A/N: Sorry for the slow update, but I had schoolwork to do, as I said. So it's now June and I will finally upload the last two chapters of The Way I Want You Tonight
The Way I Want You Tonight
Part Two: Feelings Realised
Kurenai was wearing what looked like the top of a blue two-piece bikini and a white shirt tied around her waist and her forehead protector was nowhere in sight. She also had a short black skirt, her shinobi sandals and had a bag slung over her left shoulder. Her appearance, to Naruto, was no less than hot.
No, to the blonde, Kurenai was literally aflame with the word.
Not that the young man showed that he did thought of her that way.
'I thought girls take forever to dress.' Naruto teased her playfully.
'Well, I'm a woman, Naruto.' she said, smiling at the blonde ninja.
And Naruto smiled back at her, making the young woman blush.
'Shall we, Kurenai-san?' Naruto said, opening the door for her.
Kurenai exited her home, followed by Naruto and locked the door to her house.
On their way to the lake, Kurenai realized that quite a few people were staring at them. Or in other words, at the rather well-figured Yuuhi Kurenai.
Naruto didn't take notice of any of this and just ignored the people for the remainder of their walk to the lake as if he was used to all this attention. For good or bad reasons. He had attracted more than all this for as long as he lived.
They reached the lake and Naruto was right; there were a lot of people there.
And Kurenai saw some familiar faces there as well and so did Naruto.
Kakashi and Iruka were under a beach umbrella; Kakashi was wearing a black pair of swimming trunks and a cloth as a facemask, reading that dirty book of his and Iruka was wearing a blue pair of swimming trunks and had a very popular comic book with him that suspiciously looked like it was from Naruto's room.
Chouji, Shikamaru and Ino were in the water splashing each other.
Their teacher, Asuma was sitting on a green picnic cloth with all the food in a picnic basket smoking a cigarette, watching his students.
Gai and Lee were in the water as well, with Tenten and Neji eating their food on a black cloth. It was quite funny for Naruto to see Neji in pink swimming trunks.
'Naruto! What a surprise to see you here!' it was Sakura, his old team mate.
She was wearing a green coloured one-piece swimsuit, hugging her figure.
'And who do we have here?' Sakura had just spotted the woman next to Naruto, not knowing that it was actually Kurenai, 'You got yourself a girlfriend?' she added playfully to him; the effect on naruto was just as she expected.
'Err… Sakura-chan, she's not really my girlfriend.' he said, blushing.
'Sure she isn't. So when's the wedding?' she asked, the playful tone still there.
'Really, Sakura-chan, she's not my girlfriend, really!' he persisted.
'Stop lying, Naruto.' Sakura said, still not knowing that the blushing woman was Kurenai; Team Eight's Jounin Instructor and hottest woman around.
'Sakura-chan, this is Kurenai-san; Kiba's teacher.' Naruto said.
'What!' Sakura exclaimed, almost deafening the ears of the two people, 'Na-Naruto, you're dating Kiba's teacher! I-I can't believe it! I knew you were quite the man now, b-but…'
She was staring from one person to the other, a shocked look plastered on her face. Her brain was still trying to find a possible explanation for the pair.
'I'm not really dating Naruto-kun, Sakura. He's just being the nice guy he is.' Kurenai said; the information took a while to take place into Sakura's mind.
'Oh.' she said, looking at a grinning Naruto.
'Sakura!' Ino called out to her best friend.
'I gotta go! Have fun, Kurenai-san! Naruto!' Sakura waved at them as she ran to Ino and her friends for a very enjoyable splash-fest.
Naruto watched as a bunch of kunoichis and shinobis splashed water among themselves in the lake, having fun as normal teenagers, not ninjas.
'Do you want to go for a splash, Naruto?' Kurenai asked the boy.
'Of course, Kurenai-san.' he answered, smiling away.
She proceeded to take off her short skirt, revealing the lower part of her blue bikini. This, of course, made all the good male ninjas of Konoha that were nearby to look at her and fantasize, except for Asuma, Gai, Iruka and Kakashi, of course.
'Kurenai-san, let's go!' he waved to her in his black trunks with a flaming spiral.
She went in the water to join him and pretty soon they were splashing each other with their hands, giggling and laughing as they did so.
Kurenai had to admit, she was having fun with this boy.
