Hey minna-san! dodges the objects thrown at him I know it's been forever since my last update, but I had so much crap going on… Graduating, my mom not letting me get on the comp, getting ready for college… Anyway, for some good news, I have a beta now! Metanaito was most generous to accept the position. Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!
Does it LOOK like I own Naruto? I own Yume and any other OCs though!
Sakura yawned hugely as she rubbed her eyes. She mumbled something incoherent and trudged to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror, wondering what exactly had been the reason to get up at this hour. It wasn't even eight in the morning yet. She scratched her head as she yawned again.
("Chick? You awake yet?") Hane asked from her prison. Sakura blinked once before answering, obviously not being a morning person.
'Hane? Did you wake me up? It's my birthday, aren't I supposed to be able to sleep in on my birthday?' Hane laughed nervously.
("Yeeeah, about your birthday… Remember how I said you'd be getting a gift like the Uchiha boy had?") Sakura nodded, and then remembered Hane couldn't see it.
'Yeah, and?' Hane refrained from banging her head against the wall of her prison. Sometimes her vessel was so smart it was scary, but get her early in the morning, and she couldn't count to four.
("Just checking. Hope you're ready, because this is going to burn. Badly.") Sakura remembered how much pain Sasuke had seemed to be in yesterday, right before every nerve ending in her body exploded with pain. She screamed loudly and crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
Akemi was busy cooking breakfast when she heard her daughter's shriek of pain from the upstairs bathroom. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could and found Sakura writhing in pain on the floor. She let out another scream, and Akemi remembered the scroll the Fourth had given her. She ran into her room and opened the small scroll. In a poof of smoke, a tiny hummingbird was sitting in her hands where the scroll had been.
"You want me to go quickfetch Yume-san, rightright?" it asked in a squeaky little voice. Akemi nodded, a little shocked.
"Okay! I go quickfetch him fastfast! You slowwait here and make sure birdgirl doesn't ouchhurt herself! Be ready to wideopen the doordoor!" The little bird gave a semblance of a bow, and was out the window faster than a gunshot. Akemi nervously paced, waiting for a knock at her door.
The abovementioned Hokage was shoveling food into his mouth along with his son and students. Natsumi laughed when Naruto turned blue from shoving food into his mouth too quickly. Sasuke snorted, accidentally sending a small tongue of fire over the table. He reddened slightly as everyone glanced at him.
"So I haven't perfected it yet…" he muttered. Not only had the dragon messed with his insides, Sasuke had found a ridge of scales going down his spine. Apparently, Kageryu had thought they would look cool. Sasuke hadn't noticed them growing because of the pain of his primary gift. Yume laughed silently. Suddenly, what seemed to be a feathered ping-pong ball smacked Naruto in the back of the head.
"Gah! WHAT THE HELL!" The "ping-pong ball" hovered back up into the air in front of Yume.
"Kin? What's wrong?" The little bird started buzzing around Yume's head.
"Ooooooh! You have to runrun quickfast Yume-san! The birdgirl is ouchhurting! I came to quickfetch you for confusedlady!" Naruto had little swirlies for eyes.
"Naaaani…?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the overly energetic bird.
"Translation: I have to hurry to Sakura's house because she's getting her gift and her mother summoned you?" Yume asked as he stood. The little bird buzzed in place.
"Yepyep rightright! You have to runrun quickfast!" Yume nodded.
"That'll be all Kin. Help yourself to some food before you leave."
"Yaay! Natsumi-san's foodfood is yumtasty!" The little bird started eating an egg roll that was larger than he was while Yume hurried to the door. He rolled up his pants and removed what looked like weights from both of his legs. He rolled them up and dropped them outside the door, where they sunk to about one-and-a-half feet underground. The kids' eyes bugged out of their heads when he did that.
"HOW DO YOU MOVE!" Naruto yelled.
"Lots of practice. Sasuke, I think Sakura'd like to see you." Yume crouched into a run. "Natsu-chan, when jackass comes, tell him where I am." As soon as he said that, a golden blur shot through the streets of Konoha, stirring up dirt and trash in his wake.
"How fast… was he going…?" Haku managed to ask, his chopsticks slipping from his stunned fingers. Natsumi giggled as she started to clear the table.
"Your father's not called the "Golden Flash" for nothing, Naruto. The last time someone clocked Yume running without his weights or any jutsu, he was going at least 125 miles per hour. That was a while ago, though. He might have slowed down a little since he's been out of action for so long." Naruto choked on the drink he had taken. Sasuke whirled around towards the door when he heard Sakura's voice.
-"Sasuke-kun! Help me!"- He looked wildly around the room, but he couldn't see Sakura anywhere. Her chakra wasn't there either.
