I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.

Home Again

Ryuu walked to the waterfall and stopped beside Fu. She slipped her hand into his, squeezing it lightly and smiling at him.

"It's going to be okay," Fu smiled. "We'll be heading home before you know it."

Ryuu forced a smile as well and nodded. Together, they walked into the waterfall, Sasuke a step behind them. They walked to the village inside the secluded glade, finding Shibuki easily, since he was waiting for them. He greeted them with a smile and Ryuu and Fu both smiled as well, but Sasuke remained stoic, his eyes holding a hint of sympathy for Ryuu, Sasuke suspecting what Ryuu expected.

"Welcome back," Shibuki smiled. "I wasn't expecting you to escort Fu home."

"We had a bad feeling about the trip," Ryuu said. "plus there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Shibuki raised an eyebrow and nodded. He led Ryuu away from the village, to the opposite side of the lake where they wouldn't be overheard by anyone. Then, he turned to Ryuu, smile gone and expression knowing.

"Do you love her?" Shibuki asked.

"What?" Ryuu blinked.

"Fu," Shibuki said. "Do you love her?"

Ryuu began to speak, only to stop. He thought about it carefully. He was young, even by a ninja's life expectancy. He had a lot of things that he had yet to experience. At his age, could he really even be expected to know what love was?

He began to think back to his time with Fu. The conversations, the naps, the nights, the sunsets. He looked across the lake. The people there were barely bigger than ants from this distance, but still, his eyes picked out her green hair, her orange eyes. He somehow knew that she was staring back into his own eyes. He turned back to Shibuki, answer clear in his mind.

"Yes," Ryuu nodded. "I do."

"Then you have your answer," Shibuki smiled, pulling a scroll out of his robe. "Give this to your Hokage. If you do, Fu will be officially transferred to the Hidden Leaf Village at the rank of genin."

"Thank you!" Ryuu almost cried, grabbing the scroll and throwing his arms around Shibuki before pulling back. "But...why?"

"Because Fu's like family to me," Shibuki smiled. "All of my villagers are. I want to see Fu happy, and around you she's practically glowing. You make her happier than I've ever seen her. So I have no right to separate you."

Ryuu smiled and nodded and they both turned, walking back toward Fu. "So, the Hokage is currently...away from the village. Who else could I give the scroll to?"

"Well," Shibuki said thoughtfully "The Jonin council and the Village Elders could vote to accept a shinobi transfer. You could try that. Or you could wait for the Hokage."

"I think I've waited long enough," Ryuu smiled.

Shibuki laughed and nodded and they travelled the rest of the way in silence, as they arrived, Fu looked at Ryuu questioningly and Ryuu grinned and nodded. Fu cheered , picking up Shibuki in a spinning hug before releasing him in favor of Ryuu, who wrapped his own arms around her, tucking his face into her shoulder.

"I told you that you were worried over nothing," Fu smiled.

Ryuu squeezed her lightly, mumbling something unintelligible into her shoulder. After a moment, Shibuki cleared his throat.

"As I am turning her over to your protection, there are a few things you need to be made aware of," Shibuki said, Ryuu turning to him, hearing the seriousness in Shibuki's voice. "Firstly, the Akatsuki. It's a group of mercenaries that the Hidden Leaf warned may be interested in capturing the Tailed Beasts. I don't know the validity of that information, but currently all Jinchuriki are accounted for, so at the very least, the Akatsuki hasn't made a move yet."

"Okay," Ryuu nodded., the information settling in his gut like a stone.

"Next is a promise," Shibuki said, smiling. "We may not be the most powerful village, but if you ever need help, do not hesitate to ask."

Ryuu returned the smile and nodded. Then, they, along with Sasuke, left the village, walking a short distance before Fu spread her wings, picking up the two Uchiha by the arm and flying back toward Konoha so as to avoid any other possible attacks.

Ryuu smiled as he watched Fu eat, Leaf Village headband proudly displayed on her shoulder, where her Waterfall headband had been before it. She glanced up at him and smiled, Ryuu's smile growing into a grin as he saw the food stuck between her teeth. He shook his head, chuckling and she blinked in confusion.