Maybe accepting Naruto as my boyfriend wouldn't be so bad, she thought.
He had been so nice to her for the past few days.
'Look out, Kurenai-san!' Naruto called out as he did some hand seals.
And out came a squirt of water, splashing her right in the face.
'Oh, you are going to get it!' she said, a tone of mock anger in her voice.
She did her hand seals and what hit Naruto was more than a little squirt.
It was a medium-sized dragon made of water and after Kurenai had finished giggling at him, she realized that he was not in sight. He had vanished.
'Naruto? This isn't funny!' she called out, almost shouting as she searched a small area for signs of the blonde shinobi, going underwater as she searched.
'Gotcha!' Naruto appeared behind Kurenai and wrapped her in his arms.
She struggled to get free from him, but just settled to be there in his arms after a few seconds. Naruto may not have realised it, but
From their spot, Kakashi and Iruka watched the two people.
'Don't you think they look so cute together, Kakashi-sensei?' Iruka asked.
'Of course they do, Iruka-sensei. They deserve one another.' Kakashi said, not taking his eyes off the latest volume of Jiraiya's infamous novels in his hands, 'But there might be a few problems with their relationship. I mean, once the whole village knows that they are going out…'
'It's alright, Kakashi-sensei.' Iruka said, slightly smiling, 'They'll go through with it if I know what Naruto's like. He likes her a lot and I'm sure that Kurenai feels the same, except for the fact that she is obviously in denial.'
'Iruka,' Kakashi began; the signs on his mask showed that he was smiling, 'Talking about Naruto and Kurenai, what about you and Anko-san? I heard that you two have been going out for the past few weeks.'
At the mention of Anko, Iruka blushed. Kakashi, ever the teaser, made sure that the chuunin would blush even more by the end of the conversation.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Kurenai were having their fun in the lake's water.
'I'm hungry, Naruto.' Kurenai said suddenly as Naruto suddenly blushed.
He was in a rather embarrassing position with Kurenai. He had his arms around her waist, near her belly button. And his hands were on her wet, bear skin…
He released his hands from that rather tantalizing spot on Kurenai's body and smiled at her; as though he had never done anything wrong. Was touching her with his bare hands wrong? Of course not, but his fantasies were.
'I've got some food that I made in the packs I brought.' Naruto said, striding to their picnic spot through the water, where the food that he had made was.
Kurenai followed him, and had the sinking feeling that she was being watched.
She was, by more than ten people. Among the number were Sakura and Ino.
Naruto sat down on the grass and took out Kurenai's bento, smiling rather foxily at the woman as he handed her the food. Kurenai took the food and set it down beside her before taking out a white towel and dried her hair with it.
Naruto took out his own bento and opened it, revealing a very appetizing-looking variety of food that he himself had made for this occasion.
'Wow, I wonder if mine is just as good.' Kurenai said, looking at Naruto's food.
'Don't worry; I made yours just as good, if not better, than mine.' Naruto said.
Kurenai smiled at him in return and opened her bento, revealing a rather fulfilling-looking assortment of seafood. She loved seafood; it was her favourite type of dish, not that anyone knew, of course, as most of her female friends assumed that she was one of the women that preferred vegetables, with her figure. Kurenai let it slip; she was not bothered with the world of gossip, anyway.
'Let's eat!' Naruto said cheerfully, taking out two pairs of chopsticks and handing over one pair to Kurenai before beginning to eat his food.
Naruto's cooking was no less than delicious; the taste of his seafood cooking just slipped into her mouth as she entered a second bliss.
From a distance, several male ninjas were looking with envy at the teenager that was with Kurenai for several reasons that will not be spoken of.
Kurenai and Naruto felt at ease with their presence within each other, for some reason; Naruto had a reason, actually, but Kurenai did not. She could not understand, for the life of her, why she was so at relaxed and feeling so peaceful with the blonde ninja. She felt warm, as though he was a second sun to her, shining with his yellow rays of kindness and comfort. She found that she liked it.
Without even herself noticing, she began to stare at Naruto as he ate. Not actually stare, but glanced at him for quite long. She was somehow attracted to him; somehow the boy was creating a light that she did not want to be put out.
