I return! I have been plagued by that insidious disease known as the SENIOR PAPER. I've really been trying to update this… T.T Anyway, here it is, in all its delayed glory!
Yume paced in the comfort of his room, walking back and forth as he thought. Natsumi shook her head.
-"Dear, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet. What's wrong?"- He didn't stop pacing.
-"Something Kyuubi said bugs me..."-
-"Nani?"- Yume actually stopped pacing and looked at his wife.
-"He said each of the kids was going to get a gift on their thirteenth birthday, from their demons… He didn't explain what the gift was, so..."-
-"You're letting your imagination run on overdrive again, koi."- Yume took a deep breath and sat down.
-"I know, but… I'm worried about those kids…"- he admitted as he looked out the window. –"Nobody should have to go through what they're going through. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing by sealing the demons in them…"- Natsumi whapped him over the head.
-"ITAI! Hey, what was that for?"- he whined as he rubbed his skull.
-"For doubting yourself again. Seriously, Yume-kun, you're the fourth hokage. You don't get to be Hokage with no self-confidence. You did the only thing you could at the time, and they know that. I don't think they hold it against you, so you shouldn't either."- Yume switched to spoken words.
"True, but I wouldn't have been Hokage if it wasn't for your support, Natsu-chan." He said as he kissed her.
"What do you mean, silly?"
"You were the reason I strove so hard, strove to become Hokage. You were constantly cheering me on and supporting me then, and you still do it." Natsumi blushed as she giggled.
"Oh, Yume-kun, don't be silly, you'd have done it anyway." Yume stiffened. "What's wrong?"
"Isn't Sasuke's birthday today?" An ear-splitting scream of pain rang out, and Yume dashed to the source, throwing open his door.
"Sasuke!" What's wrong?" The raven-haired youth was doubled over on the floor. He let out several hacking coughs, and took in a ragged breath.
Sasuke finished slipping the shirt over his head.
'Great. Another birthday. Another year that I haven't killed Itachi.'
("Hatchling, you remember what I discussed with you?") Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
'Something about a gift on my birthday?' He cleared his throat, feeling a slight burning sensation in his chest.
("Yeah. I hope you're ready hatchling, because this is going to burn like hell.") Before Sasuke had a chance to ask what Kageryu meant, he doubled over and slumped to the ground. His chest cavity was burning so fiercely he thought he had swallowed burning embers and some got into his lungs as well. He couldn't tell if he'd screamed or not, but he must have, because Yume ran in.
"Sasuke!" What's wrong?" He let out several hacking coughs, and took in a ragged breath.
"M-My… insides… feel like they're… on fire!" He coughed again, and didn't notice a small plume of fire come out of his mouth.
"What's wrong with Sasuke?" Naruto shouted, sticking his head in the room.
"Urusei… dobe." Sasuke grunted out before another coughing fit took over his body. Yume helped Sasuke into a sitting position, and turned to Naruto and Haku.
"Naruto, run and get Sakura. Tell her Sasuke needs her. Haku, come here and help me make him more comfortable." Naruto ran out of the room and sprinted for all he was worth. After running for a fair bit, he panted for breath as he knocked on the door of his friend's house. Mrs. Haruno opened the door, and smiled at him.
"Oh, you're Naruto, right? Sakura's friend? What can I do for you?" Naruto took a deep breath.
"I… I need to talk to Sakura-chan!" Mrs. Haruno detected urgency in his voice.
"Just a minute, I'll get her for you." She walked over to the bottom of a set of stairs.
"SAKURA-CHAAN! YOUR FRIEND NARUTO IS HERE! HE SAYS IT'S URGENT!"
"COMING! What's up, Naruto? Why are you out of breath?" Sakura asked as she came down the steps.
"Sakura-chan… It's Sasuke! Something's happening to him and otou-san wants you to come right away!" Naruto explained while bouncing from one foot to the other.
"Nani? Let's go then! Bye okaa-chan! I told you the address!" Sakura called as she and Naruto ran off towards the house. Mrs. Haruno shook her head, and walked back inside. She knew she was going to follow her daughter later, so she might as well take her time.
'Please be alright, please be alright, please be alright!' Sakura repeated to herself over and over as she ran for all she was worth to Naruto's house.
