DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own.


Thinking

Biju, etc. speaking

Biju, etc. thinking

Emphasis


Naru was beyond pissed! Kakashi pulled up his headband and she collapsed into his arms. "Collecting natural energy: is that what I saw? Crazy woman," he griped - muttering about not wanting a stone frog as a wife. He dropped Naru unceremoniously into his bed, made a visibly angry clone to watch over her, and finally walked off to unhappily get into ANOTHER cold shower.

...Now he and Kakashi were even in their challenges, Gai thought, but not for long! Kakashi had not denied his first request… Gai was gleeful! The hunt for a bride was on!


Following Gai's disturbing visit to his office, the Hokage made his way back up to his bedroom. He spoke with ANBU operatives Cat and Blank for a while, before unsealing his door to enter. Kami, speaking with Blank again made him actually long for the days when the brat was just a weird ROOT nin who insulted everyone. He really needed to do something about the getting-stranger-every-day-again young man. Maybe he and Sakura could introduce - or welcome back - Naru to him and Tenzo next? The team would be back together, but then again, the last evening he'd spent with Gai and Lee getting to know Naru had been a disaster.

He found Naru lying on his bed awake and concentrating on the palm of her hand, which was odd. He wondered how angry she still was about being stopped from going to rescue Konohamaru-kun.

Yikes: that kid was another that he had to eventually bring in on Naru's return, and he might have to do it sooner rather than later. Especially since Naru remembered him and became quite emotional. Those beautiful eyes of hers flashing red less than an hour prior had really freaked him out. Sakura had verified that Naru didn't have the demon inside of her anymore, but she did still have demonic chakra running through her coils upon Naru's return, so he supposed he should have anticipated this to happen at some point. At least he'd get a bright red flashing warning signal if and when he really pissed her off.

Poor Shikaku has no warning at all when flying pans from his wife start heading his way!

He needed to check on CHUNIN Shikamaru, too, he reminded himself as a grin crept up his lips unknowingly. The Nara had obviously been checking back into The Hole after his "missions:" the absolute most dreaded, infamous missions of either doom or boredom in the Leaf, otherwise he would have been notified. Lion was on it, although he figured that Lion wasn't exactly happy babysitting the young Nara. Fortunately, Lion was absolutely loyal to Kakashi, just as much as he was to the village. The Hokage watched his cute woman look like she wanted to set her palm on fire with her eyes and sighed.

Did he consider Lion pack? Kakashi chuckled. The entire village was supposed to be pack now, but he knew himself better than that. His villagers had fucked over his father and then Naruto for years and he could still feel a grudge about it: he was possessive like that, or he had been, he thought to himself.

He was a terrible pick for Hokage, really.

Lion would undoubtedly wish he was a pack brother or even packmate, Kakashi considered, still staring at his girlfriend whose face showed a running myriad of emotions as she flexed both of her hands as he was wrapped up in his thoughts. She also kept turning her attention back to her palm: weird...

Fanboys and fangirls: Kakashi simply couldn't force himself to allow them to become pack, whether they deserved to be included or not. He rethought that as he remembered that Tenzo-kun was clearly pack. Meh, maybe it's because we were both so young and had been through so much, and have so many shared experiences. Perhaps that's how he had unwittingly allowed Tenzo entrance to his very restricted pack back then. Kakashi groaned, which finally caught Naru's attention - she smiled at him, making his heart flip. She looked back at her palm, but he decided not to ask.

How did his mind end up on his pack again?

Oh, right… Men and women that were hot for him. It was understandable. Kakashi told himself that he should grow up as it wasn't like they could do anything to him, aside from annoying him. Maybe after he procured his mate. Naru… The one woman he wanted more than anything in this world often seemed totally immune to his supposed looks, prowess, and charms. Naru frowned up at him, asking him "What's wrong?" making him realize he had begun growling. It was something he did involuntarily. At least now that he was Hokage no one gave him shit about it anymore. "Something wrong, Naru?"

She shook her head back and forth quickly, not meeting his gaze. She must still be angry with me. "We've got to talk about this, Naru-chan,' Kakashi began. Naru began wringing her hands and looking incredibly flustered. Kakashi realized that she smelled… scared. Perhaps for Konohamaru-kun? "Look, koi, he'll be alright. We'll get him back: I've already sent teams out to follow the trackers who had immediately left upon getting information from his teammate, so no need to..."

"Gomen," she interrupted, "Ano... what are you talking about Kashi?" Looking into those big blue innocent eyes as she tilted her head up at him, he was both turned on again but also perplexed. Had she really forgotten about her earlier reaction, followed by him basically slapping her down with a genjutsu after he'd destroyed her clones? Naru hadn't been that forgetful or had problems with her short-term memory for weeks - maybe months. He needed to bring this to Sakura's attention and keep an eye on the blonde.

"Do you remember what happened, Hime?"

Naru tried to remember, but was so wrapped up in the fear of that voice in her head; she was positive now that it wasn't her voice at all or even her conscience. Plus she had remembered something that seemed kinda old - if she could put it that way. A pretty amazing and even swirling blue ball in her hand… It was definitely her hand holding it, even if it didn't quite look like it.

It's all getting worse. I must be losing my mind! Just as she thought that the voice spoke again: low, dark, and rather loud. She shook her head and tried to tune it out.

Seeing her shaking her head with her eyes welling up with tears, Kakashi was of two minds: he was glad that she wasn't angry with him for his earlier actions, but overwhelmingly he was concerned. He moved over on the bed and took her in his arms, kissing her on the head as he moved his fingers through her thick blonde hair. He was soothing himself as much as her. She snuggled into him, but whatever fear she had seemed to be getting worse. Not only could he smell it on her, but it was also beginning to thicken in the room.

Damn. She might not know how or be able to use it, but Naru still had a LOT of chakra.

The silver-haired Hokage made a clone, who immediately began preparing to head to his office. Kakashi normally did things the other way around. Sure, he made clones to help him with his work - that was a lesson he and Tsunade had eventually learned from a chortling Naruto - but the real him was always there, too. If he wanted to be with Naru when he had giant piles of work that he couldn't avoid, he'd normally have the clone and his ninken stay with her, while he himself, worked on Hokage crap. He had a bad feeling about today, though, and felt Naru might need him even more than the village required him to keep things running.

Snuggling her into lying, caged within his arms, he whispered sweet words into her ear, hoping to calm her. It seemed to work as she eventually fell asleep cuddled into him.

The last words Naru heard as she closed her eyes tightly so she couldn't see what was in front of her, were similar to the ones she had been hearing a lot of lately. "Come to me - and stop being such a "fraidy cat!" That's not the Uzumaki-Namikazi Naruto I know…"