Naruto was slightly oblivious to her staring as he ate his food, not actually taking notice of Kurenai's face. He packed up his food after several minutes, finished with it and turned to Kurenai, who was still staring.
'Is there something on my face, Kurenai-san?' Naruto asked, slightly smiling.
Kurenai snapped out of her trance and started blushing; her skin a variety of red tones that many artists in Konoha would crawl over a bed made of kunais.
'Are you blushing?' Naruto came closer to Kurenai, grinning very widely.
'NO!' Kurenai almost shouted as several of the present ninjas stared at the two people, most of the males in the group were growing quite jealous as how could a sixteen year-old teenager gain looks that are so powerful be so close with one of the sexiest women in Konoha? 'Uzumaki Naruto, I am not blushing!'
'The twenty-six shades or red on your face say that you are.' Naruto said in a sing-song voice; Kurenai, if possible, turned even more shades of red.
'Uzumaki Naruto, if you don't stop shut up this instant I will kill you.'
Naruto's eyes widened slightly at Kurenai's threat, but he just grinned at her as a response and sat back down, cross-legged and cleared his bento container of all remnants of his lunch into a small plastic bag before getting up to his feet.
'Your container, if you may, Kurenai-san.' Naruto held up his hand.
Kurenai handed her bento container over and Naruto emptied its remnants of food into a plastic bag just as he had done to his own bento container.
Naruto proceeded to walk over to a nearby plastic trashcan and threw the trash into it and walked back over to their spot near the lake, sitting back down.
'Well, Kurenai-san, this isn't that bad of a way to spend the day isn't it, I mean; free food and even some splashing around in the lake.' Naruto said, smiling.
'Yes, Naruto, it's really nice to be like this.' Kurenai replied, smiling herself.
'And I still haven't given you my cooking tips have I?' Naruto said.
'Oh yeah; you promised me that you'd teach me how to cook.'
'And I won't back down on it; I am a man that never backs down on his words!'
Kurenai smiled at the blonde, who blushed. Naruto had truly never seen Kurenai like this before; smiling and laughing with him. And to think that he had met this woman when he was but a child and she was already a Chuunin.
'So shall we get going, Kurenai-san?' Naruto inquired getting to his feet again.
She gave a nod and they started to pack up their things, not noticing the familiar ninjas that were intently watching them, their eyes lit up in interest.
Naruto and Kurenai stopped in front of Kurenai's home in their usual gear, Kurenai had changed into her black tank top and shorts while Naruto had his shirt and his usual blue undershirt and shorts that went past his knees. Kurenai opened the door and gestured for Naruto come in, which he did.
Naruto headed towards the kitchen and looked around before realising that he was not familiar with the kitchen. It was Kurenai's house, after all.
'Uh, Kurenai-san, where do you keep you utensils?' Naruto asked.
Kurenai set her bag down and entered the kitchen. She slightly smiled as she did. She was looking forward to the "cooking lessons" but somehow, she was reminded of her day with the blonde, not once did he live up to the name of "Konoha's Number One Loudmouth", not once did he brag about his dreams and not once did he try to kiss her. Kurenai blushed at the last thought. Was she expecting a kiss? Half of her mind argued that she did want one, while the other, the part that with good manners and courtesy, said no. She wasn't sure.
Naruto looked puzzedly at Kurenai, who looked as though she was smiling at a memory. She was; the memory of the day that they had spent together.
'Um, Kurenai-san?' Naruto said to her, a slight look of worry etched on his face; Kurenai snapped out of her second trance of the day and blushed, 'Are you okay? You looked like you were smiling off into nothing. Are you thinking of someone?'
'No, of course not, Naruto.' Kurenai said, her heart suddenly feling heavy.
Naruto looked at her once more, an eyebrow raised before asking her where the cooking utensils were located once more. She pointed to a cabinet next to a stove, and said that they were there. Naruto nodded in response and smiled, making the weight in her heart suddenly take off flying.
That was a lie, I know it;you know it, I know what I think and I know what I want, but is it really right for us to be together, Naruto? Kurenai thought.
Naruto took out the required utensils and set them next to the stove.
'All right, Kurenai, let's get started with our cooking lesson!' Naruto said energetically; Kurenai shook her head the young man's animation.
'Well, you're not going to cook looking like that.' Kurenai pointed out his attire; Naruto puffed his chest out indignantly and Kurenai giggled, 'Here's an apron.'