("Sasuke's a strong kid, he'll be fine.")
'What makes you so sure? He's probably dying! He's going to be DEAD before we kiss!' Sakura let out a mental wail of sorrow. Hane sighed as she shook her head.
("He's not going to die, fledgling. He's just getting Kageryu's gift to him.") Sakura nearly tripped while she was running. How could she have forgotten? Today was Sasuke-kun's birthday! And she had forgotten! What kind of a girlfriend was she?
("Oh, cheer up already! At least you get to be with your love!") Hane snapped. Sakura was taken aback. She'd almost forgotten that Hane was Kageryu's lover. Here she was, complaining that she didn't have a gift, and Hane would never be able to see or be with her love again.
'Hane, gomenasai, I forgot…'
("Aaah, don't worry about it, fledgling. I guess you being with the Uchiha is the closest thing I'll get to being with Kageryu-kun again…") Sakura leapt over the fence surrounding Naruto's house.
'Hey, what did you mean when you said that Sasuke-kun was getting Kageryu's gift? What kind of gift?'
("I'm sorry, Sakura, but I can't tell you that. You'll see soon enough. Don't forget, you'll be getting your gift tomorrow. Be prepared for it.") Sakura gulped as she thrust the door to his room open.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke looked up from his position on the floor.
"Sa… Saku…" He was interrupted by another coughing fit, making him double over again. The fit ended with one hacking, body-jarring cough, sending a tongue of fire almost three feet in front of him. Sakura rushed to his side and sat on her knees. She pulled his head onto her lap.
"It's alright, Sasuke. Just calm down, breathe deeply." Yume instructed as he wiped the boy's forehead with a damp cloth. Sasuke coughed.
"Breathe… breathe deeply…? Are you – cough cough cough – crazy? That'll sting – cough cough – like hell!"
"I know it will, but give it a shot, Sasuke." Sasuke closed his eyes, and took as deep a breath as he could. He cried out and coughed several times, each time sending a small jet of fire from his mouth. Sakura looked at Yume worriedly.
"What's happening to him?" Yume pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I think the demon is altering his body so Sasuke is more suited to Kageryu's element, fire." Haku stood by nervously.
"That can't be good for his body…"
"No, I imagine it isn't. Which is why this change is so painful for him." Naruto swallowed audibly.
"Is it gonna be this painful for all of us?" Yume sighed.
"Most likely." Naruto paled, and laughed nervously. Hiashi hurried through the doorway, followed by Hinata.
"I heard a scream, what's going on?" Yume turned to look at him.
"Sasuke's just getting his demon's gift." Sasuke let out a jarring cough again, sending a plume of flame almost all the way to the ceiling. Hinata walked over to Naruto and stood by him.
"W-W-Will he b-be alright, Yume-san?" Yume smiled.
"Oh, he'll be fine, eventually. Kageryu wouldn't let his vessel die." Sasuke coughed weakly.
"Gee… thanks for –cough cough cough cough – the vote of confidence…" Sasuke groaned weakly from the floor. He winced and went into another spasm of coughs. Sakura wiped his forehead and face again, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Sasuke's fit ended in one body-jarring, hacking cough as he almost doubled over. A huge, white-hot blazing fireball shot out of his mouth and across the room. It landed on the wall, catching it on fire.
"Good thing I thought ahead, ne?" Yume asked rhetorically as he grabbed a bucket of water he had grabbed earlier and doused the blaze. Sasuke panted heavily.
("Good work, hatchling. The easy part's over. Go ahead and get some rest.") Sasuke frowned on hearing that comment.
"Is it over?" Sakura asked him, hesitantly.
"Un. I think so…" He sighed frustratedly, accidentally letting out another jet of fire. Sakura shrieked in surprise, jerking her head back quickly. Kageryu snickered.
("I said the easy part was over. Now comes learning to control that fire burning inside of you.") Sasuke growled.
'Freaking smartass demon…' He carefully exhaled again, concentrating on not letting the warmth that was in his chest escape. No fireball came out. Okay, that was one obstacle down. Now he had to get in the habit of keeping that under control. Yume's keen ears heard a knock at the door.
"Naruto, why don't you get the door?" Naruto shrugged, stood up, and left the room.
