Harbinger

by tigerowl

Naruto's friendship with his teammates Gaara and Haku is put to the test as they prepare to deal with the threat of the Akatsuki. The secrets Jiraiya has kept come to a head, and Naruto must shoulder the responsibility of protecting much more than the Leaf Village. Continuation of Forlorn. AU NaruHina, GaaSaku, NejiTen, ObiRin, OCs *Taoism, Self-Indulgent World Building, longfic

43. Budding Oats

Note: This chapter contains people feeling joy! Also, there will be: scars, sneaking a peak, traveling, quibbling Sand Siblings, mixed messages from Zabuza, Kakashi's approval, adventures in real estate, and bro talk.

Mature scene advisory: There will be brief, survivable, explicit material early and later on in this chapter. The keyword is explicit. Marked ### for your convenience. You know the drill, sinners and scholars.

Chapter 43- Budding Oats

Chapter Soundtrack: "Luv (sic) Part 2 [Instrumental]" by Autumn Raine

He stayed several strides behind Shino and Hinata on the return route to Leaf.

"Are you sure Kurenai-sensei is going to the Obon Festival tonight?" Sato called ahead to his teammates.

"She told us she would before we left for our mission," Hinata reminded him, "That's why we're bringing the honey wine along with us that we bought at the traveler's market. Sensei said it's one of her favorites!"

Sato had a laugh, "I don't know if Sensei ever met an alcohol she didn't like."

"For the record, she disdains licorice flavored beverages." Shino relayed over his shoulder, "Sensei said we should be mindful of that."

"Right," Sato nodded, "Lest we buy her a gift she can't drink…"

Hinata laughed at that, but then gave Sato a mild scolding for the comment.

It had been nearly two and a half weeks of frequent missions, high-security zone patrols, and other drudgery. Not so bad, Sato conceded, now that the summer heat was ebbing and growing cooler. Perfect festival temperatures, Hinata declared.

He didn't mention it then, but Sato had no plans to be out that night dancing, honoring the dead, or otherwise enjoying festivities. 'I haven't been in the village enough. There's barely been any time to visit Tama in-between my missions.' Sato thought as he picked up the pace, moving to head the team, 'She's probably bored out of her mind! I've gotta show her the snaps I took of that wisteria tunnel. And maybe later we can at least sit somewhere so she has a view of festival lights…'

During their scouting mission, Hinata briefly mentioned a procedure that Tama had undergone while he and Shino had been out on another assignment. She lacked the particulars of what the surgery was specifically intended for, as it had been a project of Sakura's. Bedrest was key, she understood. "I'm sure Tama-chan will be happy to see you home." Hinata added, "She'll feel like herself again."

Sato was taking that to heart as they closed in on a northwestern service road to the village, his teammates scrambling to match his speed.

After plodding through a clearance gate into the village proper, Hinata and Shino voiced their complaints about being pushed so hard.

"I was already feeling tired after supervising the exposition last night…" Hinata was rubbing her temples, "Then we helped move shipping containers…and interrogated the would-be thief at the warehouse…"

"Not a very good thief." Shino pointed out.

"There was no need to rush, Sato-kun." She concluded.

"Maybe not, but you guys can go home and rest now." Sato offered a bit of consolation, "I'll turn in the mission report, alright? I'll catch you later. I just want to—"

Shino already understood, "Tell Tama-san we hope she is feeling well."

Hinata seconded the motion and even offered to pay Tama a brief visit later. On the northernmost thoroughfare, the teammates set out in three separate directions.

Standard procedure would be to check in and debrief with the Hokage first, but Sato was a man on an elastic-snap trajectory with his better half. He turned down a brick alley lined with young, potted tree saplings that belonged to conservancy offices looming tall over the main avenue.

'Kakashi had better be visiting her— the hospital is boring as heck. I hope Tama's not mad that I've been busy…' Sato ruminated as he headed due south down the wide street, 'It's been killing me. I wanted to get promoted so badly, but it turns out the mission deployment schedule for new Chunin is brutal. I just want to see her! I need to take her out for fresh air tonight, somehow…'

The aromas of pre-cooking festival food stands wafted in the air. His half-empty stomach whined in response to the smells. Sato passed various cafes, buildings, and the outpatient therapy center, mere blocks away from Konoha Hospital before he gave up and stopped in his tracks.