Naruto looked to Kurenai, who was pointing to a pink apron that read in white, the words "Mother Knows Best". His eyes widened significantly.
'You can't make me.' Naruto said in a tone of mock defiance.
Kurenai decided to play with him for a while; she neared him.
Naruto's eyes widened even more than before when she leaned against him. Naruto's mind went a complete blank, leaving him open to any mental attacks. Kurenai's movements of deception and intrigue could make the illusion created by Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan put to shame, for Naruto was not left with an inch of mental resistance or even a final defence, to put it short, Kurenai's act had the blonde ninja under her spell for any single request she would make.
'Naruto-kun, could you please wear that apron; for me?'
A minute later, Uzumaki Naruto was in a pink apron, not knowing how in the world he put on the abomination. Naruto gave an accusing look to Kurenai, who was trying very hard to not laugh or even giggle. She was losing her fight.
'Oh well, let's just start with the cooking lessons.' Naruto slightly grumbled.
'Yes, sensei!' Kurenai gave a mock salute to Naruto, who frowned.
'We're going to start with making seafood bentos, Kurenai-san. You have some fish in your freezer, right?' Naruto looked to Kurenai's fridge.
'Yeah, I do. Let me get it.' Kurenai replied, opening the top door of the fridge.
She took out a fish around a foot in length and handed it to Naruto before closing the freezer door and rubbing her hands together to restore the heat back to them. Naruto took out a large bowl and set the fish into it before filling it with warm water from the tap, trying to defrost the fish before they started cutting.
'May I ask what kind of meal are we making, Naruto?' Kurenai asked.
'We're making some fish cuts and with some spicy soy sauce.' Naruto replied, looking from her back to the fish, which had frost all over it staring to melt.
'It'll melt in about ten minutes, but since I'm going to teach you how to do it the faster and effective way, we'll just do this; Kurenai,' Naruto looked to Kurenai and she gave him her attention, 'Put some chakra to your hands and touch the fish. The chakra will melt the ice and remaining frost on the fish.'
Kurenai did so; focusing the chakra to her ahnds, she touched the fish and in the process of the warm chakra circulating her hands, the frost that remained was gone; Naruto smiled at her achievement. He then took out a cutting board.
'Next, we cut the fish into even and edible pieces.' Naruto explained, motioning his hand to take out a knife but he did not find one; Kurenai smirked.
She pulled out a drawer that revealed an assortment of kitchen knives.
She took out one and handed it over to the blonde, who did not take it.
'You cut the fish; it'll be a good first-hand experience for you.' Naruto said.
'Naruto, I've cut a fish before; you just have to show me some of the recipes that you have in store for me in this lesson.' Kurenai said, smirking.
'I'll only have enough time with you for two recipes, Kurenai-san; and since if you do something you'll learn faster, why don't you cut the fish?'
'Okay, but you better be there to instruct me. I don't want to do anything wrong with this. I am after all, going to have to be able to cook for a family.'
Naruto smiled and moved over so that she could start with her work. As Naruto observed Kurenai do her work, he was thinking that she was not that bad of a chef herself, simply by seeing her at work with the knife. Naruto also observed that her skills with her kunai could have much to do with her skills. Naruto suddenly, thanks to the Kyuubi within him, got a mental projection and saw a vision of Kurenai in five years time and what he saw, he found, he liked.
It was as his wife, and she had a large belly, signalling that she was pregnant, wearing a blue dress over a white blouse. And at her feet, tugging at her skirt, were two little girls, one blonde in a pink dress and another one, with her hair much like a little Kurenai, in a yellow dress. Naruto then suddenly looked around; he wasn't in Kurenai's home anymore, but in a different house. For one thing, Kurenai's fridge was not orange in colour and there was a picture of a blonde man with long hair with his arms around Kurenai hung on it by a magnet.
Naruto recognized it as himself and that there was a ring around Kurenai's finger, which had a beautiful sapphire stone on it. He smiled softly.
Kit, if you wish for all this to happen, you better get a move on; the future will not wait for you, not for one second; and let's not forget about the men that are after this pretty vixen as well, it was Kyuubi, in his cage, smirking.
'Kyuubi? Oh no, I'm unconscious, aren't I?' Naruto grabbed his hair in panic.
