you want this old man to feel better, Naru-chan?" How could I have forgotten how much fun she is to tease? Just as planned, she stood up on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, only for him to move his head and at least partially capture a kiss. "Hmm… I think I might feel a little better… Can I have another?" Ignoring her second squeak, he took a kiss for himself, then another, and another - they were getting a little longer at least, but then she shoved him back, breathing hard and face completely red.
"Maa, breakfast time, hime: let's go!"
Kakashi dragged her down the hallway as her mind was awhirl. She really did want to help Kakashi, er- Kakashi-sama, but she knew this would only lead to her devastation. He loves that guy: Naruto. Kakashi-sama had saved her life and given her new friends, no matter what that grumpy voice in her head told her. She also worried that maybe the Hokage was being manipulative? No, he liked to tease, but he was always truthful with her - except about his boyfriend, she thought sourly. What the heck could she do?! She had promised repeatedly to serve him now… she loved him… She slumped: Fine, I'll do what he asks. But no touchy-feelies! That's that Naruto-guy's job, not mine!
Kakashi followed Naru into the same side of a booth at a small cafe. Pulling her closer to him he thought about how people used to tell him that he was awkward, They should see Naru right now! The woman had pushed herself into the wall, crouching down away from the arm he had around her. She listened to him as he discussed the breakfast selections here. When she told him she wasn't hungry, he only replied that they both had orders from Sakura-chan, so she had to eat up. "I don't know how I'd get ANY work done if we got hospitalized, hime." He eventually ordered for her when she couldn't make up her mind; she had no appetite.
Unbeknownst to him, her stomach was rolling with nerves. How was she going to eat anything?! He was so warm, and sweet, and right here! Damn him! Damn her promise to him! Damn him for asking her to be his girlfriend when he also had a boyfriend! By the time breakfast arrived, she began eating it without really thinking. She was munching loudly on her aburaage, wishing she was biting him instead - and not in a perverted way!
"You can kiss my skinny ass before I eat that natto, masked bastard," Naru said in a low dark voice. Right after the words came out of her mouth, she covered her face with her hands, horrified that had somehow slipped out, and fearful she'd insulted him until she heard that stupidly attractive chuckle of his.
"Maa, considering we're trying to raise our serotonin levels, I guess I can do that," he ignored her squeal. "We both agreed kissing was good, ne?" He smiled down, genuinely amused with his little vixen - he could see how much the title fit as she growled at him in that cute voice of hers after she bore her fangs at him. He nearly growled back and bit her: the urge was there, but he'd made a new plan, and he only needed to speak to Sakura about it. Naru had to spend time with the pink-haired woman after all: doctor's appointments, etc. He needed to ensure that Sakura knew he might be "expanding" on her previous orders regarding Naru's care. She would go along with it: it's all for Naru's own good. Not to mention mine…
Heading toward Sakura's office, he ran into Genma who needed to speak to him. Kakashi couldn't help but feel nervous as the senbon-sucking man stared at his partner. Her looks were filtered through his genjutsu as always, but the look on Genma's face said he could tell something was fishy. Genma was no genjutsu specialist in any way, and he certainly had nothing on the Sharingan, but Kakashi felt like somehow his old friend knew whom he was really accompanying. Fortunately, Sakura arrived and happily escorted Naru away.
"Sakura-chan, do you know that man?" Asking whom she meant, Sakura affirmed that she knew Genma as well as she wanted to, considering what a flirt he was to anyone or nearly anything. She went on about him gregariously: he was a nice guy, just a playboy who fortunately respected people's choices and definitely didn't mess around with those who had partners. She continued before Naru interrupted her. "I feel like I KNOW him…"
"I, well... I guess it's possible. But honestly, Naru-chan, I don't remember you ever hanging out with him or anything…"
"Even before? Before my brain stuff, ya know?" Sakura affirmed she believed the two weren't friends or anything. Naru believed her, but looked toward the bandanna-wearing man's back as he spoke with Kakashi-sama. A very blurry image came into her mind of looking up to see that same bandanna, as she heard singing. She couldn't make out the tune, but she could swear she heard another male voice in the room, telling him that he sucked and shouldn't kill the prince's - or princess' - ears? She saw a small arm reach out to him, then shook off the images - along with the cold, cold feeling that went through her.
No one still alive in the village knew, nor did Naru at the time, that the senbon-wielding assassin, for more than a year, had very-happily been a babysitter for Yondaime-sama's only child.