"I'll be bitchy if I don't eat…" He muttered, "And Tama's a sucker for doughnuts, so…"

By that logic, Sato about-faced to march back to the nearest cafe with half a mind to order one of every confection on display. It took a moment to discern amongst the bustle of passers-by and activity on the street a familiar silhouette that had emerged from the therapy center. The young man frowned and blinked slowly. Sato's expression softened when he realized he had in fact spotted Tama, perfectly upright and unaware, in an eggshell blue sundress, exiting from the automatic sliding doors.

It definitely startled people on the sidewalk near him when Sato bellowed her name in shock.

Tama turned toward the call and was surprised to lay eyes on him, sheepish that she had been found out. She had been playing up the bed-ridden angle a little bit since his last visit, whilst religiously attending physical therapy sessions and adhering to Tsunade's prescriptions. Once Sato had returned from his mission, Tama planned to drop the happy bombshell on him. Though this moment would have to do, she supposed.

Sato stood rooted to the spot and wracked his brain while village pedestrians maneuvered around him on the busy street. How in the world was she so drastically improved? By what jutsu or intervention? 'Tama kept this from me—? And since when does that tracksuit-worshipping woman wear pretty dresses!' Sato's face lit up with a bamboozled grin. Now he didn't really care how exactly she was walking on her own two legs again. It was a thrill to see her do it. Without going so far as to assume she was completely recovered or able to take missions, just seeing Tama stand and wave to him with an embarrassed smile was enough.

Foot traffic circulated in the space between them, and Tama squinted when Sato gestured to a nearby storefront. The boutique's sound system was playing a favorite song of hers. She returned his grin when Sato mouthed the artist name to her. Their simultaneous head bobbing to the beat did not draw any attention. A few villagers did start to give them strange looks as they moved towards each other with gradual, slinking footwork. It was a brief, giddy dance in which they managed to avoid crashing into anyone. When Sato closed in and folded her hand against his, it was as if an electrical charge raced up his fingers. She was back. She could move! In so far as mild boogying, at any rate. That was a great sign. His heart was soaring.

"Lady— what are you doing walking around and looking so gorgeous?" He pulled Tama close, cackling with elation. Sato held the back of her head and kissed her before she could give a comment.

Two or three startled stares lingered on the public display of affection. Context may have explained the joyful meeting, but eventually people just kept walking.

"I'm sorry," Tama caught her breath after the kiss, "I wanted to surprise you! I've been going to physical therapy for over a week while you were on missions."

"I thought you'd— never again…" He shook his head and calmed down, "Tama, how are you doing this? Does anything hurt?"

"Nope, not really." Her smile was mirthful.

"Sunshine said that you had surgery for something, but you didn't tell me about that either." Sato sniffed in mock-annoyance, "The jig is up."

A voice carried as it exited the automatic doors of the therapy center, playfully taunting them, "Huh! You're like a pair of magnets…" It was Tsunade. She stopped near the two young ninja and rested a hand on her hip, "You've improved quite a bit, Tama-chan. Today went well. You only need to come to the center twice a week from here on out."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Tama put a polite distance between herself and Sato, although he still held on to her hand.

"Hokage-sama-!" By then, Sato had mostly worked out the riddle of Tama's recovery, "You did this for her? Tama's going to be fine-?"

"Just fine." Tsunade assured him, "The procedure was risky, but as you can see we were successful. High-risk bets tend to pay out for me, I've noticed. I'm glad I was able to help."

"I need to repay you somehow…" His throat felt thick and Sato gave a small bow while adding, "I'll never be able to thank you enough, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade waved him off and turned up her nose, "If you want to thank me, work hard. I want the two of you to make me proud." She couldn't resist a small smile, "Seeing two grinning yuks in love brings me back to the days I miss most."

Sato kept thanking her and tried to transition into debriefing about the results of his team's mission. Tsunade silenced him with a raised finger.

"Submit a report to me in the morning. Tonight is Obon and you have catching up to do." Tsunade insisted, "Tama-chan: that medication I gave you is taken three times daily. Keep up with it. I'll let you know when I think you're fit enough to resume mission activity."

