Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Gotoubun no Hanayome.

Chapter 2:
Are Feelings Easy?

Nino was in love. That was an undeniable fact at this point in her life. She knew this. She had known this for a long time. Even so, that simple fact was more than enough to make her heart want to burst from her chest every time it crossed her mind, followed by a rush of emotions flowing through her.

She was in love.

But how had it happened? When? And why Naruto of all people?

Truth is, Nino had no simple answer for any of those questions. It was known by her sisters that she had a certain type, and while Naruto certainly looked like a 'bad boy,' he was the furthest thing from. He was a dork, a simple guy….but he definitely had a cool side. Nino had seen it many times during his matches, be it either MMA or fencing. He was strong, and very good looking. They were all positive qualities in her mind. However, that wasn't why she had fallen for him.

It all started back then. Five years ago, during their family trip to Kyoto. Nino could still remember that day, when her mother had suddenly brought a stranger to their hotel. He was battered, in strange clothing, and most of all unconscious. It was almost like he had been fighting in a battlefield or something.

That stranger was of course Naruto. Her mother and soon-to-be step-father were already dating at the time, and it looked serious. It was thanks to that that Naruto had been able to get medical treatment so easily. Otherwise, her mother would have never been able to afford it. Later on, Nino had overheard that he hadn't needed it. Miraculously, there hadn't been a single wound on him, despite looking the way he had. It only made her more curious.

Her sisters had been curious about the blond as well. At that time, Ichika had been the ring leader among them. Under her instructions, they had snuck into the hospital to meet this stranger. Unfortunately, they had failed to do so that day as their mother had already been there, as was their future step-father. Naruto had been awake, and a conversation had taken place. They weren't able to hear any details, but there had been some shouting.

After that…..nothing. Naruto was released from the hospital, with their mother taking him seemingly out of pity, or maybe she did care. Nino couldn't be sure. Either way, the five of them were able to meet him at last….but it had been underwhelming to say the least. Naruto looked to be mentally dead. There had been no life in his eyes. It had honestly scared Nino and the others.

Naruto had remained in that mental state for a week. After that, something else had taken place. Nino didn't know what, only that her mother had been involved. It was the darndest thing too. They had been together for breakfast one morning, and Yotsuba had done something silly as usual. Nino couldn't remember what it was exactly. It didn't matter really. It's what happened after that that was still in her mind even to this day.

Naruto….smiled. He just….smiled. It came out of nowhere. Suddenly, there was life in his eyes. And he…smiled.

He smiled.

His smile had been so bright that Nino had felt herself blush for no apparent reason. She was only twelve back then, so she didn't have the mental maturity to know what had happened. But now, Nino was certain she knew. She might have fallen for Naruto then. It was silly, but it was the truth. His smile had gotten her.

His presence after her mother's death only solidified those feelings. Her father had taken a step back, keeping his distance from her and her sisters. It was almost like he didn't know how to act around them. He busied himself with his work. Nino had felt hurt by this, especially as it was at the same time that someone as important as her mother had been taken from her by some illness. Once again, Naruto had comforted her, telling her that it was just her father being clumsy and unable to express his feelings properly. It was moments like that that Nino treasured the most.

Five years had already gone by since that day. In that time, Nino had come to be sure of what she felt towards Naruto. It was love, simple as that. Her first love, if she was honest. No one else came close. He had everything she wanted. She had no idea how the others had come to view the blond, if they only felt familial love or if it went deeper like with her. They were all her potential rivals, and that included Itsuki.

But it was just as she had said before. Nino wasn't looking to lose. Even if she was going up against her sisters, she wasn't going to let anyone else have Naruto. It went against their oath, but in this instance, Nino didn't mind being selfish.

It was her taking her first step toward her new self.

"You wanted to talk to me, Ichika?"

Ichika stood before one of the most important people in her life, that being of course Naruto. The two were out on the veranda of the apartment, alone in the night.

It had been a fun day for Ichika. More fun than she had had in months. But that was sort of the norm whenever Naruto was around. His presence was enough to light up the world around her.