'Who could be at the door? Hiashi-san and Hinata-chan are already here…' Naruto opened the door to see…
"Haruno-san?" Naruto's eyes bulged slightly. She merely laughed and smiled at him.
"Long time no see, Naruto-kun. I came to meet Sakura's other sensei, besides Hyuuga-sama." Naruto began to sweat profusely. Nobody else was supposed to know about his parents being alive! Naruto started spluttering.
"Um… well… ya see… um…" Naruto spun around as Hiashi walked into the entryway.
"Konnichi wa, Haruno-san. How are you this morning?" Mrs. Haruno bowed low.
"I'm fine, Hyuuga-sama! I beg your pardon, however-"
"You want to meet Sakura's other teacher besides myself, ne?" he interrupted.
"H-Hai, if that's possible." Hiashi thought for a moment.
"On one condition. You will tell no one who he is. It isn't time yet for his existence to be revealed to the public again." Naruto waved his arms frantically.
"NAAAAANI! DEMO HIASHI-SAN!"
"I accept, Hyuuga-sama." She politely replied, ignoring Naruto's outbursts. Hiashi nodded, and led her further inside, followed by the still protesting Naruto. Eventually, they arrived at the door of Sasuke's room.
"Dobe! You have a visitor." Hiashi called through the door.
"ASS!" Yume's response was automatic. He opened the door.
"Who is it? Oh, Haruno-chan! I thought I'd be seeing you soon!" Yume laughed, and smiled at the stupefied woman. Her eyes were practically the size of dinner plates as she keeled over backwards, fainting dead away.
"Yo… Yondai… me…" Hiashi caught her effortlessly, and lifted her in his arms.
"You have a spare bedroom I can lay her in, Yume?" Yume thought, but was interrupted by a loud voice.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!" Natsumi walked over as fast as she could.
"Oh, heya Natsu-chan! Looks like Haruno-chan was surprised to see me!" Sakura stuck her head out of the room.
"What's going on- Kaa-chan?" Sakura ran over.
"Lay her in the master bedroom, Hiashi-kun! BAKA! How could you startle her like that?"
"ITAI!" Yume yelped as Natsumi hit him over the head with her trusty frying pan. Hiashi just shook his head and walked off.
"Y-Y-You know S-Sakura-chan's mother, N-N-Natsumi-san?" Hinata asked in her quiet manner.
"No, I don't. Not really, anyway. I've seen her before, but never really talked to her." Sasuke walked out, supported by Naruto.
"I still say you're just a stubborn bastard."
"And I still KNOW you're just a moronic dobe." Naruto's temper snapped.
"YOU… YOU… YOU… CHICKEN-HEADED ASS!" Sasuke's eyes widened. Not because of what he had said, but because he had actually come up with a decent comeback. Despite himself, his face cracked into a grin.
"Nice one, dobe." Naruto was shocked, to say the least. Uchiha Sasuke, Mr. popular himself, the ice cube, actually smiled. Naruto's face split into his foxy grin once more.
"Thanks, I guess, jackass." Hinata's face reddened as she saw Naruto's smile again. She could look at that bright beam of sunshine all day…
("You're drooling again.") Hinata flushed out of mortification and wiped her mouth as quickly and as surreptitiously as she could. Naruto noticed, and it made him think of how cute she looked all embarrassed. He shook his head quickly.
"Actually have a thought, dobe?" Sasuke mocked. Naruto merely smirked and dropped the boy, making him grunt in surprise.
"Yep. You could say that, teme." Naruto laughed while Sasuke growled from his position on the floor
Akemi groaned as her eyes fluttered open. What had happened…? Someone chuckled from the doorway.
"You took a little stumble, Haruno-chan. Feeling better?" She looked over at the voice, and nearly fainted again.
"Y-Y-Yondaime-dono!" It was him alright. The spiky golden hair, the bright blue eyes… he was a dead ringer.
"But… You're… How are you…? You're supposed to be…"
"Dead?" Yume finished her question. At her mute nod, Yume laughed again.
"Seems like the death god took the wrong soul… Oh well! His mistake!" he chuckled.
"Yondaime-dono? I have another question…" Yume raised one of his eyebrows.
