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Chapter 2: This feels like Home
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"Dobe! Wake up, love." Butterfly kisses tickled his cheeks and he weakly tried to swat the face away. He didn't want to wake up just yet. But the kisses are becoming more and more persistent.
"Five more minutes, teme. Le'me sleep."
A low chuckle could be heard before a soft growl could be heard. Then… without warning the hand that's on his wrist felt more forceful.
"I don't think you deserve that luxury, usoratonkatchi, considering how you left me." The air around him suddenly felt heavier as he felt strong hands gripping at his wrist. "I've always been waiting in Konoha, dobe. Why aren't you here? You broke your promise!"
Naruto winced at the venomous voice echoing in his mind as he opened his eyes with a start, a soft gasp escaped his lips as his amber eyes met the empty ceiling of his room. He sat up his bed and stared at empty clawed hands. His wrists were free of someone's grip. What was that dream just now?
He rushed to the bathroom once more and took a cold shower, leaning himself against the cold tiled walls that offered no real comfort. He had to get to Konoha as soon as possible. He's sure that whatever this dream is has something to do with Konoha.
He frowned as he dried his hair. Still, this mysterious lover of his is a very persistent bastard. It frustrated Naruto because he has always loved this dark haired man in his dreams. His father has tried setting him up with many partners just to keep the Namikaze blood line going but no one can ever compare to his dream lover.
With a soft sigh, he exited that bathroom. The preparations to go to Konoha is nearly complete and soon, he'll have his answers… he can only hope.
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The trip to Konoha was simple. Naruto had already made the necessary preparations to make the transition as smooth as possible. He bought himself a nice little compound at the Hokage district and the offices were setup, as per Konan's information.
He also found himself a nice apartment at the edge of town, away from prying eyes. Still, he thought that making the appropriate precautions are necessary, if not just to avoid unwanted attention upon himself.
The Vulpini tribes have always been known for their powerful magics and their art of deception, the fox clans are not known tricksters for nothing after all. So he closed his eyes and opened up to reveal endless blue, as opposed to crimson amber eyes. His fox ears and tails has also receded. He's sad to see his beautiful ears and tails go for they were his pride and joy, but he felt like they would draw too much attention, especially since he doesn't know much about the residents of Konoha and how they would react to a Vulpine morph like him.
True, Yahiko's intelligence has informed him that vampires have been roaming the streets freely in Konoha now but there's still no guarantee that Vulpini gets the same treatment. Appearing human is best, he decided. Donning his kitsune mask, he set out to roam the streets, just so he can get a feel of how life in this new area is.
His feet would eventually carry him to the park and as luck would have it, there's only a few people there. His eyes roamed through the landscape and layout of the area, feeling a wave of nostalgia and familiarity with the whole setup. He frowned. It's not like he'd been to a park like this one before.
Confused, he decided to find somewhere to sit down so he can process the strange emotions that's surging from his chest.
"You're new around here aren't you, mister?"
A voice to his side would rip him out of his thoughts. And just as he turned to look at the source, his eyes widened in strange recognition. The boy appeared no older than fourteen or fifteen. But aside from his dark hair, the boy looked as if he's an exact replica of Naruto when he was in his childhood years. Although the boy in front of him has a slightly wilder and unrestrained appearance, the unmistakable shape of the face down to the hair is unmistakably Naruto. He can't help but stare at the endless pair of strangely familiar blue eyes from behind his mask. While Naruto's eyes were crimson amber, the pair of blue in front of him is strangely akin to his father, Minato's eyes. It gave Naruto a strange sense of nostalgia somehow, and an even more degree of familiarity with the child.
"Mister?"
The voice called again, finally pulling Naruto out of his own little world. He edged a little closer to the boy, feeling the familiar pull and closeness that's inviting him to take the boy on his lap. Although Naruto resisted, knowing how odd it would look for a stranger to take a child on him, he still decided to close the distance between them.
"Yeah. Just visiting the town for business. And you?"
"Oh I'm on my way home from the police corps. My dad assigned me to observe there so I can gain some experience. The name's Menma, mister. Menma Uchiha, the future police director in these parts." Menma grinned as crossed his arms behind his neck.
Though the child couldn't see it because of his mask, a small smile graced Naruto's face. For some reason, he feels at ease talking with this child.
"Ahhh. I wish you luck Menma-kun. I'm sure you can achieve your goals if you do your best." Menma's face brightened at this. "Say… You've been here a long time haven't you?"
Menma thought about it for a minute before nodding his head.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Why?"