Arriving in Sakura-chan's office, the medic was babbling on and on about what medical books Naru should start with. The blonde looked through her enormous bookshelf, filled with TOMES so wide she wondered how and if the woman had read them all - or any of them for that matter. They were huge! Sakura began stacking the heavy books into her arms. Apparently, she was holding an introduction to something, Kami knows what about a second one, something about plants or whatever… Finally, the crazy woman slapped a final book down just as Naru saw what she had been looking for. Of course, it was at that time Sakura ran away after being notified of an emergency. She'd asked Naru to wait, so she plopped the books down on Sakura's desk.
Naru went over to the bookcase and picked up the book labeled Mental Disorders: Definitions, Diagnoses, and Common Treatments. This should get me somewhere… Shut up you stupid voice! You think I believe that crap you've been saying? She shook her head, also shaking off the lying idiot in her head. "This is right on time - although I wish I'd thought of it sooner…" She ignored the blathering deep voice that was scoffing at her and opened the book, immediately realizing there were a lot of words of which she didn't know the meaning. Surely Kakashi-sama has a dictionary or something that he'll let me borrow?
She shut the book in frustration and began wondering if Sakura-chan would even allow her to read it. That stupid voice then made a good point for once: if the "Banshee" as the voice called her saw what she was reading, she'd know she was losing it! Naru didn't even think of the ethics of it when she studied the other tomes she'd been given, planning to switch her desired book with the one she needed. Examining them, she weighed their importance to her. Yeah, screw whatever it was about fish… Then that nearly unrelenting voice told her that she should read it, though. Naru had a feeling that voice was up to no good. She traded out the plant book for the one for mental disorders, and put it in the other book's place on the shelf, finally shuffling her pile of books so that Sakura wouldn't easily see what she had taken.
"What the hell am I doing? This is STEALING!"
"You're a fucking ninja, deal with it!"
"Oh NOW you want me to take the book: you said it wasn't necessary before! And I'm telling you again: there's no way I'm a damn ninja!" Naru heard the voice growl - he, -er, it was creepy that way. She felt like someone was stomping his or her way through her brain angrily. "I'm so fucking mental…" Naru sunk into one of the chairs across from Sakura's desk and held her now-throbbing head. The pain nearly immediately ceased, as did the noise she was sure she was imagining. She looked around wearily at Sakura's office. Where the hell is she?
Naru stood up and stretched, before deciding to take a better look at Sakura-chan's pictures. They were all over her bookshelves: Sakura with one person or another, a hilarious one featuring Lee's exuberant face and wide eyebrows, another that had Kakashi: it appeared he was drinking from a bowl with his mask still on. She chuckled at them, then saw one facing backward, behind one of the shelves lined with pictures. "Oh, it's Kakashi! He was masked and had that tilted headband on, but Naru thought she could see what looked to her like a fake but big smile as he leaned over what should have been three children. "Look how cute little Sakura-chan is in this!" Naru bounced on her toes with delight. She wondered why a piece of the picture was missing from the bottom corner, as well as why Sakura kept it as such. Looking at the other boy in the picture, she felt a little sick.
"Probably eating all that crap with Kakashi while being angry," she muttered. Staring at the blonde boy, she scoffed. Damn, he looked a lot like her. Oh Kami, no… Is this my wanting-to-kill-me brother? Heart racing, she summoned a clone.
"'Sup, bitch!" the clone greeted her… happily? Either this was a different clone or the clone herself wasn't so depressed anymore.
"You mentioned my brother wanted to kill me, right?" Naru - the original Naru - asked.
"Nah, wasn't me… Probably one of the rest of us. But we all know that bastard wants you dead! That's like, the one thing we know as much as anything! 'Protect Naru!' That's our motto!"
Naru's heart was warmed by this particular clone. She was so glad the one from yesterday that called her bad names hadn't come. She thanked the other girl, -er, clone and bowed to her in gratitude, to which the identical blonde blushed, shooing Naru off. "Don't leave please!" Naru begged; the clone shrugged its shoulders. "I need to ask you a question... Look at this blonde kid: he looks like me, right? So I'm thinking he's my bastard brother?"