'Yes, you are unconscious, but don't worry about it, kit, I have some advice for you on how to court this fair maiden.' Kyuubi grinned in a fox-like way.
Naruto blushed at Kyuubi's words and started to give the blonde a few words from himself to protest to the demon fox, to no avail, for his throat felt like it was constricted. Unable to talk for the moment, Naruto neared the cage to hear what the gigantic demon fox had for him. He was in no mood to be distracted from his precious time with the woman that he had fallen in love with all those years ago.
'So you will listen to me, then? Good.' Kyuubi neared the edges of the cage, 'You know, kit, that you can't keep being like this with her; females are like that, fox or human. They tend to get impatient when it comes to love, but you're lucky; this certain vixen,' Naruto blushed at the word vixen, 'Is patient and aware of her own feelings for you; that I can sense.' Naruto literally jumped with joy when he heard Kyuubi say that she had feelings for him as well, 'But,'
Naruto slightly drooped at the "But," and listened even more intently.
'She is rejecting those feelings. She cannot except that she has feelings for you. There is an inner conflict within her, kit, so you better be careful with your feelings and hers.' Naruto gave a slight nod, 'You don't want to blurt the three magic words to her out, kit; she'll give in to the negative side of love if you do. You have to make sure that you're close enough to her without hurting her.'
Naruto gave a final nod and Kyuubi walked away to the darkness in his cage.
'Kyuubi, why are you helping me with this?' Naruto questioned.
The demon fox stopped and turned its head around to see Naruto.
'I do rampage, I do destruction and death, but if there's one thing that touches my heart kit, it's the love that you humans seem to have.' Kyuubi replied.
Naruto smiled sincerely at Kyuubi as the demon continued to walk away.
'Well, I guess you really aren't the evil demon that I thought you were.'
'Do not misunderstand me! I just have a soft spot for love! I'm still the Kyuubi no Kitsune that will rip you to shreds the moment I escape from here!'
'Yeah, yeah; see you later, you softy fox!' Naruto teased as Kyuubi growled.
A bright flash of light came and Naruto found himself staring at the ceiling of Kurenai's home. He was on something soft and comfortable and saw that he was on Kurenai's couch. He had a splitting headache. There was always a splitting headache whenever he got up from a meeting with Kyuubi.
'Naruto, are you okay? You fainted in the kitchen just now.'
Kurenai was at his side, her hand on his shoulder; her face etched in worry. Naruto gave a smile to reassure her and attempted to get up, but Kurenai forced him back down with her hand, glaring at him. Naruto looked at her, puzzled.
'Are you sick, Naruto?' Kurenai asked, looking at him and expecting the truth.
'No, I'm not. Now, if you may excuse me, we both have a cooking lesson to finish.' he attempted to get up once more and found that Kurenai was standing in front of him, her hands on her hips and a glare in place.
'You are not going to cook; if you faint I'm not going to have to drag you back here; for a thin guy, you sure are heavy.' Kurenai said, still glaring.
'Kurenai-san, I am not sick; I'm as fit as a fid-' a sneeze chose to escape.
Kurenai glared more at him. Naruto was as fit as fiddle, except that every time after his visit to Kyuubi was over, he would get a headache due to the red chakra of the demon seeping out and intermixing with his own and since it was in his mind, he would get the occasional headache from the intermix that occurred.
'At least let me check your temperature.' Kurenai put a hand to Naruto's forehead and felt that there was no abnormal amount of heat in it.
Naruto, meanwhile, was thinking around different lines, like how cool and soft Kurenai's touchw as when it was upon his skin. Lucky for him, she did not notice the blush that crept upon his face. She withdrew her hand.
'Alright, you're not sick, but it's already in the evening. Unless you have any plans with anyone tonight, why don't you stay for some dinner with me? I was thinking we should go to Ichiraku or something like that. You know, to repay you for a good day, even though, you did faint halfway through it.'
Naruto blushed, but with the promise of ramen, he almost immediately got rid of the blush and got back to his old ramen-loving self in an instant.
Outside, Hatake Kakashi and Jiraiya watched intently at the progress made.
Naruto, surprisingly, only ate two bowls of ramen rather than his usual twelve at the ramen stand, to much of the owner's and his daughter's disappointment.