Tama nodded chipperly, "I will. Tsunade-sama, thank you so much."

"I just did what I do best, young lady. Now I expect the same of you." The Hokage flipped a pigtail off of her shoulder and turned up the street, "Hatake— bright and early tomorrow."

Once the Hokage had moved on, Sato could barely contain mile-a-minute questions as he accompanied Tama down the street. She tried to keep up with her answers: no, no pain— at least not as bad as it had been. Yes, she was wearing full-length black leggings because her legs were now rather unsightly. Sato scoffed at this answer, but Tama insisted, "Because of the surgery, I have a patchwork of scars that won't go away. I'm glad I have my life ahead of me…but I know I'll be a bit self-conscious from here on out."

"Don't be." Sato squeezed her hand, "You can't help being beautiful at all times, no matter what you go through."

Thrilled, Tama bit her lip.

"Are you going home now?" He asked her.

"Yeah. Dad's at work and Mom has workshops all morning. I thought I'd go home to nap until she comes back from grocery shopping." Tama filled him in, "Why don't you come over? We cut up a huge watermelon and I can't eat it by myself."

"Sure. But uh…doesn't your dad call dibs on watermelon at your house?"

"Usually he does. For some reason he forgot to pack slices before he went to work." Tama recalled, "His head's been scrambled since I recovered. I think Dad's happy…but whenever I go to therapy or see friends he needs to know where I'm going and when I'll be back. I can tell he's still worried."

Sato supposed quietly, "That's only natural."

They turned onto the boulevards of the more affluent side of the Leaf Village. The suburban vista was more peaceful and the homes more uniformly nouveau riche than the rest of Konoha's battle-battered and reconstructed neighborhoods. Maito Ken and most of his well-off acquaintances inhabited this community.

Tama's questions snapped Sato out of his sight-seeing, "What have your missions been like? Is it any different now that you're a Chunin?"

"Uh…kinda the same, honestly. Maybe even before we were promoted Tsunade-sama was trusting us with higher difficulty tasks. Patrols are way more frequent now because we're on alert for the Akatsuki and other threats…" He caught himself and then turned to Tama, wide-eyed, "Hey, did the Hokage promote you? She said you were eligible! Where's your—?"

"My Chunin vest is at home." Tama laughed softly.

"So she did give it to you! Good!" Sato was relieved, "I blew my top about that a while ago."

"I know. Sakura-chan still talks about it. She said you were like my chivalrous knight when you objected." She was smiling and rosy-cheeked, "Though you could've been more even-keeled about it."

"I can only do even-keeled about fifty percent of the time." He gave a small shrug, "Or whenever my coffee rush wears off."

"True facts."

The many trees and flowerbeds on the Maito property were bursting with life and color. Tama led the way up the stone walk to the front door, then opened it and retrieved mail that had been dropped through the postal slot. Sato reminded himself as they went inside that the house was not staged for a magazine spread. It was a real home that people lived in, albeit the furnishings, paintings, potted plants and décor were ostentatious by plebeian standards. They removed their shoes in the fanciest genkan in existence.

"Come in!" She dumped the mail on a white stone countertop and directed him to sit in the kitchen. Tama retrieved the watermelon and set it on dishes, "Here you go. Hm. Do you smell something?"

"Other than the twenty scent-diffusers you have in your mansion?" Sato verified. He bit into a juicy slice and his eyes rolled back in summertime bliss.

"Other than the scent-diffusers." Tama snickered, "I'll find the odor. Maybe I need to take the garbage out?" She sat at the counter with him and munched.

"So have you seen Kakashi lately? Does he know?"

Tama nodded, "He and Sakura-chan know. I'll tell Kiba-kun soon."

"Is anyone else in the dark?" Sato wondered.

"Most everyone else doesn't know I'm up and about, I figure." Tama imagined, "But I thought I could take it easy and walk around the Obon festival to say hello."

"Great idea." Sato concurred, "I'll show you off to everyone."

"Well, I'm still a little beat-up." She conceded, "And I won't be able to stay out for long. I get tired."

"That's why you said you wanted to nap?" He said between mouthfuls of fruit.

"Yeah. It'll take time to build my strength back up to what it was. I'm not going to torture myself about not being as fit.