-"Please help me, Sasuke-kun! It hurts so much… oh god, it hurts…"- Sasuke wordlessly stood up and ran after Yume as fast as he could.
'Just hold on, Sakura, Yume-san should be there soon, I'm coming! Fight the pain, don't let it overwhelm you!' he mentally pleaded to whoever was listening as he sprinted through the streets of Konoha.
About a minute after she had let the bird go, there was a knock on Akemi's door. She opened it, and gasped.
"Y-Yondaime-dono? How…?" Yume cut her off, breathing heavily.
"That's… not important… where's Sakura?"
"Upstairs in the bathroom-" Yume blurred past her up the stairs, making the pictures on the walls rattle in their frames. He threw open the door and carefully picked her up.
"Sakura! Sakura, you in there? Answer me?" She just writhed in pain, her face a tinge of blue.
'Sasuke-kun! Please, help me, Sasuke-kun! It hurts so much… oh god, it hurts…'
-"Just hold on, Sakura, Yume-san should be there soon, I'm coming! Fight the pain, don't let it overwhelm you!"- Sakura faintly registered Sasuke's voice over the pain. Yume carried her back downstairs, setting her in the living room.
"Gomen ne, Sakura-chan." Yume said before slapping her face, stunning her.
"BREATHE!" Sakura took in a ragged breath and let it out quickly.
"AGAIN!" She breathed in again, her eyes scrunched tight with pain.
"Good, now keep that up! Don't you dare stop!" Sakura nodded weakly before another spasm of pain hit her, making her cry out again. Sasuke threw the door open, and ran over to Sakura.
"Sakura! Sakura, I'm here!" He took her hand in his, noticing how much softer hers was. She looked at him out of almost shut eyes, squeezing his handpainfully as another wave hit, arching her back. Yume turned to Akemi.
"Haruno-san, if you could please get a cloth and a bowl of cold water." She nodded and quickly walked out of the room. Yume kneeled by the pink-haired girl.
"Sakura, can you tell me just what hurts, or is it all over?" Sakura took in another gasping breath.
"I… It's… my bones…" She cried out again, limbs flailing.
"MY BONES ARE MELTING!" she screamed. Yume placed a hand on her forehead and reached out with his mind.
'Hane? Hane, if you can hear me, answer!'
("… God, I didn't think it would be this painful for her…") the demoness admitted. Yume's brow furrowed.
'What are you doing to her? Is what she said true?' Hane sighed, but her voice was getting faint.
("Almost. Her bones aren't melting, they're just-") The connection was severed as Sakura screamed again. Yume withdrew his hand from her head and took out a small scroll. Opening it revealed Kin once again.
"What's wrong, Yume-san? You need me to quickfetch someone fastfast?" he squeaked. Yume nodded.
"Go tell Haku, Hiashi, Natsumi, Naruto, and Hinata that Sakura's getting her gift."
"Go telltell girlboy, old nopupils, Natsumi goodcook, foxboy and little nopupils pinkhair getting gift? Okay, me speedfly fastfast!" the diminutive bird zipped from the house, and Yume cautiously placed a hand on Sakura's arm. His eyes widened.
"Sorry, Sakura, but I have to check something." She nodded, her eyes firmly shut, as another spasm hit. While she was already in pain, Yume experimentally squeezed her upper arm, immediately letting go. He was no medic-nin, but bone was not supposed to be malleable! Sakura feebly grabbed his shirt sleeve.
"Tell… Tell me… what's wrong…" she choked out.
"Are you sure you want to know?" She nodded, stifling another cry. Yume took a deep breath, taking the bowl from Akemi as she reentered the room.
"Your assertion that your bones were melting may not have been far off. Bones aren't supposed to go squish like yours just did." Akemi's hand flew to her mouth, and Sakura's eyes snapped fully open in horror. Sasuke winced as she squeezed his hand again.
("Almost done with the first wave, chick, hold on. I know you can do it!")
'I… I'm trying… but… it hurts… it hurts so much…' she weakly replied. Yume wiped her brow with the damp cloth, while Sasuke stroked her hair, silently encouraging her. Her body lifted from the couch in one great spasm. Then, the pain was gone, only leaving a funny pins-and-needles feeling all over her body. Her ragged breathing slowly returned to normal.
"Daijoubu ka?" Sasuke asked, running his hand over her cheek. She opened her eyes tentatively, and smiled.
"I… I think so…" she faintly replied.
"How do you feel? Besides worse than hell?" Yume asked her. She gave a small laugh.
"Tired… This was a really sucky way to start off my birthday…" Sasuke smiled.