"Yeah, it's important."

Naruto gave her his full attention. The others were back inside the apartment. He was sure they were curious as to why Ichika had called him out here, but they were respectful enough to not intrude.

Maybe. He had to wonder about Nino sometimes…

"It didn't feel right telling you over the phone, or email," Ichika said to him, her face bright. It was the expression she typically wore, but this one was real. It was totally different from the mask she put on in front of other people.

"Is this about your failing grades?"

Ichika pouted. "Mooooou, don't be so insensitive, Naruto-kun. When a girl tells you that she has something important to say, you don't bring up a sore topic like that."

"Ah, sorry." He wasn't really. But he knew Ichika liked to tease people this way, almost toying with them. Since Naruto preferred to be upfront, it created a unique dynamic between them. Yotsuba always liked to joke that they were like yin and yang, whatever that meant. Naruto chalked it up to Yotsuba just being Yotsuba.

"No, you're not. You still can't be delicate." She shook her head, her expression that of a doting sister talking down to her younger brother. "At this rate, you'll never be able to find a girlfriend~"

This again.

Naruto flicked her forehead, and, just like Nino before, Ichika yelped in surprise.

"Cut the 'big sister' act when you're with me. You know it doesn't work."

In fact, it was the other way around. Naruto was the older sibling here.

Ichika's cheeks turned puffy as she rubbed her now red forehead. "That's just mean, Naruto-kun. You shouldn't do that to a lady."

But that was the core issue, wasn't it? Ichika knew, as did Nino and even the others. Naruto didn't see them as members of the opposite sex. They were just family, nothing more. That had worked fine all these years. But now….

"You know I don't like drawn out conversations," Naruto said, snapping her back to reality. "Especially if it's something serious."

Ichika pouted again as she faced the other way, giving her back to the blond.

"So boring. You should let me indulge in my fantasies even for a little bit. That's what a classy gentleman would do."

Yes, but when had Naruto ever considered himself classy? Never, that's when.

"Ichika….."

The girl's face turned sheepish. She knew that tone.

"Fine, fine. No more teasing." She faced him again. "I think I mentioned it before you left, about my future."

Had she? Naruto couldn't remember well. Not that it hadn't been on his mind. None of the sisters had a clear goal in mind for their future, what they wanted to do. Nino had mentioned opening a restaurant in the past, but he didn't know if she still felt the same way.

With puffy cheeks, Ichika walked up to him and started pinching the blond on the cheek. It was Naruto who was yelping this time around.

"Ow, ow, ow. What are you doing!?"

"You don't remember, do you!?"

Crap. She caught him.

"W-Well, you weren't very clear, and-"

She pinched him harder, so much so his cheek was turning red.

"Ow, alright! I admit it, I don't remember! And I apologize okay! That hurts!" That's what he wanted to say, but it came out as gibberish thanks to the molestation his cheek was going through.

Thankfully, Ichika still understood him and let him go. She was still pouting.

"How insensitive. And it took a lot of me to share that with you."

Rubbing his sore cheek, Naruto looked at her with clear confusion. "If it was that important, I'm sure I would remember."

"Do you want me to hurt you again?"

"Alright, sheesh! Calm down! Don't resort to violence." Naruto grumbled. "First Nino and now you. Have you all turned more violent since I left?"

Ichika giggled. "You flatter me."

"….it wasn't a compliment."

Ichika shrugged it off. "It should be. It's the least you can do for forgetting something so important."

Naruto sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "Can you just tell me? Otherwise, I'm going to say something stupid again and my cheek can't take anymore of this punishment."

Ichika decided to take some sympathy on him.

"I'm an actress now."

Silence followed her declaration, with Naruto staring at the shorter girl with a blank look. It made Ichika squirm in embarrassment and anticipation. What would he say to this? She was anxious, very anxious. She always felt this weak in front of Naruto's eyes, but at night they became more intense. It was like she was staring at a deep sea that could engulf her at any second.