"You see, I'm new to Konoha. And I was wondering if you could maybe help me find something? You see, I was looking for a place that someone described to me before. But I can't quite find it." Naruto said, remembering his dreams. There's a place aside from the park that's frequently featured in it . If he can visit that place then maybe it will help him with his dreams.
"Sure. What's the place?"
"A friend told me that there's a lake around here. He said that it's in a more secluded part of the town but it's worth visiting it just once. There's also a forest behind it."
"Ahh… I know that place. There's only one lake around here. Let's go! I'll take you to it."
"Really? Thanks, Menma-kun, I'd appreciate it." Menma grinned at him widely as the boy grabbed his hand and pulled him onwards.
It didn't take long for the pair to arrive at the lake. And Naruto was attacked with another sense of nostalgia.
"Come on Sasuke, the water's fine! Jump in already!" A splash could be heard from behind him before jet black eyes and hair covered his vision; a soft pair of lips covered his own and before he knew it, he was wrapped in a pair of strong arms.
"Well we're here!" Naruto's eyes focused at the lake in front of him as more memories flooded his mind. Memories of frolic; of discreet and adventurous fun and even of not so innocent activities that invited a blush to his face. He can only thank his mask for blocking his face from the world otherwise it would have invited curious questions from his younger companion. But still, what are these memories? Surely this is the first time he'd come to this place right?
"Mister?" Came Menma's inquiring voice.
Naruto looked down to the younger boy beside him and patted the boy's hair. "Thanks Menma-kun!"
The other boy quickly swatted his hand.
"Hey hey! Watch the hair there, mister!"
"Ahh.. Sorry, Menma-kun. I didn't know what came over me." Naruto laughed nervously before his eyes returned to the lake. He didn't like the surge of emotions that's bubbling from within him, threatening to engulf him whole. So he promptly, turned around, deciding that he'd seen enough.
"Well, I think I'm quite satisfied now Menma-kun. Since you've been so helpful to me, how about I treat you to some ramen, ne?" Yeah, food ought to distract him well enough.
But the boy just looked at him, confused.
"Ramen? What's that?"
Naruto was taken aback. This kid doesn't know ramen? Already his heart is bleeding for the child. How can someone spend their childhood without ramen?
"What? You don't know what ramen is? You have to try it with me then! Come, let's find a good place. There's bound to be some around here. You have to try it Menma-kun. I'm so sorry for you now."
"Can you at least tell me what is it, mister?"
"Duh, only the best food in the world. I dare say it's the food of the gods Menma. You haven't really lived until you tried it. At least you're still young enough so you haven't been missing much. But I insist that you eat some with me!"
Oh if you only know how old I really am, mister. Came the mischievous thought from the boy but Menma held his tongue, letting the man drag him this time to a stall back at the heart of the city.
When they reached the Ichiraku ramen stand, Naruto's eyes narrowed at the huge building in front of him. Strange, he thought Ichiraku was supposed to be a ramen stand. The disjoint between what he knows and what he's seeing is instantly jarring. But he dragged the boy inside anyway, relieved that the menu's still the same from what he recalled in his dreams.
As soon as their orders came, Naruto proudly presented the bowl to Menma.
"My boy, THIS is ramen! Dig in!"
Menma eyed the food in front of him cautiously. He wasn't used to human food. But if the man has gushed about this food, he should definitely try it out. So with a tentative sip, he tasted the broth and was instantly amazed at the flavors that assaulted his tongue. Lifting the bowl to his mouth, he drank the soup with gusto, even faster than he drinks the blood back at home.
Naruto eyed the boy, half proud and half intrigued. In a few minutes, he was able to finish the whole bowl. The boy has probably finished his ramen even faster than Naruto could. Spurred by the boy's actions, he grinned behind his mask.
"What do you say Menma? Want some seconds?" Naruto haven't realized it, but sometime along the way he dropped the -kun suffix when addressing the boy; his voice becoming more and more caring and protective the longer he's in the kid's presence.
"Really! Wow, you weren't kidding when you said it's the food of the gods, mister! That was amazing! Can I, please?"
Naruto couldn't explain it but seeing the boy's eyes sparkle as he looked at the next bowl made his heart soar.
It was on Menma's 6th bowl that the boy would finally be satisfied. Naruto had only eaten two, being extra careful not to expose his face while eating, and so he ate more deliberately and more slowly, despite the delectable treat in front of him.
The boy leaned back on his chair with a satisfied smile on his face as he patted his stomach and sighed happily.
"Boy that hit the spot, mister! Man I wish we can have this at home. I'll definitely tell tousan about this place later."