"What?" Fu asked.

"You have ramen between your teeth," Ryuu smiled.

Fu blushed, taking a drink of water and swishing it, clearing her teeth. Then, she returned to eating. Ryuu had to laugh at her appetite. Jinchuriki or not, it was funny to see so many bowls in front of a girl as young as her.

A few minutes later, they left Ichiraku's, heading up to the top of the Hokage monument, sitting on the edge and laying back, watching the clouds roll by overhead. Ryuu smiled as his hand slipped into Fu's. She smiled, rolling over on top of him and leaning down, capturing his lips with her own. He smiled into the kiss, hands resting on the small of her back.

"I thought I might find you here," Sasuke's voice spoke up from behind them. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

"You really do have awful timing," Ryuu grumbled, looking up at him.

"It's time to train," Sasuke said.

"Already?" Ryuu groaned. "Dammit. I was enjoying doing nothing."

"So I saw," Sasuke said. "But I have to be stronger in order to kill Itachi. And your girlfriend is the strongest person our age that I know. So I need her help."

"I told you you're not killing Itachi before I talk to him," Ryuu said. But fine. We'll train for a bit."

Sasuke nodded and the three of them walked into the woods, finding a clearing and stopping. Fu stood opposite them and drew a pair of kunai, both Uchiha activating their Sharingan. Then, all three were off.

Ryuu reached for first, her kunai sparking against his tanto and trench knife before she spun past him, kicking him away. He flipped, landing on his feet and turning around just as Sasuke ducked under a knife, slashing at Fu. Fu stepped back, out of the way of the slash, and Sasuke spun around to slash from the other way, only to receive a foot between the shoulder blades. Ryuu charged at Fu again and she stepped around his blades before catching his arm and flipping him to the ground, pinning him with a foot, knee threatening to break his elbow.

Before anyone could try anything, however, Sasuke appeared beside Fu with a Chidori. She dove to the side and he followed, pulling the Chidori back. Then, Ryuu appeared beside him, catching him by the crook of the elbow and smashing him into the ground, the Chidori fading.

"No killing my girlfriend," Ryuu said.

"I wouldn't have," Sasuke said. "She's still holding back. But fine. No Chidori."

"Thank you," Ryuu said, releasing him.

Instantly, Sasuke flipped, kicking Ryuu in the gut before hurling him away. Then, he turned to Fu, receiving a foot to the face, hurling him away as well. As he landed, Ryuu sped past him, flipping over Fu's first strike and sending a kick of his own at her from above. She blocked it and Ryuu flipped to the ground, dropping and sweeping at her legs. She leapt over it and crossed her arms in front of herself, Sasuke's foot crashing into them and throwing her.

"I vote we work together," Sasuke said as he landed beside Ryuu. "This whole three-way-battle thing is going to get real annoying real fast."

"And trying to fight Fu together isn't?" Ryuu smirked.

"Touché," Sasuke nodded. "Shall we?"

"Let's," Ryuu said, both charging again.

"You guys' teamwork is really good," Fu smiled, sitting on Ryuu's back as he and Sasuke struggled to find the will to get up again after thirty minutes of humiliating defeat. "You've both gotten really strong."

"Says the girl who just out fought us both," Ryuu groaned. "Comfy?"

"Fairly," Fu smiled.

"That's good," Ryuu grunted, trying and failing to stand. "Wouldn't want you to be inconvenienced."

Fu giggled and stood, helping him up. Then, Ryuu helped Sasuke up, sighing as he felt Sasuke's wrist pop out of socket and back in from a hasty wrist lock earlier. Sasuke yelped in pain and Fu healed him.

"I regret trying to fight her now," Sasuke said, cradling his newly healed wrist.

"So do I," Ryuu chuckled. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I think it's time for dinner."

Sasuke nodded and Ryuu turned, wrapping his arms around Fu and allowing her to fly them into the village. They landed at Yakiniku Q's and sat down. After eating about triple a normal couple's amount, they left, watching the sunset before heading home. Once there, Ryuu had Fu train him in Taijutsu for a while before calling it a day. They both took turns showering before Ryuu headed into his bedroom, pulling a pair of pajama pants and a shirt on over his boxers. He climbed into bed, lying on his back and closing his eyes.