Naruto was somehow, slightly more mature than Kurenai would have thought he'd be after all the words that she had heard about him from the people about his immaturity and attitude. But the way that Kurenai saw it now, it was like all those things that the people had said never existed. Uzumaki Naruto, now, to her, at least, was a man. Caring, friendly and… lonely.
Kurenai had never, in all her life, seen Naruto act lonely or afraid, but she knew that the loneliness was there, somehow, when he fainted, it showed itself clearly on his face; the sorrow that he ahd gone through since he was born.
'Kurenai-san, that was a rather fulfilling meal, don't you think?' Naruto said.
'I'm still surprised that you only ate two bowls. After all the times that I hung out with Iruka and Kakashi and Asuma, they said that you could find a stock of ramen in your stomach that could feed all the people of Konoha.'
Naruto scowled and Kurenai gave the blonde a joking smile.
'Hey, I haven't heard seen Kiba, Shino or Hinata for the past few days.'
Naruto's puzzled look made Kurenai almost giggle; whenever the blonde pouted or look puzzled, it was just too adorable to resist. Naruto turned to Kurenai.
'If you're so curious about what's going on with them; Kiba has been out with the flu lately. Shino is attending one of his Uncle's weddings and he won't be back until the end of next week. Hinata is off with her father and sister for training.'
'Oh.' that was Naruto's simple reply as he put his hands in his pockets.
They proceeded to walk for a while until Naruto bumped into someone.
'Sorry.' Naruto aplogized, before realizing that the person that he had bumped into was Kakashi, wearing his Jounin uniform and had a package under his arm.
'Hello there, Naruto.' Kakashi greeted, raising a hand in greeting to him and then spied to Kurenai at his side and greeted her as well, 'Kurenai-san.'
'Good evening Kakashi.' Kurenai greeted curtly, the incident of the day before still played in her mind; she was still angry at his accusation of her being in love.
Kurenai knew for herself that she was; she was just in denial.
Kurenai was never one to admit to love at first sight. She only believed in two things as a kunoichi; beauty and charms equals a successful mission if utilized properly and to not possess a heart that easily showed emotions. She was good at fulfilling the first part of her belief, but the second one was almost impossible to execute. Kurenai was not an emotional person, but she did have a mind to actually act out how she felt. If she was angry, she would hit someone. If she was annoyed, she would glare at them. But if she was in love, she would not admit it.
Love, to her, was a simple pleasure. To her, love spawned from admiration, a feeling of looking up to and be charmed by it for whatever reasons. Love also spawned from friendship as Iruka and Anko discovered. Sometimes love was even spawned from fear, unil recently; Kurenai knew that it could never be spawned from fear from a lesson by her good friend Mitarashi Anko. Fear only spawns lust, which hurts other people after its temporary rise.
'So Kakashi-sensei, did you enjoy being at the big picnic?'
'Yes; as a matter of fact I did, Naruto.' Kakashi replied, before getting close to Naruto and began whispering into his ear, 'Iruka probably won't be able to face Anko again without experiencing "junior" after what I said about her.'
Naruto blushed very slightly and Kurenai was left puzzled as she did not have a clue about what Kakashi had told Naruto other than the blush on Naruto's face.
At the picnic, Kakashi had started to tease Iruka about his relationship with Anko as they spied, along with the many people at the picnic, on Naruto and Kurenai. In the process, Kakashi whispered several naughty things to Iruka. Kakashi's perverted thoughts were only second to Jiraiya's and Iruka was more or less an innocent and friendly person that was still a virgin. If someone were to add those two up, they would most likely get a bloody mess and a twitching Iruka. That was, after all, the result that Kakashi expected from his actions.
'What's that you got under your arm, Kakashi-sensei?' Naruto asked.
'Oh, this?' Kakashi drew out the foot-long package, 'It's a package that I have to deliver to Hokage-sama from Jiraiya-sama since he's away on a trip again.'
'Oh, what's inside?' Naruto inquired, peering at the wrapped package.
'I think that it's some special sake. I have a good nose you know.'
If only you would stick it in other places other than people's business…
'Oh, and Jiraiya-sama said that he's looking forward to the raw copy of your book, whatever that means.' Kakashi finished; Naruto's eyes widened.