"Now you know how I felt." She pouted up at him, sticking out her lower lip.
"Meanie! Don't pick on an injured person!" Sasuke snorted.
"Yeah, you're feeling better." She blushed, humphed, and looked away. All of a sudden, her eyes widened again, her mouth stretching in a voiceless scream, back arching in pain. Yume whirled back around.
"Sakura, BREATHE!" She took in another ragged breath.
"Sakura? Doushite?" Sasuke asked as he dodged a flailing arm.
"My… MY BACK!" she shouted with tears in her eyes. Yume quickly rolled her over on her stomach, holding her arms down so she couldn't flail. His eyes widened as he saw her shoulders pulsing. He grabbed the back of her shirt collar and ripped the back of her shirt off. Her shoulder blades were bleeding. Her breaths came in short gasps, her body shaking wildly.
"Sasuke! Hold her legs down!" Yume ordered. Sasuke quickly held her ankles against the floor. Her body writhed, unable to thrash freely. She suddenly gave a loud, ear-splitting scream, as in an explosion of blood a pair of huge, feathered wings burst from her shoulders. Her body went limp, and Yume let go of her arms slowly. She whimpered and tried to look over her shoulder. Her eyes widened immediately. Sasuke was speechless.
"I… I have wings…? How…?" she asked hoarsely. Yume took the cloth and began cleaning the blood from the feathers.
"Now it makes sense. What happened first was Hane making your bones hollow, like a bird's. The extra bone mass went into these babies." He said, wiping more blood gently from her wings. She watched with a sort of morbid detachment as she tried moving one of them. It flapped in response, almost knocking Sasuke across the room if not for a timely dodge out of instinct.
"You might want to wait until we're outside before you try that. Nice dodge, by the way, Sasuke." Yume said amusedly as a bead of sweat trickled down Sasuke's face. There was a knock at the door, and Hinata stuck her head in.
"I-Is Sakura-chan okay… oh, sugoi…" Hinata murmured, awestruck.
"Is she okay Hina-chan? Why'd you stop? Is something wrong?" Naruto's voice piped from out of view. Sasuke shook his head.
"She's fine, dobe."
"TEMEEE! Lemme at him, Hina-chan!" Hinata was gently holding the eager boy back. He struggled, not wanting to hurt her by shoving her out of the way.
"C-Can you guys wait? Outside? Until I have some r-real clothes on?" Sakura asked with a crimson face. Sasuke finally realized all she was wearing was the front half of an oversized shirt. A small trickle of blood leaked down from his left nostril as he hurried out the door. Sakura saw it, and blushed even more. Yume stood, and walked over to the door.
"Hinata-chan, why don't you give her a hand adapting her shirt?" Hinata meekly nodded, and entered the house, closing the door after her. Sakura stole up to her room, beckoning Hinata up after her. She found some suitable under things and put them on, the bra fit strangely around the base of her wings. Hinata stuck her head in the door.
"C-Can I come i-in?" she asked, ever timid.
"Sure, go ahead." Sakura said tiredly, sitting on her bed after slipping on a pair of shorts. Hinata closed the door after herself. She walked over and reached out, stroking a wing.
"They're real…" she murmured. "You're so lucky, Sakura-chan. They're so beautiful." Sakura blushed a little.
"I'm still getting used to them. Oh, what am I going to do, Hinata-chan? I can't just walk around with these!" Hinata swallowed and sat down next to the other girl.
"I-I don't think you have a choice… But you said you didn't care what people thought of you anymore, th-that we were going to all be outcasts together." Sakura sweatdropped.
"You're right, again. I did say that, and I still mean it. It's just… None of my shirts will fit me now!" There was a pecking on her window. Sakura curiously opened it, revealing a struggling Kin carrying a package far too large for him.
"Please take, it tonheavy!" he squeaked pitifully. Sakura hurriedly took it from the tiny bird, and he landed on her windowsill gasping for breath.
"That new clothesstuff from Natsumi goodcook. Said it fits around bigwings." Kin looked up at her and cocked his head. "Bigwings look good on pinkhair!" he declared loudly before vanishing in a poof of smoke. Sakura opened the package, revealing several modified bras, shirts with two zippered slits going all the way down the back, and several pair of pants. The shirts were the same red as her dress, and the pants were a darker red that matched the shirts well. She glanced over at Hinata, who stepped back into the hall. Sakura changed into a new bra, and slipped on a new shirt, fitting them around her wings, zipping up the shirt. It fit like a glove. She rustled her wings, finding an apparent full range of motion. She smiled, and slipped on a pair of the pants, which also fit great. Sakura beckoned Hinata back in, and she looked at the new clothes.