It was mesmerizing.

She couldn't take the silence, though, so she stuttered out, "W-Well, I'm not an actress yet. I've only gotten small roles so far, nothing to brag about. B-But I'm working hard to become better at it. S-So….um….."

Dammit, she was blanking out. Why wasn't he saying anything!? Even if it was disapproval, she would take it over the silence.

Finally, she got her wish as Naruto spoke again.

"You….you were worried about telling me that?"

Ichika scratched her cheek, blushing. "I wouldn't say I was worried, more like…..scared? I haven't even told the others yet! So I guess…..."

She wanted him to approve. That's why she had come to him all those months ago when he was preparing to leave for Russia. She didn't want to feel like she was letting him down. It was stupid, really stupid. Trying to get her father's approval hadn't crossed her mind. But Naruto….that was a different story. While she was waiting until she was more well known before she told her sisters, she couldn't do the same with Naruto. If he didn't agree with her choice, then there was no way she could continue it.

Naruto seemed to understand what she was getting at, which only made him frustrated.

With himself.

"I'm sorry."

Out of all the things she was expecting Naruto to say, this was not it.

"You're sorry?" The tables had turned. Ichika was the confused one now.

"Yeah." Naruto's hand went to her head. "I don't understand what made you want to choose acting, but it's clearly important to you. I shouldn't have forgotten it so easily." A wide grin made its way to his face. "You're the only one who's showed initiative and has some idea of what she wants. I'm proud of you."

It was strange really. Ichika received compliments from many people on a daily basis, but it was only when they came from Naruto that she got tongue-tied like this. Her "big sister persona" took massive hits every time too, much to her displeasure.

She stepped back and tried to hide her face from him. "I-I'm surprised. You know a word like initiative, huh~"

"Oi….." Naruto didn't know if he should be insulted by that low blow or depressed that his words of encouragement had been for nothing.

"But it is true, that you owe me one now."

Naruto stared at her, while Ichika still didn't look at him directly. "How does that work?"

"Ah, still so insensitive."

She was going to hang that over his head, wasn't she?

"You forgot about something so important, so of course you have to make it up to me." She started trembling. "Otherwise, this big sister won't be able to recover. I might even flunk from school!"

Always one for hysterics, huh? Naruto could see right through her act, but he didn't mind it. It was much better than before, from when she tried to put up fake smiles at every turn. He hated that more than anything.

"Alright, you got me. I guess I walked myself into that one."

Naruto couldn't see it, but a large grin was plastered on Ichika's face now. It was by no means a direct approach, but she still got what she wanted in the end.

'I need to stop Nino, somehow….'

Somehow.

"So what do you want?" Naruto hoped it wasn't anything too expensive. His savings couldn't take a hit now.

'But then again, the prize money should last me for a while….'

And he was working again. His income was more than stable at the moment.

Ichika turned to him, doing her best to not seem overly-excited. "Now that you mention it, there is-"

"What's taking you so long?" Nino joined them on the veranda, her face that of a young woman who was not happy.

"Oh, Nino." While Naruto didn't look troubled by her presence, the same couldn't be said for Ichika who had to hide her annoyance. "It's nothing big really. Ichika was just about to-"

"Oho, we can discuss that later, Naruto-kun." Ichika cut him off with a wave of her hand, doing her best to look cheerful. "There is no reason to bother the others with this, right? It's just between you and me….."

Nino frowned. She didn't like that phrasing at all, and she made sure Ichika was aware of that as she glared at her. Ichika simply smiled, not showing her true emotions behind her mask.

Naruto was left to look on between them again, once again confused.

'This is weird. Ichika and Nino have never been this hostile before…..'

Hostile might be a strong word, but Naruto felt it was appropriate. Ichika was always doing her best to be the leader of the five even though it might not seem like it. Naruto still considered her the den mother of sorts. And Nino was…

'Is this about what happened yesterday?'