'You're writing a book, Naruto?' Kurenai asked the blonde.
'Uh…' Naruto did not know what to say, 'Yeah; a romance novel…'
'A romance novel?' Kurenai pressed on further, 'What kind of romance novel?'
A romance novel that rivals Icha Icha Paradise in power, Naruto thought.
But of course, Naruto did not want to reveal that to Kurenai, for fear of getting kicked and beaten up. Naruto had learned that even though that the men were seemingly the dominant sex, the women would somehow and often always beat them to a pulp, no matter what. It was a confusing theory, seeing as how the previous Hokage's were men. Naruto wondered if they had their wives or women beating them up while they were on duty. They probably did.
'If I told you know, it would ruin the surprise for the readers now, won't it?'
For three weeks, Uzumaki Naruto and Yuuhi Kurenai were friends, going out with each other at times and talking about the times that passed. Naruto was very close with Kurenai, making the woman quite uncomfortable about her feelings for the sixteen-year old. They could be seen in the Shopping District in Konoha drinking some cups of coffee and sometimes stayed at each other's homes when they were too tired to return to their own. Naruto did not mind this at all.
In the two weeks, many other people, other than Naruto and Kurenai, were getting together. Umino Iruka was finally admitting his feelings to Anko and even though they had gone out before, they were much closer now and could be seen in public kissing, hugging and they were once even found necking outside Ichiraku Ramen. Inuzuka Kiba was finally cured of his cold and at long last, admitted his feelings to a certain Hokage's Assistant that he liked her.
They were the surprise couple, But Kiba had admitted that he had fallen for her ever since the time his Anbu Squadron returned from their mission bruised and battered to be healed by her warm hands. She accepted his feelings and they started dating, even though Shizune could have sworn that Tsume, Kiba's sister, looked like she would gut her the moment she touched her brother in the wrong way. Things were turning up great for Gai's Team as well, for Tenten anyway.
Ikegata Tenten was asked by her long-time crush, Gaara, to be his fiancée the night he admitted his feelings for her. Naruto was personally present, along with Neji, Lee and a very reluctant Shino to watch them kiss under the moonlight.
The wedding of the two ninjas was to be at the end of November.
Rock Lee, through several attempts, finally got Sakura to be his girlfriend when he shaved his eyebrows and re-styled his hair to look like Naruto's old hairstyle. Sakura was not really after Lee's looks, it just annoyed her whenever the two caterpillar-like things on Lee's head were near her.
Hinata, who had a long-time crush with Naruto, got over him and held him as a close friend to her heart (Kurenai was swept with relief). Shino asked her out the day after and the couple was once seen making out in the middle of the Hyuuga Estates. Neji had the stinking feeling that his Uncle, Hyuuga Hiashi, was already starting to take out the money from the back and prepare a wedding ceremony.
Shikamaru, Jounin Instructor to the new Team Seven, which consisted of Udon, Hanabi and Chouji's young cousin, Ikkaku, who looked a lot like Chouji except that he was a brunette, was starting to date Ino, who, after finding out that Shikamaru liked her back, screamed for joy the moment he said to her how much he liked her, even with all her bravado and mouth.
Kakashi and Gai had gotten themselves their own women. Kakashi had met his old teammate Rin again and they started dating. Gai, however, had a very hard time finding a girl that could counter-balance his personality.He was seen with an unknown red-headed girl that had an attitude very much like Tsunade's.
Kakashi and his Jounin peers shivered at trhe thought of their children.
Neji was still single, although he did have quite a few admirers among the female population of Konoha. Jiraiya was still publishing his books and Tsunade was still Godaime Hokage of the village, although she had grown slightly more peeved at Jiraiya's perverseness after putting up with him for so long.
But throughout the village, like wildfire, people were talking about Yuuhi Kurenai and Uzumaki Naruto, the couple that will be.
It was already night time in Konoha and the people of the village could be seen in the busy streets. It was, after all, a festival. In one corner, under a cherry blossom tree was Uzumaki naruto, his hair tied up in a ponytail that reached down to his waist. He was waiting for his "friend" Kurenai, who was supposedly about to show around fifteen minutes ago. The blonde straightened the sleeves of his white and blue yutaka and then looked to the people that were around him.