"That'd be stupid. It's a miracle you can stand and move! Who cares if you can't punch walls down yet?"

"Not you." She chuckled.

"Yo, this is like the best thing I ever tasted."

"You said that about the scones at the hospital." Tama spat seeds out onto her plate.

"Oh yeah. Those were good too."

"You can count on me, Sato. I know where to find delicious stuff. Chouji-kun goes out shopping with me sometimes."

"Say what?" Sato's face lit up, "Chouji takes you on gastronomy expeditions?"

"Sure does. Since last year! Sometimes Sakura-chan comes with us."

He employed faux-outrage, "How dare you leave me out."

"I feed you don't I?" She teased.

"More than you should, probably." Sato dropped a third gnawed-on melon rind on a plate, "Your dad's gonna be mad. We barely left any for him."

She shrugged, "He'll deal with it."

Sato started to wipe his mouth on the back of his hand, but Tama tsked at the behavior. So he bunched up his shirt to dab at the corners of his mouth just to annoy her.

"You're making a mess of yourself!" Tama leaned across the counter to pluck a watermelon seed from his unzipped vest, "Can't take you anywhere…" She paused and sniffed him, "Oh. It's you."

"What's me?" Sato was confused.

"It's not the kitchen garbage that stinks." Tama informed him smugly.

"Al-right. There's need to antagonize, because you were the one who invited me over after a strenuous mission." Sato snorted defensively, "And said mission may have involved me diving into a dumpster to pull a thief out of hiding."

"Ah. Now it makes sense." She took the plate away to dispose of the rinds.

"I couldn't send Sunshine in after him when she spotted him! If she went home stinking and covered in garbage, her dad would go nuts. Ditto Shino, believe it or not. So that just leaves me because I've got no one to offend at home." Sato meant the anecdote to be amusing, but he wilted a little as he realized his situation.

"Well…" Tama rounded the corner and kissed his cheek, "You're home with me and your smell is offending me."

"That makes me feel less lonely." He admitted. Sato moved in to peck her lips affectionately, but Tama pushed him back while fanning a hand in front of her face.

He barked in embarrassment and Tama laughed as she retreated up the staircase to the second level, calling back to him to follow. Sato ascended the stairs and tried not to touch anything with fruit-sticky fingers.

Tama gestured to the bathroom, "Go shower off please."

"I could, but my clothes will still smell."

"I'll wash them." She offered, "If you're going to join me for naptime, I don't need you smelling unpleasant."

"Excuse me; I didn't know I was invited to any such nap." Sato pointed out archly. He detected that maybe she was luring him into something other than just a come-over-and-eat-watermelon visit. Which was great. He didn't feel the need to ask questions.

"Yes, you're invited. You had a long day, Sato-kun, and so…" Tama shooed him into the bathroom and then moved on to a linen closet to find spare towels.

Sato spoke from within the echoing washroom, "Just wondering— what am I supposed to wear in the meantime?"

"A t-shirt and sweatpants."

"Of yours?"

"You'll fit. You have slender hips."

"…I don't know how to take that." Sato was not sure if that was a compliment.

"Relax. Go clean up!"

So he did, mostly because the bathroom was the pinnacle of modern amenities and it fascinated him. Everything was bright, shiny, and spotless. The mirror was sprawling and backlit. The glass shower was giant and took over space that could have housed a tub, 'But there's no tub! This place is barbaric! All this modern stuff…' Certainly the family had enough money for a hot spring membership to bathe whenever they felt like it. Sato undressed, turned the shower tap, and then moseyed on in. He stood under the shower head as his eyes fluttered shut, muscles loosening under the rain of hot water. 'Actually…modern isn't so bad.'

"Towels!" Tama shouted into the bathroom. She had left a pile on the vanity, collected his ripe clothing, and then bustled out to throw it in a washing machine.

'Ahh… Life's good. I got my act together. Tama's okay! My team is handling tougher missions…' He sighed and let his head droop forward, 'Maybe I'll just take my nap in here…'

It occurred to him while fussing at a spot of dirt on his skin that maybe soap would help…but there was none. 'Okay, so the fancy shower is also pretty empty. Should've paid attention to that…'

Sato called out to Tama until she popped back in, winded, "What is it? Trying to make me run around my house on busted legs?"