The clone took a good look at the picture, scratching its cheek and finally taking the pic out of Naru's hands. "Hmmm, we know this guy, Naru-chan, but no… I don't think - no I'm positive he's not your brother. Something else though…" The clone looked at her original, wondering if she was ready for this important information. She had to tell her, though! No matter how weird her original was being lately, their motto was true. And if Naru-chan didn't know something that would help her survive? "Meh, what the hell… Your bastard brother is the one missing in the picture."
Naru's eyebrows shot up into her hair. "You're kidding me? No freaking way!" Suddenly an image appeared in her mind. Naru flopped back into the closest chair. "Did he maybe have dark hair, bratty face..? Everything about him spells "bastard" or maybe "moron?" Her clone nodded eagerly, then pulled her original up to hop around in circles with her, holding hands.
Such was the scene Sakura returned to. The clone let go of her original, gave them each a two-fingered sloppy, happy salute, and poofed out of existence. Sakura saw what Naru was holding and let out a withering groan. "So you saw it, huh?" Naru nodded eagerly at her friend. She needed information.
"Sit down… that's my genin team," Sakura said quietly. Naru noticed she looked miserable, which was understandable considering there was a bastard on her team… One no longer in that picture; the one who wanted to kill her! "I suppose you want to know?" Naru once again nodded at her, moving to the edge of her chair toward Sakura's desk. "Fine. You already know that Kakashi was my first sensei - well, outside of the Academy."
"That's where Iruka-sensei works," Naru responded blankly. Sakura nodded despite feeling shocked to her core that Naru knew this. She was just about to ask her if she remembered him or anything else when she was interrupted.
"You look super-cute here, Sakura-chan! But this blonde kid looks like me. What's his deal?" Sakura felt her world tilt sideways at Naru's question. She gripped the desk and shook the feeling away. After settling her coughing fit, she asked Naru the question she needed to know before she knew just how to answer.
"Do you remember him?" Sakura asked incredibly softly. Naru shook her head. Meh, she remembered seeing him or something, but it's not like she remembered the kid. It was just too weird that he had similar marks on his face - they were maybe darker or longer than hers or something. Plus, the kid's spiky hair was almost exactly like her own - but her hair, of course, is long. She had the knowledge, somehow, that he was pretty stupid. He was an ugly little boy, that's for sure. Internally, she told the voice in her head to stop laughing. Kami, he's really cracking up. "SHUT UP!"
"Maa, this is one of my two genin teammates. The other one's gone... I can't believe I ever loved that asshole," Sakura whispered. Naru was really surprised: she figured Sakura had always loved Lee, but now that she thought about it more, she realized it was naive. I'm just glad she didn't marry the guy that wants me dead! "My other teammate, though…" Naru saw Sakura's face move through several emotions, she thought. Longing, sadness, annoyance, then amusement? What the hell?!
Naru felt waves of overwhelming fondness shining through Sakura's eyes at both the picture of the blonde boy and then at her. I really am losing it: how would I even know? Seeing Sakura's eyes, though, Naru felt little doubt, no matter how crazy it seemed.
"What was he like?" Naru asked genuinely.
"A hero… he was a hero; still is - always will be." Sakura's eyes welled up in tears, then she gave Naru the prettiest smile she'd ever seen on her friend. She really loved this guy, it seemed, but not the way she loved Lee-kun. Naru wondered if she'd be lucky enough to find someone for herself: someone not taken or gay. Shaking herself out of her sad thoughts, she eagerly awaited more information on this hero.
"What can I tell you, Naru-chan?" Sakura paused. "Hmmm… I guess I couldn't stand him at first," she shook her head with a fond smile on her face, "but I was very wrong. He was an idi- Gomen. He was… remarkably strong and weird. Funny and annoying; had a head like a rock but thought so fast on his feet strategically - and physically - you wouldn't know what hit you." She let out a soft laugh. "He was responsible for ending the Fourth Shinobi War - he saved so many. He saved all of us."
War? How horrible! Naru thought this boy - no, man - sounded amazing. She really wanted to meet him! Hearing all these incredible things - and she knew that Sakura wasn't easy to impress, she wondered why she and Kakashi-sama hadn't introduced her to him first, even before Gai-san and Lee-kun. I mean, Kakashi-sama was his sensei… "What's his name?"
Naru watched Sakura's lips twist up in thought. She had something on her mind, but Naru couldn't tell what exactly it was. Just as she had a deep sinking feeling fall over her, Sakura answered. "Naruto Uzumaki."
Naru felt her world fall apart.