Then, he waited patiently for sleep to find him. And then he waited some more. After roughly an hour of lying still without falling asleep, Ryuu sighed, sitting up. He looked over at Yomo's cage to see the bird watching him.

"Do you know why I can't sleep Yomo?" Ryuu asked.

Yomo flapped his wings once and cawed.

"I didn't think so," Ryuu sighed.

He looked toward the door and sighed, climbing out of bed and walking down the hallway to the balcony. He leaned on the railing, staring up at the moon. It was full tonight, and a bit bigger than he had seen it in a while. He wasn't entirely sure why he was staring at it, but for some reason, he had rouble looking away.

Finally, he tore his eyes away from the giant orb in the sky and looked down at the yard, seeing Fu seated in lotus position in the back yard, staring up at the moon. He walked outside, stopping beside her and watching her for a moment. Finally he sat beside her. She glanced at him, smiling, and in the darkness, he almost missed the fact that her yes were completely black. She looked back up at the moon, a low hum vibrating from inside of her.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Fine," she said, though not in her own voice.

This voice, while just as bright and cheerful as Fu's, was decidedly male.

Ryuu scrambled to his feet, taking a step back and readying himself for anything. "Who are you?"

Fu looked at him in surprise for a moment before smiling happily, eyes squinting shut. "I'm Lucky Number Seven, Chomei."

"Where's Fu?" Ryuu growled.

"She's fine," Chomei assured him. "She's in here, sleeping."

"Why are you in control?" Ryuu asked suspiciously.

"I like to look at the moon," Chomei smiled, looking back up at the orb. "Our father created the moon using our power. I feel closer to him when I look at it."

"And you being in control isn't hurting Fu at all?" Ryuu asked.

"Not at all," Chomei smiled, shaking his head. "When we were first joined, it hurt us both, but we eventually learned to work together, and now it's completely safe."

Ryuu nodded and stared up at the moon in silence for a few minutes. Finally his eyes fell back to Chomei. Chomei lowered his gaze to Ryuu again, cocking his head to the side thoughtfully, regarding Ryuu in silence.

"What?" Ryuu asked.

"You really don't mind that I'm sealed inside of her?" Chomei asked.

"Not at all," Ryuu said, shaking his head. "Because of you, she's far stronger than anyone our age, so I don't have to worry about her being hurt as much. She can fly, so I'm jealous. And I know that, no matter what, she'll never be alone because she has you. So, really, I'm glad she has you. You'll be able to protect her even when I can't."

Chomei smiled and nodded before standing, closing his eyes. After a moment, Fu opened her eyes again, her orange irises seeming to glow slightly in the darkness. Ryuu stood, smiling, and Fu slipped her hand into his.

"I take it you just met Chomei," Fu smiled.

"Yeah," Ryuu nodded. "For a demon beetle, he doesn't really seem all that demonic."

"Chomei is the friendliest of them all," Fu said.

"I figured," Ryuu chuckled. "Come on. I'm tired and it's time for bed."

Fu smiled and nodded, following him back inside. He walked her back to her room, kissing her goodnight before heading to his own room. He lay down and pulled the covers up, but again sleep eluded him. He lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, finding it hard to even make his eyes close. He had no idea what was wrong, but it was annoying the hell out of him already. He rolled onto his side, and again found it hard to make his eyes close, let alone stay that way. Then, he felt Fu's weight settle on the side of his bed. He rolled back, looking up at her only to blush and look away. She was, once again, naked.

After a moment, he lifted the blankets for her and she slid under them, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder, Ryuu's own arms wrapping around her as as she smiled, cuddling into him, their legs tangling together instinctively. Ryuu closed his eyes, feeling his body relaxing slowly with the comfort of her presence, yet still sleep couldn't find him.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that finds it hard to sleep under the full moon, huh?" Fu smiled, not opening her eyes or lifting her head.