Was Nino feeling resentful toward her sisters still? It's the only explanation he could come up with.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. But maybe his dense nature was a blessing here. To Ichika, it certainly was.

Not to Nino, though, who was already planning on fixing that as soon as possible.

It was war, after all.

"You can practically see lightning coming out of their eyes," Yotsuba narrated as she watched the proceedings outside from the couch.

Itsuki and Miku were with her, the former reading a book while the latter was simply waiting for the three outside to return.

"You shouldn't spy on other people's conversations," Itsuki lectured her, not taking her eyes from her book.

"But, but! This is big stuff! Ichika and Nino are going head-to-head!" Yotsuba exclaimed. She looked like a little kid who was enjoying her present for Christmas.

Miku raised a delicate eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Eh? Isn't Ichika going after Naruto-sensei too?"

Itsuki spluttered. "W-What? Don't be absurd!" She shut her book. "Only Nino has those stupid fantasies!"

Stupid fantasies?

"You don't approve." Miku's statement caused Itsuki to stop and think for a moment.

"Yes…..it just isn't right." Itsuki was sure of this. Why? Because Naruto was a brother to them. He felt the same way too, treating them like sisters. So something like this…...

"W-Well, I don't really get it all that much," Yotsuba admitted, blushing a bit. "B-But Nino seems sure of it! So I think we should support her!"

"Is that what you really want?" Miku asked her, her eyes boring straight into her.

"W-What?"

Miku continued to stare at her. "I know you've always been kind, but this time it's different. If you don't act, you'll lose."

Miku knew she had no right to talk. After all, she was doing the same thing she was criticizing Yotsuba for. But she had to! It was for her sisters, for their bond.

'But Nino has already disregarded it…..'

That voice in the back of her head nagged at her, pointing to the obvious. Still, just because Nino was being selfish, it did not mean that she could too.

'Then why are you trying to encourage Yotsuba? Is it so that you can have another excuse to act?'

…..

"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about, Miku. Ahahaha…..!" There it was again. Miku saw right through the laugh, but she didn't push it further. She couldn't, not if she wanted to bring her own insecurities forward as well.

Itsuki was left looking between the two, her hands balled up into fists. Why was she the only sensible one here? It didn't make sense at all!

When Naruto returned inside, he found that the situation in the living room wasn't all that better from out there. There was definite hostility in the air, but he couldn't understand why. It didn't deal with just one of the quintuplets either, but all of them.

He was going to have to solve this mystery on his own it seemed. There was only one big problem.

He didn't know how.

Yet.

Even though Naruto had only spent two years in high school before graduating, he had come to face the same mundane problems as other teenagers during that time. Such as a distaste for Mondays, or the love of a good Saturday morning when you can just sleep in like the lazy bastard that you are. That last part was important, because it so happened to be one of the blond's favorite past times back in high school. With work and looking after the quintuplets on top of his school work, it was rare for him to get a Saturday off. That's why it became really special to him.

It was no exception now.

That's why Naruto laid in the living room of his apartment, if it could even be called that, with books scattered everywhere. He had been up late last night with his assignments. As he had arrived back in Japan later than he'd expected, he was a bit behind on his school work. That's why he had spent so much time trying to catch up. It wasn't easy, but he had gotten used to it by now. With his hectic schedule, it was only natural that he did. That's why he could keep at it, even though he was dying on the inside.

Why did he have to make such a promise again? Oh, right. Because he cared. Damn heart.

Unfortunately for the blond, he couldn't get the sleep he wanted as he was forcibly awaken to the sound of someone opening the door to his apartment. He might have gotten stuck in this world with no chakra, but Naruto had made sure to keep his senses as sharp as always. Which is why he was already sitting up when the door was fully opened, revealing none other than Nino.

Naruto relaxed. "Oh, it's you."

He fought back a yawn as Nino stepped into the apartment. Unlike hers, it was nowhere near as big. Or fancy. When you stepped inside, to the immediate right was the kitchen, with the living room facing the door. The living room had a small round table, which was where he fell asleep under. There was also a bookcase by the wall. Facing the kitchen was the single bedroom, as well as the bathroom that was connected to it. Definitely small. But it was comfortable, and that's all Naruto asked for.