He protested, "Your legs aren't busted anymore!"

She was entertained, "Can't wash your back?"

"Literally. I can't. Don't you have any soap in this futuristic palace?" He immersed his head in the stream and let it sodden his hair, flattening it to his head. It was fun by Sato's standards.

"Oh, sorry." Tama tottered in and riffled around in a cabinet, extracting a bottle of shampoo and bar soap, "Dad's rules. We put stuff away when we're not using it."

"My god, no wonder this place looks like a museum."

She tossed the items over the top of the glass panel and the small shampoo bottle bopped him in the head. The soap zipped across the shower's bottom, too slippery to catch.

"Ouch." Sato said as an afterthought.

Tama ordered other odds and ends on the vanity, "I know it looks tidy and un-lived in, but if I had it my way I'd have a normal, traditional house. It gets on my nerves how Dad needs everything so…"

"Editorial-worthy?" He supplied.

"Regimented."

"That's his whole life." Sato agreed, "But I kind of like how your house looks."

"You still make fun of it."

"Maybe because I'm a little jealous."

"Don't be. It takes a lot of work to keep a place looking like this…" Tama sighed.

"So," Sato imagined blindly as he rinsed shampoo from his hair, "You want a house that looks more…lived in?"

"Like, a house that I can take my jacket off and maybe leave it on my couch without getting harangued? Or, dishes can wait in the kitchen sink for a while?" Tama laughed, "Could you live like that?"

"Tama, I do live like that."

"That's what I want."

"Then let's get you exactly what you want." Sato decided, "I'm happy either way, as long as it's got at least four walls and a roof."

It was quiet after that. Sato supposed she had gone out again to attend to laundry. He soaped up his hands and rubbed behind his ears, beneath arm pits, and under finger nails. He tried to cry out the shampoo that had gotten into his left eye. 'Ow. I've been blinded for life.' He wasn't used to this upright-showering business.

Then, Sato nearly jumped in fright when he felt a fingertip slide down his back. He lost the soap again as it slipped from his hand and zoomed away. Like a one-eyed fool he glanced over his shoulder.

"Is something wrong with your eye?" Tama asked him.

"Yeah. Shampoo got in it." Sato cut to the chase, "Tama, what're you doing in here?"

"I wanted to clean up too. I lift weights and do exercises at the therapy center."

"But you don't smell, and there's this thing called waiting your turn." Sato reminded her.

"I know." Tama picked up the wayward soap, smiling to herself.

###

Sato tried rubbing the sting from his eye because it would be better to see the incredible, naked woman with restored vision. For the moment, he had reached a bizarre mental impasse in which this could have been the most superb thing that had ever happened to him, but he was also distinctly bashful and thinking about how Tama had just recovered. What was this hasty flirtation about? If it could even be called that? Maybe it wasn't. Maybe she was trying to conserve water? Have conversation? Maybe she just felt like seeing him naked? He snapped out of it when she gave him a small nudge.

She moved Sato aside so she could wet her head and smooth her hair. Tama assured him, "I'll be out in a minute."

"Yup. Or, you know…" He said in a small voice, "A few minutes."

Tama was watching him in her peripheral after setting the soap bar down, "We could do a few minutes."

She rubbed herself down with suds and Sato made a half-hearted attempt not to watch, but all he could really do was watch. He wondered if she knew that his breathing had been reduced to short gasps, or that his heart rate was rocketing. With his back to the cool tile wall, Sato maintained what distance he could. She was there, right in front of him, not yet noticing the many ways he was reacting to her.

Remarkably calm, Tama held up a soapy hand and asked him, "Want me to get your back?"

To speak would mean risking his voice cracking in a pitch that straddled ecstasy and terror. Sato turned around without a word and let her set to work. He stopped a soft whimper from passing his lips, because she didn't need to hear that and he didn't need to make it any weirder. He pressed his forehead to patterned tile and tried to breathe.

"Is this okay?" Tama asked him, "Are you okay?"

Sato gave her a look over his shoulder, "You're asking that now?"

"…maybe I am a bit late with this question."

"You definitely, deliberately want us to see each other like this?" He asked, "Not that I would ever protest…only that I hope you know you don't need to rush. You just got better, Tama. If you want to be close, if you want something from me…"

Tama rested the pads of her thumbs over the base of his spine, eliciting an eep from him.