"Well this solves my clothing problem." she said with a bright smile. Hinata nodded, then gasped, and took a lock of Sakura's hair in her hand.
"Sakura-chan, your hair…" Sakura paled slightly. She was really proud of her unique hair; she was the only one in the village with bright pink hair. She took a bit of it in her own hand and looked at it closely, gasping when she saw that it was still the normal pink, but it had a feather pattern to it, making it look like pink downy plumage. Hinata enviously released the hair, looking at the ground blushing slightly. Sakura walked out of the room, and Hinata followed, murmuring something.
"What was that, Hinata-chan?" Hinata blushed, and mumbled a little louder.
"I said, I hope my gift is as pretty as that…" Sakura giggled. Akemi looked her daughter up and down, studying her new appearance.
"Well?" Sakura said dramatically, spinning for the full effect.
"You look like a little angel!" Akemi said, giving her daughter a hug. Sakura beamed, hugging her mother back. "Don't let those other nitwits in the village bother you, honey, you look gorgeous." Sakura nodded.
"Bye mom! We'll be at Naruto's again!" she called as she walked out of the door.
"SUGEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naruto yelled, dumbstruck. Sakura giggled again. The four of them walked down the street towards Naruto's house, Yume having already gone on ahead. The villagers' reactions varied from speechless shock to open disgust, more of the latter. Sakura's happiness was quickly eroding under the glares and whispers of the other people of Konoha. Suddenly, Sasuke was walking alongside her, an arm around her waist. She blushed suddenly, looking over at him quickly.
"Don't let them bother you, tenshi-chan." Sasuke murmured to her, making her turn five different shades of red.
'TENSHI-CHAN! He called me an angel!' she repeated thunderstruck.
("Well, was it worth it, chick?") Hane asked with a chuckle. Sakura gave her a mental glare.
'You could have warned me it was going to hurt that much!' Hane laughed nervously.
("My bad. I didn't think it was going to be that painful for you! Look, to make it up to you, I'll show you how to use them, deal?") Sakura smiled.
'Deal. Starting tomorrow, once we get to Naruto's house.' Naruto yawned hugely all of a sudden.
"Maaan, I'm tired…" Sasuke smirked.
"Too tired to spar, dobe?" Naruto jumped back to life immediately.
"HA! YOU WISH, TEME! LET'S GO!" Naruto sprinted to the training grounds, making the other children laugh.
Hinata woke up early in the morning, just like always. She rose from her bed, walking into the bathroom, and washed her face. Once she was done, she walked back into her room, looking at the calendar. A sudden wave of panic hit her. It was her thirteenth birthday today. That meant…
("Well, I'm gonna give you a thirty second warning, unlike the others, since I'm so nice. Starting… now.") Hinata sprinted from her room, running as fast as she could. She threw open the door to her father's room, awakening him.
"Hime-chan? Doushite…?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Otou-san, I… I'm getting my gift in less than thirty seconds!" Hiashi was fully awake immediately. He scooped his daughter up in his arms, and they both vanished, appearing outside Yume's mansion. Yume was waiting in the doorway.
"Knew you'd be here sooner or later." he said with an apologetic smile. He led them inside.
"Do you know what Same is going to do to Hinata?" Yume shook his head.
"No idea. But, I think we'll find out rather quickly." He stopped walking when Hinata did. Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth was working, but no sound came out.
"Hime-chan? Daijoubu ka? Hinata?" Hiashi shook his daughter gently. She shook her head, and put a hand on her neck. Yume put an ear to her mouth. He just barely heard her response.
"I… I can't… breathe…" she whispered, eyes wild with panic and fear. Hiashi looked worriedly at his friend, who started pacing.
'Come on, think, Yume, think! There's got to be a sort of logic to this.' Hinata's face was starting to tinge blue, her lips already that same shade. Hiashi pried his daughter's hands off of her neck, and inhaled in shock.
"Yume!" he shouted. "I think she's getting gills!" Yume ran back over, and checked. Sure enough, there were lines along her neck, just under her jaw line. The lines soon started to bleed, and Hinata started trembling. Yume grabbed the girl, sprinted for all he was worth for his bathroom and kicked the door open.
"YUME!" Natsumi shrieked, having been prepared to get into her morning bath. She snatched up her shirt and covered herself.
"Sorry koi, but I gotta borrow your tub!" he said before unceremoniously dropping Hinata into the water.
Hinata's vision was steadily getting worse. She could only think of one person, though.
'Naruto-kun…' Her vision kept darkening. She felt herself being picked up, and could faintly feel a pain in her lungs and neck.