Nino took a quick glance around the apartment. She was in a sleeveless form-fitting white blouse, a black skirt that stopped well above her knees, her usual white thigh-high socks, a pair of black high heel pump shoes, and her favored ribbons. She was definitely more dressed up than Naruto was, who wore a simple pair of sweat pants and undershirt.

The girl scrunched up her nose. "This place is a mess."

Yes, yes it was. Not his fault, though.

…...okay, maybe it was. But still.

"You know, when I gave you a key to my place, it was with the intent that you only use it for emergencies."

Nino ignored him as she took her shoes off. "Are you only just getting awake?"

"Yeah." He checked his phone. Nine in the morning, so he'd gotten a good four hours of sleep. "Why are you up this early?"

"I wanted to check up on you, see how you were doing." Nino trailed off for a moment. "I mean, yesterday was….."

She had acted more harshly than she'd expected, but she couldn't help it. She was sure that Ichika was trying to do something. It was surprising, considering how Ichika wasn't the type to be so upfront. Which is why Nino didn't want to be outdone by her. Or any of the others.

Naruto remembered. "If there's something going on between you girls, you know you can tell me."

Nino wished she could, but not yet…...she needed to lay some groundwork first.

"I'm guessing you haven't had breakfast yet?"

So she was going to avoid his question. Naruto held back a sigh. As usual, Nino didn't make things easy for him.

"No, I haven't. I just woke up." He stretched out his arms and back, feeling a satisfying 'pop' in the back. Glorious.

Nino smiled. "Good. Then I guess you can enjoy my cooking early."

Oh? Naruto was really happy with that. Good thing he had made sure to stock up his fridge yesterday.

"I'm also going to clean this place up." A look of dissatisfaction flashed on her face. "It's almost as bad as Ichika's room."

Hey now. He wasn't that bad. But compared to Nino's tidy nature, it might as well be. She and Yotsuba were clean freaks like that, Yotsuba more so. With Nino, it wasn't all that surprising as she always made sure to take care of her appearance. Yotsuba's cleanliness was more shocking, but hey.

"I don't want to bother you with stuff like that."

"It's not, don't worry." Nino pulled him up to his feet. "Just go take a shower. You stink."

"Now that's just rude."

Nino smiled. "Honesty is key~"

Yes, but too much honesty could be hurtful!

"Ah, wait." Naruto was walking to his bedroom when the girl suddenly stopped him. "Give me your clothes. The laundry room is still downstairs, right?"

It was. The apartment complex offered its own laundry services, another reason Naruto liked this place. It came with many great perks like that without costing as much. But the fact Nino knew that showed just how many times she had done this for him. Naruto would object, but he knew what she'd said.

"It's no problem at all."

That's how it's always been.

He began to take off his shirt, never noticing the way Nino's face lit up when she saw his chest. So maybe her reasons for doing this weren't all so innocent. Sue her. She always liked Naruto's muscles the best. He wasn't so buffed that it was off putting like most bodybuilders, but he still had his noticeable definition. It almost made her want to touch-

'Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!'

By the time Naruto had his shirt off, Nino was already masking her embarrassment. Ah, if only he could read her mind right now.

If only.

By the time Naruto was out of the shower and dressed in fresh clothes, Nino was almost finished preparing breakfast for them. The smell was enough to entice the blond. He found Nino's cooking to be the best in this world, and that was probably never going to change.

Now dressed in a stripe red, blue, and white long sleeved shirt and yellow jeans, he waited for Nino to finish with her cooking as he sat at the table again. The apartment already looked more tidy than before, no doubt thanks to Nino's cleaning.

'She's going to make a great wife one day.'

No doubt about that.

The breakfast came soon, with Nino placing a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him.

"Went western today I see." Not that he was complaining.