"We've both wanted each other for a while now." She noted.

"There's no denying that." Sato confirmed.

"The only reason I asked you to wait for me was because I didn't understand. Not the way I do now." Tama clarified, "When you come so close to dying and losing the ability to live the life you want to…your perspective can change."

He turned around to look at her, bemused, because this was exactly the same thing he had thought. Sato raised his eyebrows and understood that, ah, she'd gone through it too. Tama had nearly died. When she'd survived, Tama had nearly accepted a life in which she had limited use of her body. Many of the things she wanted would have been forfeit— the things he had also once taken for granted. Sato realized she was chuckling at him because he was subconsciously cupping his chin while he thought about it.

"Sorry, I just," Sato moved to hold her elbows as her hands settled on him, "I completely understand what you're talking about."

"That's a relief. But…on top of all of that…it's kind of an exercise in self-esteem." Tama admitted, "I didn't look like this two months ago. I was smooth and pretty…"

"Are you saying that you're not-? Because you sure look super smooth and amazing." He didn't get it.

She furrowed her brow, "The scars and marks. These won't go away. I worried that you wouldn't…like what you saw."

Sato blew a small raspberry, "That's crazy talk. You are the hottest thing I have ever seen. Now made hotter by badass scars. I'm not happy about how you got them, but believe me, they are not a turn-off."

Tama nodded and smiled a little.

"Oh and in case you haven't noticed," He took her hand and traced one of Tama's fingers over the puckers and marks on his chest and side, "I was looking like ground-beef for a while even after Sakura-chan and Sunshine saved my life. I didn't exactly feel attractive after that, and it took some courage to actually dip in a public hot spring again. I am way more fucked up than our guy friends, and Neji's got his share of scars too."

"Thanks in part to you." She reminded him.

"Eh, what's one more? I don't think he cares."

Tama curled into him and let her fingertips acquaint themselves with the scores on his skin. "I like how you look." She told him.

A pleased rumble escaped him as Sato pressed kisses to her temple. Being nude around each other felt much easier after that heart-to-heart. Not to mention exhilarating— his hands roamed easily over Tama's shower-slick skin, slipping up from her exceptional bottom, over her flanks to rest on her waist. He was examining faded bruises along her ribcage and the spots where he knew her ribs had been broken, and had since healed. Tama tipped her head up to press her lips to his.

Light-headed, Sato happily participated in the lascivious kiss. He was also having a low-key, ethical debate in the right temporo-parietal junction of his brain, just behind the right ear. 'I am all for existential conclusions leading to possible shower sex, but if I am honest…I am still nursing my wounded conscience back to health. Before either of us forgets—Tama is recovering from a serious injury.' His inner specter added, 'Though she is hot and very willing, and I do appreciate her enthusiasm, now is a good time to slow it down. Give it a couple of days! Yeah. Besides, we'll prune up in here—'

But oh hell she had touched him there and suddenly his train of thought careened away into misty nothingness. It was a stray touch that traveled away from his erection and up his abdomen, and Tama made a peep of apology as she was unsure what the quivering of his eyelids and the bowing of his back meant. She was prepared to rethink the close proximity until Sato looped an arm around her, pressing himself into her stomach-to-stomach.

She was not resisting the drenched kisses that followed. Tama was lively, making soft sounds, exploring him with her hands. What brain function Sato could muster suggested that Tama wasn't hurting or doubting, and oh, how her skin slid superbly over his with the smallest of motions… At worst, he figured, the liaison would waste water. They took an intermission for air.

"You know, it was kind of never polite to say it before now," Sato said while rolling his palms over her breasts, "But Tama, these are awesome boobs."

"Thank you, it's definitely more polite to say it now." She agreed smilingly.

"Like, proportionately perfect boobs. Like— artists should reference you for legendary statues— boobs."

"Huh." Tama was gliding her fingertips along the array of scars on his torso. "That's some high praise. They aren't big."

Sato nodded, "Exactly. But the shape and texture…this," Sato gave a light squeeze, "Is why art tries to imitate life. You are Exhibit A."

"I think I'm flattered." She pecked his mouth and then asked, "Can I touch you?"