"Fire when ready, Gridley." Akemi nodded nervously.
"No need to be so nervous, Haruno-chan. I don't bite, unless you're a bowl of ramen." He chuckled a bit at his own joke. "I'm betting you want to know why your parent-in-laws asked me to seal a demon in Sakura-chan, ne? Your father-in-law wanted to humiliate Hane, who had just killed his wife and dealt him the blow that was taking his life, by sealing her inside his offspring. He knew that my plan wouldn't work with an adult, so… he nominated Sakura. Sorry about doing it without your permission, but…"
"Iie, daijoubu. I'm glad ojii-san made that decision. It had to be done, for the good of Konoha." she interrupted him, then blushed slightly and apologized profusely for interrupting. He just laughed heartily, and smiled at her again.
"Oh, that reminds me. Sakura's going to be getting a 'gift' from Hane tomorrow, since it's her birthday. It's going to be hell for her, no sense it trying to glaze over it." He withdrew a scroll from his pocket and handed it to her. It was fairly small, but heavier than it would appear.
"What is this, Yondaime-dono?" Akemi asked, looking at it quizzically.
"Please, call me Yume. It's a summoning scroll. When she starts to get her gift, and there won't be any doubt when that is, open that and it'll summon a messenger bird that'll alert me. I'll be there as soon as I can, just try and keep her from injuring herself." Her brows knit with worry, but she nodded.
"She'll be alright, won't she, Yume-sama?" He sighed, and looked into her eyes.
"Yeah, eventually. It's getting her to that point that's got me worried."
"Ne, Sakura-chan? Can I talk with you? Alone?" Naruto asked nervously, shifting from foot to foot. His statement immediately made Sasuke glare daggers at him, and Hinata at Sakura. Sakura nodded hesitantly, stood from her position by Sasuke's bed, and walked out of the room with Naruto.
"Naruto, if this is another one of your attempts to get me out on a date-" Naruto cleared his throat.
"Actually Sakura-chan, I wanted to apologize. I've been chasing you around like a lost puppy since I first saw you, and… I know you love Sasuke-teme, and I think… I think I love Hinata-chan." he admitted with a fairly significant blush.
"Naruto…" Sakura was lost for words. He was actually apologizing? Hane shouted a strident ("HELL YEAH!"), making Sakura smile slightly.
"Aand, I guess that's all… We can still be friends, right Sakura-chan?" Sakura bopped him on the head gently.
"Of course we can, Naruto no baka! How dense are you?" she chided him. Naruto pouted momentarily, then smiled broadly with his usual foxy grin.
"Thanks Sakura-chan! I feel a lot better now!" He slid the door open to reveal a blushing Hinata supporting an embarrassed Sasuke who had been eavesdropping. They both laughed nervously.
"Eheheheheheheh…"
Yosh! On to the reviews!
Dragon Man 180 - hits head against desk Stupid plot holes! Thanks for pointing it out.
sephynarutocloud – I have. -.-;;;
Night-Owl123 – Many thanks!
Place-your-name-here – I'm flattered! .;;
Coco Cow – That's what I've tried to do. I got sick and tired of Hiashi being a cold and heartless bastard in every story I read.
Skuld's Sentaro2 – Thanks. He already knows Kage Bunshin, he's used it before. .;;;
TFI-Muse – Thanks. Gaara's going to come in during the Chuunin exam. I shall take your "wink wink nudge nudge" into consideration.
Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl – Years of pent up emotions tend to do that to a person.
Rednal-san – Thanks for the rant! .
GreatMarta – Thanks! By the way, how's the translation coming along?
Ame Suisei – Indeed he does. evil laughter
GirlWaterShaman – Fluff is surprisingly hard to write…
Scarred Marionette – The reason Sakura froze is because she has no combat experience whatsoever. That'll change fast, mind you.
violently-cheerful – I'm not giving up! Yes, you can use Yume. I'm flattered.
Kagome1015 – Indeed. Natsumi is the ultimate mother figure.
Dagorwen of Ithilien – Your penname's hard to spell XP Anyway, Read my response to Scarred Marionette's review.
All anonymous reviewers – Thank you very much, and keep up the R&R!
NEXT TIME: Sakura gets her gift, as well as the other kids!