Nino gave him a dry stare as she sat on the other side of the table, sitting crisscross just like the blond. "You don't have much else in your fridge other than the ramen cups I found."

Which is probably what he would have eaten if Nino hadn't showed up.

"You know I can't cook as well as you," Naruto shot back as he prepared to eat his meal.

"At least you're not as bad as Miku."

Yeah. Thankfully. Naruto loved the girl, but she could not cook to save her life.

"Thanks for the meal."

The two began to eat in a comfortable silence, with Nino looking pleased with herself as Naruto smiled widely when he took his first bite.

Another victory for her.

Nino was here with a purpose, though. She didn't like to beat around the bush, so she was going to make sure the blond became aware of her feelings as soon as possible. To do that, though, she was going to have to change his image of her. That she was no longer a little girl, that their bond could be something more than familial.

But how to approach the subject. That was the delicate part. Maybe she should just be upfront? No, that could scare him off. But did that matter? If she wanted Naruto to be aware of her feelings, then simply telling him was the best and simplest solution, consequences be damned.

'I say I wanna be honest, but here I am debating this…...'

How annoying.

In the end, she was saved by Naruto's timing as he took another bite from his plate with vigor.

"Man, this is great. You're definitely going to make some guy happy one day."

It was an off-hand comment really. Not something Naruto meant to have much meaning. After all, he'd been pretty protective of them in the past when guys tried to ask them out. Not that he had to, as Nino could look out for herself. So could the others, not that they had as much admirers as hers. Ichika was probably the only exception.

Point being, this off-hand comment was exactly what Nino needed to start things off.

"Really? You wouldn't mind seeing me date a guy?"

Naruto paused mid-bite at the question. For whatever reason, alarm bells started ringing in his head. But why? He usually had a good feeling when he had done something to annoy one of the sisters, but this was different as he had no idea why he felt like he should be cautious here.

"Should I be?" He fired back another question at her.

Unlike him, Nino didn't seem troubled at all as she looked at him. "Well, you only see me as a little girl, like a sister, so it shouldn't."

Right…..?

Naruto blinked, his head still trying to wrap itself around this weird development in their conversation.

"Well, yeah-"

"But is that really it?"

"I don't-"

Nino licked her lips as they suddenly felt dry. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Naruto. You know that right?"

The blond was started to get frustrated with this conversation. "Obviously-"

"But is that all you see me as? We don't have to just be like brother and sister."

Whatever frustrations the blond may have had died at that statement. He was still confused, but beyond that confusion a ray of understanding began to shine down upon him. Surely Nino couldn't be implying…...

The girl suddenly moved around the table, crawling on her hands and knees to where he sat. She started to get a little bit too close for comfort, but Naruto found himself unable to move. For it was the first time that he started to see Nino not as a sister figure, but as the young woman she proclaimed herself as. The very beautiful young woman, who now had her face so close to his that he could practically smell her.

And Nino, she just looked at him with those eyes of hers, now shimmering with something. It took a second for Naruto realize what it was.

Desire.

Nino inched closer. "Tell me. Is family all we can be?"

Naruto was tongue-tied, his throat dry at the implications her question raised.

But…..it couldn't be. It just couldn't.

….but could it?

Now faced with this situation, Naruto felt lost. Completely lost. But if there was one thing he and Nino shared, it was their decisive nature. So even though he felt lost and confused, an answer did pop inside his mind.

And it was not the answer he had been expecting to find.

Oh, Nino. You're so bold, girl. Basically, the first big move has been made. And not surprisingly, it was made by Nino. Same girl who offered to wash Fuutarou's back like it was nothing. So bold.

Who shall follow her example next?

That's all from me. I have no idea why this story got this popular, but I am happy with the feedback. Hopefully I don't disappoint.

And to the guy calling himself Hachiman, don't worry. I never delete reviews. So you don't have to use that as a bargaining chip. And while your accusation that I'm somehow "tainting" the original canon does piss me off, you're free to think as you like. I'm doing this for fun, that's all.

To everyone else, stay classy.

Till next time.