"You are touching me." His hands were migrating back to her bottom.

Tama wrapped her hand around his length, "I meant here."

Sato folded over slightly with a soft whine, resting his forehead against the side of her face. He took a moment before confirming in a squeak, "Yeah, that's— that's good. I can handle that."

"Are you sure?" Tama snaked her free hand up the back of his neck to brace his head as he leaned into her, "You are allowed to say no. Maybe this isn't a good time…or place. Even no, maybe later is okay." She was smiling at him and just enjoying the embrace. She was not about to proceed unless she got an affirmative from him.

"Tama." He laid his hand over hers to indicate the right pressure and direction of touch, "Yes now and yes later."

Her mouth hovered just a breath from his as she amended, "Well, not later, because later it'll be nap time."

Sato had no problem with that arrangement, exhaling harshly before slanting his mouth over Tama's lips again. So much for thinking straight…and so much for patience and water conservation too. But since Tama had initiated it, and Sato was aware that he was a total fool for this exquisite woman who'd miraculously recovered, he was going along with the feeling.

Tama's ministrations were clumsy, unlearned, and perfect. Sato could only watch her for a few moments before he shut his eyes again, kissing blindly along her neck and shoulders. The sensations flashed through him.

Her palm and fingers stroked along the curvature of the head and then the underside of his shaft, dazzling the nerves there that felt so good Sato sucked in a hissing breath, snapping his eyes open again. He stared at her face in an effort to comprehend it, and then noticed that he wasn't doing much reciprocating. After having his lower lip gently nibbled by Tama he asked, "Where's best for you? I want you to feel good."

"Your hands are doing wonders so far…" Tama informed him. Though that assurance did not stop Sato from sampling other locations, and before long she gave up trying to convince him otherwise. The caresses up and down her sides, over dusty rose nipples, and circling below her naval made her shake from the stimulation. She was muttering small sounds she had no idea she could make. Her legs were not especially strong either, knees trembling in excitement.

A bit tired, Tama braced herself against his body, and while she was at it she indulged a little. With a furtively satisfied look on her face, she rolled her hips and ground against him, sliding him slowly along her shower-damp mons. About then Tama got the idea that maybe there was a more mutually gratifying way to go about the act, and she was aching for it, but before she could suggest it she felt Sato's nails sink into the flesh of her upper arms.

Startled, Tama regarded him as the muscles in his neck tensed, his handsome face suspended in dreamy astonishment and his eyes narrowed to slits. She felt him twitch against her stomach and fingertips, trolling her gaze down while Sato was lost in the waves of release. Tama was not at all offended that he had finished on her lower stomach and hip. She was still feeling the whir of arousal as she marveled at his charming, silver features and vulnerability. Tama was also rather intrigued by the slippery, pale, pulpy result on her skin, but Sato snapped her out of her examination when he too realized what had happened and squawked in horror.

"Oh my god—" He shoved her back into the direct stream of the shower, which was colder now, ignoring Tama's sputtering as she was wetted down and he swiped the ejaculate off of her, "—I really didn't think I'd-!"

"Sato, it's fine. I was the—"

"—some goddamn jerkoff like me doing this to you! You need to take it easy and I know it. What's the matter with me—?"

She shut the water off and then turned to him, holding his face in her hands, "Sato, do you think I would have tried any of that if I didn't know how it could've ended?"

His mouth and cheeks were scrunched as he answered, "…maybe?"

"I have kunoichi friends who never stop talking about this stuff." Tama reassured him, "So I've heard a lot. Just so you know, it was great and I think we should do it again tomorrow."

"Uh." Sato inhaled and took her hands in his, "Okay…but I really need to think this sort of thing through more. We ought to be careful…and what if you slipped in here and broke something again?"

"Don't worry so much." She reached for towels and handed him one, "I'm tougher now. I've been tempered in battle and this shower is no match for me."

"Well, I also meant careful as in—"

Tama notified him as she patted her hair dry, "Even if you were inside of me you couldn't make a baby. Not right now, anyway."

With a slow, owl-like blink Sato said, "Whoa. That sounds scandalous when you say it." It was the first time anything like that had been declared to him, "By the way, how do you know that?" They continued toweling dry.