'Please, help me Naruto-kun… I can't breathe…' Suddenly, it hit her that she could be dying. Panic restored her vision temporarily. She saw herself being carried down a hallway.
'Please… I'm scared, Naruto-kun… I don't want to die… not yet…' Then, she heard something.
-"Hinata-chan! I'm coming!"- Was that Naruto? But she thought he was still asleep!
-"Don't you dare give up, Hinata-chan! You're not dying yet!"- Just hearing his voice restored some hope to her heart. Almost ironically, air suddenly rushed into her lungs. She took great heaving gulps, and soon her vision returned to normal. Looking around, she realized that she was in a tub. Underwater. Breathing. She stuck her head above the surface to ask what had happened, but she couldn't breathe again when she lifted her still-forming gills from the water, and Yume pushed her head under again. She lifted her face from the water, keeping her gills carefully under.
"Y-Y-Yume-san? Wh-What's happening to me!" Hiashi patted the top of her head reassuringly. She looked over at him.
"Just keep those gills underwater, hime-chan." Natsumi slipped her nightclothes back on.
Naruto woke from a peaceful slumber, rubbing his eyes.
'Kyuubi? Did you wake me up?' The demon snorted.
("Feh. No, I didn't. Why?") Naruto stretched before falling back over in his bed.
'Ah, nothing. I thought I heard someone for a second there.' He was almost back asleep when he heard it again.
-"Naruto-kun…"- He sat bolt upright in bed, looking around his room.
"Hinata-chan? Where are you?" He couldn't see her anywhere in his room.
-"Please, help me Naruto-kun… I can't breathe…"- Naruto jumped out of his bed.
"Hinata-chan!" He stuck his head into the hallway. No, she wasn't there either.
-"Please… I'm scared, Naruto-kun… I don't want to die… not yet…"- Naruto started to panic. If he was hearing her in his mind, then he'd try the same trick.
'Hinata-chan! I'm coming!' he thought as hard as he could as he ran from his room.
"Naruto-san?" Haku asked, seeing the boy run away. Naruto just kept running.
'Don't you dare give up, Hinata-chan! You're not dying yet!' he mentally screamed. He heard a commotion from his parents' bathroom, so he ran inside.
"HINATA-CHAN!" She was up past her neck in the water. She spun around at the sound of his voice.
"Naruto… kun…?" she asked breathlessly. He looked up at his father.
"What's happening to her?" Yume shook his head and bonked Naruto's.
"Calm down, Naruto. She's getting gills, so she has to be in the water to breathe." Naruto nodded, and then knelt by the edge of the tub.
"You feeling better, Hinata-chan?" She nodded hesitantly.
"D-Demo…" Naruto grinned.
"You're still scared, huh?" She nodded meekly, blushing from embarrassment. He thought for a moment, then grinned and slipped into the tub with her.
"N-N-NARUTO-K-KUN!" Hinata yelped. He settled against the back of the tub and took her in his arms, her face completely aflame. He was blushing slightly too, and just held her loosely, but strongly. Her heart racing, she settled against him.
"Feel better, Hinata-chan?" She tried to get her heart rate under control, and the men's snickering and Natsumi's "awwwwwwwwww-ing" didn't help. She snuggled closer to him, relieved that she was still there.
"Yes. I feel much better now, Naruto-kun." Hinata felt a patch on her back begin to burn slightly, making her wince.
"Hinata-chan? Doushite?" She rolled over, so her back was towards the surface. She winced again as another wave of pain hit her. Yume gave a low whistle when a fin began to rise out of the middle of her back. She turned her head and managed to look over her shoulder and see it. Naruto squeezed her reassuringly, unsure of what else to do. The fin eventually stopped growing, almost five inches in height.
("Way to go, kid. I knew you could do it. Oh, I've given you another bonus, but you won't be able to notice it yet. Just give it a few years and you'll see!") Hinata blinked once. Naruto's mind raced to find a change of subject, and found one, though not the best.
"Um… Hey, I like your new teeth, Hinata-chan!" She blinked in confusion. New teeth? She ran her tongue over her teeth, finding them now slightly pointed. She blushed, squeaked again, and shoved off of Naruto to the other end of the tub. She submerged her head in a futile attempt to hide her blush.
'Same? When can I get out of the water?' Hinata asked. Same chuckled.
("You sure you two don't have some business to attend to first?")
'SAAAAMEEEE!' Hinata mentally screamed, going several different shades of red. The demoness roared with laughter.