"I usually don't," Ryuu said. "I'm not sure why I can't sleep now."

Fu smiled, squeezing him a little tighter for a moment before reaching up and kissing him. He kissed her back, Fu shifting slightly to lay on top of him, deepening the kiss, which slowly grew more passionate the longer they continued. As they continued to kiss, Ryuu felt time starting to slip away, breaking contact with Fu's lips only when he desperately needed to in order to breathe. Fu returned the kiss with equal passion. Ryuu pulled away finally, however, breathing hard and sitting up.

"What's wrong?" Fu asked.

"Thanks to you being a freaking space heater, I'm too hot now," Ryuu said, pulling his shirt off, blushing slightly.

Fu giggled, nodding and lifting herself up, allowing him to slip his pajama bottoms off too, tossing both pieces of clothing on the floor and lying back down, Fu laying on top of him again, hands stacked on his chest with her chin resting on them, smiling up at him. He sighed, trying to keep himself from blushing as he felt her soft skin against his own.

"You need sleep," Fu said, still smiling at him.

"So do you," Ryuu said, not even remotely feeling tired. "Since neither of us can do that, do you have any other bright ideas?"

Fu smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips before settling back in. "I suppose if you really want to, we could train some more, see if it tires you out any."

"Tempting," Ryuu nodded.

"Or, we can stay here and kiss, and hope we fall asleep," Fu smiled.

"Even more tempting," Ryuu mused. "Well, I'm feeling pretty lazy. Training would mean I have to get up. So...I suppose we can just hope we fall asleep."

Fu laughed, shaking her head before shifting up, kissing him again, the kiss starting out slow before quickly returning to where it was before they stopped. Ryuu again felt time losing its meaning as they kissed. Then, he heard the door open and they broke apart, both turning to look, finding Yugao standing in the doorway, staring at them in shock.

"Oh, hello Master," Ryuu said.

"What...what exactly...do you think you're doing?" Yugao asked, face darkening.

"What?" Ryuu asked. "Are we not allowed to kiss or something?"

"She's NAKED!" Yugao shouted. "You're both naked! What are you thinking! You're too young for that kind of thing!"

"That kind..." Ryuu's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "Oh God! No! We weren't doing that! We were just sleeping in the same bed, except Fu is only comfortable sleeping naked! And because of what she is she's like a million degrees, so I had to take my pajamas off to keep from dying. I'm still wearing underwear, though."

"We really weren't going to do what you thought we were," Fu said. "I promise. We were only kissing."

"Jesus," Yugao groaned, resting her head in her hand. "Fu, go put some clothes on. Ryuu, put yours back on."

Fu sighed, climbing out of bed as Ryuu looked away. Once she was out of the room, Ryuu climbed out of bed, pulling his pajamas back on and sitting back down.

"Ryuu, I really hoped I wouldn't have to have this talk with you-"

"My parents already gave me that talk," Ryuu said. "Like we said, we weren't doing that."

Yugao watched him for a moment before sighing. "Sixteen."

"What?" Ryuu asked.

"Sixteen is the legal age," Yugao said. "If you get caught doing that before you're sixteen, you'll be punished."

Ryuu blushed dark red. "We weren't doing that!"

"I'm just warning you," Yugao said. "I'm going to go to bed. No more sharing a bed with Fu."

"It helps with the nightmares," Ryuu said quietly, Yugao stopping.

She looked back at him in silence for a moment before sighing and nodding. "Fine, but you'll both be wearing clothes. Understand? If it's too hot, lay on top of the blankets."

Ryuu nodded and Yugao left, heading to Fu's room. Ryuu lay back down under the blankets and almost a full hour later, Fu walked in, face scarlet. Ryuu could guess what she and Yugao had been talking about, and he didn't really want to know for sure. He raised the blankets and Fu climbed in next to him, wrapping her arms around him again and resting her head on his shoulder. Ryuu wrapped his arms around her, reaching down and kissing her before setting his head back. He rolled toward her and Fu curled into him, both closing their eyes. The, finally, they began to drift off to sleep.

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