Naruto chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. He reminds him a lot about himself, back before the responsibility of leadership was pushed onto him. Menma is refreshingly care-free and lax, the more they spend time together; almost like how Naruto had been before Uzoshio's fall.
"Didn't I tell you Menma? Now you know what you've been missing out on."
Menma melted into his chair, satisfied.
"Ugh, you're so right. I can't believe I spent 100 years of my life without that stuff."
"What?" Naruto turned to the boy. Realizing his mistake, Menma's eyes widened at what he had just said, before slowly turning to meet Naruto's mask. "Err—that was just an exaggeration mister." He hadn't meant that little slip up but the ramen had been so fulfilling that he can't help the words that came out of his mouth.
Naruto shook his head. Well the boy did say he was an Uchiha before. So it's not surprising that he'd turn out to be a vampire all along. "It's quite alright Menma. If you're a vampire, it doesn't really bother me. I don't even know why you wanted to hide that fact."
Menma breathed a sigh of relief before smiling widely.
"Well thank goodness for that. Listen, I know we've only been together a short time. But I felt like I've known you for ages mister. May I know your name?"
Naruto mentally slapped himself. He can't believe he forgot to introduce himself to the boy.
"The name's Namikaze, Menma, forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. I must have forgotten."
"That's quite alright, Namikaze-san. Well, I think I'd best get going, mister, it's getting late. Thanks for the ramen by the way." Menma turned to stand up.
"It's quite alright Menma, you helped me plenty today."
The boy just grinned as he went on his way. As he turned to leave, Naruto's eyes never left the boy's back as he slowly disappeared from view.
-o-o-o-
It had been night time when Naruto returned to the head office. He was surprised to see that Konan and Karin were there despite it being so late already.
"Ahh… Naruto-kun. How was your trip around the city?" Konan inquired.
"It's been really interesting so far Konan. I can't help but feel nostalgic about this place. I don't know why. Everywhere I turned, there's a familiar memory. It's familiar, yet foreign. I don't quite remember doing them, but flashes of memories were there. I'd like to explore the city more when I have the chance. The other day, I also met two children that were strangely familiar. One even looked like my lover in my dream. It's maddening and confusing."
Konan shot the Namikaze leader a sympathetic look. He must be so disoriented as he finally explored the city that had been a constant presence in his dream.
"I'm sorry to hear that Naruto. I'll have Yahiko look into it more. For now, I have a more important news."
"What is it, Konan?"
"It appears that our activities here did not escape the Uchiha elite's notice. A letter arrived on Karin's desk while you were away."
"Oh? What does it say?"
"The ruling patriarch of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha and his brother Itachi Uchiha are requesting an audience with you. Although from the sound of it, it's more like a demand, given that the letterhead is from the Uchiha Police Corps HQ." Naruto glanced at the letter that's on Konan's hand and saw the Uchiha seal on it. He didn't need to read it to know what it meant.
"Ahhh… They think they can intimidate us, eh?" Naruto grinned. It appears that the Uchihas are more worthy opponents than he'd anticipated. Getting Konoha from them won't be easy. But he has dealt with far more dangerous opponents before. He did get Orochimaru and Gato to agree to his terms. And many Konoha noblemen have already given the Bijuu Enterprises their support anyway.
"How would you like to proceed Naruto-kun?"
"Business as usual of course. But do send them a reply. Tell them we're up for the meeting. But I want the Vulpine honor guard on standby for it. It's a slim chance, but we are up against a bunch of vampires after all. Can't be too careful now can we? Although I'd much rather if they won't try anything."
"Understood, Naruto-kun."
"Oh and Karin, please prepare the conference room for the meeting. And I know this is probably asking too much, can I ask you to get some blood from the local blood bank? We want to be prepared for our guests after all. Can't have them thinking we're stingy now can we?"
"Of course, dear cousin. I'm already on it." Karin and Konan turned to leave the room leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.
Once the two females have left, the omega patriarch sat on his desk and started working on his laptop. He had to draft a proposal that will end up being satisfactory. He knows it's a long shot, but if he can avoid a direct conflict with the vampires while still achieving his ends, he'd gladly take it.
He sat on his laptop and brainstormed dutifully. In two days, he'd be meeting with the head of the most powerful vampire clan in fire country. Though he's confident in himself, he still have to make the necessary preparations to make their entrance into Konoha as smooth as possible.
He's not just aiming for a trade partnership after all.
Somehow, deep in his heart he wanted to make Konoha his headquarters. This place feels so much like home to him.
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A/N: I hope you're enjoying this one so far. Feel free to point out any mistakes. :)