("Don't forget I'm a succubus, I can't help it, Hinata. You should be able to close your gills off with a little concentration. Same goes for reopening them. The fin isn't retractable, though.") Hinata nodded, and concentrated on breathing air. She felt a tingling in her neck and chest and suddenly she felt the distinct need to breathe. Her head broke the surface, and she gasped in air. Hiashi knelt by the tub.
"Are you done, hime-chan?" She nodded and started to rise out of the tub when she realized that she still only had her pajamas on, and now they were wet. She immediately submerged up to her head again with a mortified eep-ing noise, her face a deep red. Yume sighed and hauled Naruto out of the tub by his nightshirt, throwing him over a shoulder. Natsumi followed him out the door, scolding him for dripping water all over the floor. Hiashi stuck his hand out the window, and the Hyuuga ANBU outside handed him a fresh set of clothes for the heiress. He set the clothes on the counter and walked out with a smile.
"We'll have Natsumi-san alter some clothes for your new fin, hime-chan." He closed the door, and Hinata removed her wet pajamas and started drying off. She remembered how nice it had felt to be in Naruto's arms, and sighed happily with a blush on her face.
Sakura knocked on the door of Naruto's house, her wings rustling in a reflexive twitch. Haku opened the door for her.
"Oh, ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-san." he said as he held the door open for her. She smiled at him and giggled at his gentlemanly behavior.
"Why thank you, kind sir, and a good day to you as well!" They both laughed slightly. Suddenly, the silent atmosphere was shattered.
"AAAAAAARGH! NA-RU-TOOOOOOOO!" Sasuke's voice rang out from down the hallway. Naruto tore by them, running for his life, as several fireballs followed him.
"GEEZE, TAKE IT EASY SASUKE! IT WAS JUST A WATER BALLOON!" he shouted as he ran out the door, the fireballs losing impetus and landing on the ground, setting it ablaze. All Naruto had wanted to do was try and lighten the mood around here, because he was still kinda worried about Hinata. But did Sasuke see it that way? Nooo, of course not! Sasuke ran past them as well, slightly wet and fully intent on injuring the blonde. Sakura followed them outside, and saw Naruto staying just a little ahead of the black-haired boy. Hinata walked out of Natsumi's room with the older woman.
"So just tell me when you need more of those clothes, Hinata-chan, and I'll have them in a jiffy. Oh, Sakura-chan! Are the clothes working alright?" Sakura nodded, smiling.
"Un, they fit great!" Sakura looked over at the timid Hyuuga and smiled.
"Didn't you get your gift today, Hinata-chan? Happy birthday!" Hinata smiled.
"Th-Thanks, Sakura-chan. I, um… I got… gills… and a fin…" Hinata sounded less than enthused about her gifts. Sakura looked at Hinata's back, and her eyes widened when she saw the fin sticking out of the back of the girl's shirt.
"Yo, Sakura-chan! How're the wings? Gonna give them a test run today?" Yume asked as he strolled up. Sakura nodded, and then whirled around as Naruto screamed and jumped into the pond, his pants on fire. Sasuke was laughing hard, doubled over with tears leaking out of his eyes. Naruto surfaced and gave a death glare at the older boy before swimming out of the pond. Hinata rushed over and helped him out, drying him off. Yume chuckled, and shook his head.
"Just like Hiashi and me. Though those fireballs are a lot easier to dodge than Jyuu-ken techniques." Yume walked outside and clapped his hands, calling the children to attention. They ran over and stood in front of him.
"Alright, today's business. Sakura, I want you doing tricks in the air by the end of the day. Sasuke, work on controlling your fire for different results, like a stream or a bunch of smaller fireballs. Hinata, I want you getting more comfortable underwater. We'll all be going to the lake, so Sakura has some nice open sky, and there's plenty of water for any accidents Sasuke has." Naruto snickered, but stopped when a tongue of fire went just inched from his face. Haku shook his head.
"Haku, I want you working with your kekkei genkai. I've seen some of the stuff that you can do, but I want you more than comfortable with it. Naruto, you still haven't gotten the hang of walking on water, so that's what you'll be doing. Everybody clear?" he asked, ignoring Naruto's groan of disappointment. The kids nodded, and headed to the lake. Once they got there, Hinata stepped into some trees and changed into her swimsuit that she had brought along. She walked over to the water, and shakily out onto the surface until she was in the middle of the lake. She stopped using her chakra to stay on the surface and slipped under, shivering a little. With a little concentration, she felt her gills open, and she took a deep gulp, still getting used to it. She looked around, and marveled at how clear everything was. Soon, she was darting around underwater like she was supposed to be there. Meanwhile, on the surface, Sakura walked to the water's edge and spread her wings, letting the sun warm them. Sasuke stopped training and watched her, a small smile tugging at his lips. She looked over and smiled at him, then looked up at the wide, open sky. For some reason it beckoned to her. Her wings swept down, and she rocketed off of the ground. It was exhilarating, feeling the wind under her wings, running through her hair. She flapped her wings again, and rose higher. An idea suddenly popped into her head, and she grinned. Using her powerful wings, she shot up into the sky, climbing higher and higher. Suddenly, she pulled her wings close to her body, and fell like a stone towards the lake. Adrenaline flooded her system, and she snapped her wings open at the last second, banking parallel to the water, her face not even six inches from the surface. She flew along at a brisk clip, and soon, a fin broke the surface beneath her, traveling at the same speed. Hinata rolled over so her face was above the water, and smiled up at the other girl.