He could see Sakura and Lee eating some cotton candy; Sakura in her pink kimono and Lee in his light-purple yutaka. Shino and Hinata were sitting on a bench, Hinata had a goldfish in a plastic bag sitting on the lap of her golden kimono while Shino was in a grey male kimono. Shizune and Kiba were under a cherry blossom tree kissing each other with passion. Naruto grinned as he watched them under his own cherry blossom tree. Gai and Kakashi were with their girlfriends near a dango stall, along with Iruka and Anko, who was holding three sticks of dango. Naruto smiled as he looked around once more.
'Naruto.' a familiar voice to Naruto called out to him.
Naruto turned in the direction of the sound and that Kurenai was there in a light-blue kimono and a long sash around her elbows. Her hair was straightened slightly, making her seem to Naruto more beautiful than ever.
'Sorry that I was late.' she smiled to him.
'Don't worry about it, you're worth the wait.' Naruto charmed.
Naruto held out his hand and people watched the unofficial couple go around, eating some dango that they recently bought and talk with their friends. All the while, Kurenai did not notice that Naruto was staring at her the whole time.
It was now almost midnight, and the streets of Konoha and its parks were still full of people celebrating the festival and happily holding their loved ones in their arms. Naruto wished that he could hold the one he loved in his arms.
The unofficial couple got away from the bustling streets and packed parks of Konoha to be alone. In her heart Kurenai wiashed it to be.
Naruto and Kurenai were walking up a path; they did not know why, but something seemed to attract them here. They reached their destination and saw that it was the same tree that had cuased their paths to cross.
The same tree that Naruto had caught Yuuhi Kurenai from falling out of.
'Remember that day we met here, Kurenai-san?' Naruto asked, smiling.
'Yes, I do.' Kurenai smiled back at the young man, 'You thought that I was an angel that dropped out of the sky, if you do remember.'
Over the past few weeks Kurenai had finally confronted her fears of love and care for the blonde teenager, not knowing what rto do at that time. But this was her chance to finally tell him. Right here, right now. She knew that he loved her back, but he was just being polite and making sure that she was comfortable.
Kurenai had questioned herself over and over again? Was this love? Yes.
'Kurenai…' Naruto turned to look at Kurenai and she looked back at him.
'Yes, Naruto?' her red eyes captivated him, putting him into a trance.
Naruto did not say anything. Kurenai gazed into his wonderfully blue and impossible eyes once again, but this time, she was not lost. She knew where his heart was and where his soul resided. His heart was joined with hers and his soul was their will to go on with their love. To Naruto's surprise, Kurenai started first.
'Uzumaki Naruto,' Kurenai began, smiling at him, 'You were the person that I never thought would have made his way through my heart. You, by my eyes when we first met, were the furthest one from it. But now, I know better. This is not my heart anymore, it's our heart.' Kurenai gazed deeper, putting her two hands into his, 'Thanks to you I now have the bravery to say this; I love you.'
Naruto gazed back into Kurenai's two red orbs and smiled.
Kyuubi was heard sniffing into a tissue inside Naruto's mid.
'Yuuhi Kurenai, there is no one that I would rather share my love with other than you.' Naruto said, smiling at the brunette.
As time passed, Naruto and Kurenai's heads drew closer until their lips met under the moonlight, warmth was radiated throughout their bodies.
And in the background, people were cheering…
Wait, people…!
Almost all the Rookie Nine, Gai's Team, their former Jounin Instructors, the Hokage, Shizune and Jiraiya and the soulmates of Kakashi and Gai were there, coming out of the bushes, clapping and whistling at the newly-formed couple. Even Iruka and Anko were there; Iruka crying into Anko's shoulder in happiness. Tsunade was caught up in her emotions as well, blowing her nose into a handkerchief Jiraiya handed her. Naruto stared in bewilderment at the mass of people in the area. His pet fox, Sai came to Naruto and started yipping from his feet to encourage another kiss. Naruto obliged.
Under the moonlight, once more, Naruto's and Kurenai's lips met.
antiassasinguy: there's still the third part to come tomorrow! Stay tuned! Thanks to One Azn Dragon and crazy-antman for the encouragement. The next chapter will feature two years from this event; much like an epilogue. Thank you once again, and if anyone has thesong "Still Time" from Saiyuki, could they please e-mail it to me? antiassasinguy out!