"This feels great!" Hinata cheered. Sakura nodded, rose up some, and did a barrel roll before climbing higher back into the sky. Naruto fell underwater once again, and then struggled to the surface.
'DAMMIT! It shouldn't be this haaard!' he mentally wailed. Kyuubi just snickered.
("Well, I think I can stop interfering now.") As soon as he said that, Naruto rose to the surface and easily stood there. He stared at his feet, and jumped up and down a few times.
"DAMMIT YOU FREAKING STUPID FOX!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" Kyuubi just erupted into long, raucous laughter. Yume rolled his eyes. He suspected that Kyuubi might have been interfering, but now it was certain.
"NARUTO! Get over here!" Naruto stomped across the surface of the water to his father.
"What?" he asked sullenly.
"You should thank Kyuubi. By interfering with your control, he made it so it's almost instinct to do that. If you don't believe me, try to walk up a tree, but don't actively mold chakra." Naruto looked at his dad strangely, but walked up to a tree, and walked… right… up… without… concentrating… Damn, he hated it when his dad was right. Naruto glared at his father from the bottom side of a tall branch near the top.
"Well?"
"Urusei." Naruto muttered as he jumped down, landing by his dad. He looked up at the previous Hokage, and cocked his head.
"Ne, otou-san?" Yume looked down.
"Nani?" Naruto scratched his head.
"Something weird happened earlier this morning. I was sleeping, but then I heard Hinata-chan's voice…" Yume raised an eyebrow.
"When? What did she say?" Naruto scratched his chin.
"I dunno. About thirty seconds before I ran into the bathroom. She was saying how she was scared and didn't want to die." Sasuke walked over, and leaned against a tree.
"The same thing happened to me yesterday, right after you left. I heard Sakura asking for my help." Yume started to laugh, shaking his head slowly from side to side.
"What's so funny?" Naruto demanded, standing up straight.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just didn't expect you four to have bonded so quickly. I'll explain it when the girls finish their training-" Yume was cut off by a resounding crash nearby.
"Itai…" Sakura moaned as she shakily stood up from the remains of the unfortunate tree. Sasuke ran over and helped her up.
"What happened?" She blushed from embarrassment and looked at the ground.
"I lost control of my spin…" She winced when she tried to move her left wing and it just flopped on the ground, limp. Soon pale brown chakra gently flowed over the surface of the wing and it moved correctly again. Yume walked over and ruffled her hair.
"Nice moves up there, looks like you enjoy flying." Sakura nodded with a huge smile on her face.
"It felt so great up there, like I was weightless…" her eyes gained a dreamy tint as she continued talking. Yume snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, making her start, then flush again. Yume chuckled.
"Well, seems like you've gotten the hang of it, mostly…"
Halfway across the continent, in Kirigakure, the Village of the Mist, a pair of women walk out of a casino. These were no ordinary women, oh no.
"Tsunade-sama, I can't believe you lost all of our money again!" the shorter and younger-looking of the women practically screamed.
"Oh stop yelling, Shizune! We'll just make it up and then some at the next casino!" Tsunade declared proudly, not making eye contact with her subordinate. Shizune gave a frustrated groan, which was seconded by the small pig following them. Tsunade just laughed, but her laughter died when she saw someone in the street ahead of them, blocking their path.
"Long time no see, Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya said, his normal lecherous grin missing.
"Jiraiya," she almost spat, "if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, I'm never going back to Konoha. Never. So stop wasting both of our times and give up already you old pervert." Tsunade started to walk past him, but her caught her arm.
"At least let me tell you something, and then I don't care if we never see each other again." Jiraiya lied. He still loved the sucker in front of him, but she would never admit that she loved him too.
"Fine. Spit it out." she snarled and looked him in the eyes. Jiraiya smiled.
"He's alive, Tsunade-hime." Tsunade's brow furrowed in frustration.
"I don't have time for your stupid riddles, you old… buffoon…" she trailed off, her eyes widening. No, it was impossible. She knew what that technique did, she wasn't that much of a fool. He had to be dead.
"I just talked to him, Tsunade-hime. He misses you, you know?" Jiraiya said.
FLASHBACK
Yume looked over at his 'father' and shook his head.
"Off so soon?" Jiraiya nodded.
"Of course, my boy. There's research to be done, after all!" he said with his trademark perverted grin. Yume clocked his dad over the back of his head.
"You fuggin' perv! God, I'm glad I didn't turn out like you…" the blonde growled as he tried not to laugh. Jiraiya chuckled. Yume's face softened as he looked up at the night sky.
"You miss her, don't you? Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya asked him. He laughed and nodded.
"Yeah, I do. It's been a long time since I've seen her…"
"She'll come back eventually, Yume. Don't worry about it. Well my boy, I'll see you later! Kirigakure hot springs, HERE I COME!"
END FLASHBACK
Tsunade said nothing, just staring at Jiraiya with wide eyes.
"How… how long…" she choked out.
"He's been awake for almost two months now." Tsunade turned and looked to the east.
"Tsunade-sama, doushite?" Shizune asked, walking closer to her. The sannin suddenly surged into life.
"YUME! I'M COMING!" Tsunade shouted as she sprinted without warning out of the village, Shizune close on her heels. Jiraiya chuckled and walked towards the exit at a leisurely pace. He'd take his time going back home.
"After all…" he murmured, taking out a telescope, "I must do some research!"
Haah! Almost seventeen pages long! Oo
Dragon Man 180 –I hope you like Sakura's gift. Yeah, I know I screwed up the birthday calendar, but hey, artistic license.
Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl – I know it took a while, and I'm sorry! Really sorry! Don't worry, Inner Hinata, as I shall dub her, will be coming out more soon.
The Shinobi – I'm sorry! I promise I'll update more regularly and more often from now on!
Scorpio V1.2 – No, Haku's the youngest in this fic. Only by a few minutes, but… Anyway, I might bring up the age issue, not sure yet. And I'm sorry I haven't reviewed your story, I've had some issues here… ¬¬
Metanaito – Heh. Yeah, none of 'em are gonna be real fun getting the gifts…
GreatMarta – Damn, you guess good… oo And yes, Sasuke isn't going to be "I-have-my-ego-shoved-so-far-up-my-ass-and-worship-me-for-i-live-for-revenge" anymore. Inspiring, eh? Gee, thanks! And thanks again for translating it!
sephynarutocloud – No worries, my friend, there will be plenty of NaruHina coming along.
TimeShifter – Yes, Akatsuki will be brought in. Probably more in the sequel, but… oops! You didn't hear that! Anyway, I'll try to keep it moving! I just have some plot to fight my way through.
Kagome1015 – Yeah, kinda sadistic, ne?
animewatcher – Yes, I live! Kinda. slumps over on desk
TFI-Muse – The honorific "-dono" is reserved for lords and other extremely important people, like the Kages. Naruto's gift comes next time!
Lady-Frisselle – Heh. Yeah, he's gonna have some fun with his family's jutsus… evil laughter
Shinnyu Kudzu – Heh. Yeah, they're alike a lot. And if you didn't catch it, yes, Hinata's demon is a succubus, so she thrives on sex… anyone smell awkward situations later?
Ame Suisei – Yes, small horde… small, unstoppable horde…
plue-sama – Yes, it stops… I'm sorry again!
Ckeffer – One of the best you've ever read…? Wow. Indeed, long live NaruHina!
Kunoichi Smile – I hope this answered your question. That makes two of us!
Skuld's Sentaro – Temari might be a good match… never thought of that… good idea!
violently-cheerful – Mass chaos, anyone?
GirlWaterShaman – Heh. It's not hard, I was just kiddin'.
Obiki Doragon – Perfect? Thanks!
Youko Artemis (anonymous) – I tried to make the gifts varied for everyone. All I'll say is, you were three for three with your guesses. Garra will show up later, don't worry all you homicidal insomniac fans.
aligrl & sapphirewitch – Thanks! Top 5?
cdromdrive – I won't say what Naruto will be getting yet. You have to wait. :P
Night-Owl123, zornoid13, Dagorwen of Ithilien, Place-your-name-here, hollywood1390, writerlover101, cpotaylor, waterfox96, lone wolf blade, NaruHina113, gabrielle, December Jewel, patheticlife.worthlesslove, Liedral, – Thanks!
Holy crap, that was a lotta reviews! And if you want me to answer your review more indepth, please write something more than "I like it" or "Update soon" and I'll be happy to. Until next time, Minna-san!