"I've been on medication for…hm…five years? To treat other issues. That's why you can't." She stepped out cautiously with his help, "And back then you didn't need to know."

"I had no clue..." He mumbled.

"It's okay. Most men have no clue."

"Hey, there's no need for blanket dismissals like that."

She was laughing quietly as she wrapped herself up, "Even if it's true?"

Sato followed her out, "Many of us care and are diligent about contraception. Shikamaru knows everything, I swear. He's a very reliable encyclopedia. I think this was even a topic of conversation once while I was out somewhere with my dudes. At least until Shino and Neji told us to change the subject."

Tama snickered at that.

###

In her bedroom, she handed Sato a dark pair of sweatpants and a stretched-out tank top to put on. He was not thrilled about being commando until his clothes were clean and dried. Tama dressed in athleisure and told him to bear with it, "You won't care about that so much if you sleep a little."

"These are kinda tight. I feel like you can see my everything." He pawed across her bed and flopped over.

"I already saw your everything." Tama hummed happily. She rolled over onto her sheets and fluffed a pillow, motioning for Sato to raise his head and then drop it again on the cushion. They settled down and curled into each other. Tama added, "Your butt looks good in those."

"Thanks, I bet yours does too." He slipped his arm under the pillow and her neck, pulling her closer, "Are you sure your mom won't flip out when she comes home?"

"I'm sure. You're one of my mom's favorite people." Tama yawned, "And it's just my dad who flips out. He won't be home until late tonight."

"Phew." Sato breathed easier at that.

She was genuinely tired. Tama tapped her fingertip tenderly to his lips as her eyes drooped and then closed. He watched her and let his thoughts amble off the beaten path.

To think this had nearly been taken away from him— this simple and joyful fulfillment. Sato had once come close to losing his life on a desperate mission, had carelessly and drunkenly risked his relationship with Tama for the company of a stranger…and had watched Tama imperil herself at the hands of a vicious psychopath at the Exam. This moment, just to relax in good health and peace beside her, was so valuable that it stung Sato to think of how he used to overlook such precious gifts.

'And if I ever see that bastard again…I'll cut him down no matter what. He can hide in any shadow he wants, but I'll still roast him with a light-wing…' Sato believed that Huo had not been adequately punished. According to Kakashi's most recent update, Leaf's Torture and Interrogation Corps was preparing to package Huo in such a way that he would be deprived of his Tao Arts and Jutsu when turned over to Iwa at an agreed upon mid-point. He had half a mind to follow behind the assigned team and bump off the bastard during the journey, no matter the consequences.

"Hm." Tama cracked an eye open at him, "Why are you scowling, Sato?"

"-oh! I was just thinking." His face slackened again, "I'm still not over what Huo did— the cheap shot he used to hurt you. If I ever get the chance…I know I would kill him. I wouldn't think twice."

"That's not good." Tama's fingertips continued brushing the side of his face, "Huo should be judged by those who are responsible for him and those who let him enter our village. He's not worth your time, Sato. Take it from someone who's fought him."

"I just hate feeling that powerless— that I couldn't do anything to protect you or shut him down." He admitted.

"I understand…but you don't need to hold on to that feeling. It'd be exhausting to maintain that anger wouldn't it?" She reasoned, "There are better things to feel. More important things we can do now…"

Sato couldn't resist the wily smile spreading on his face, "You've got a point there."

"See? I knew you'd catch my drift." Tama yawned.

"Since we've both been promoted to Chunin, we're now in higher income brackets."

"Yeah." Her eyes shut again as she listened.

"You could…move out of your parents' house, if you wanted." Sato suggested.

"Maybe once I'm done with physical therapy…I could start looking on the west side of Konoha for a place." She guessed sleepily.

"And why would you do that?"

Tama peeked her eyes open again, "Because the west side is cheaper?"

"Actually, Tama, I was thinking you should live with me." His smile widened.

She seemed slightly more awake, "Oh."

Sato waggled his eyebrows enthusiastically at her.

Tama gave it a moment before she asked, "When do I start packing my things?"

"Well, don't hurry. I think we should look at some new places. I'm attached to my flat…but it is kind of beat up and small." He conceded.

She scooched closer to be nose-to-nose with him, "So…still on the west side of the village? Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere. Let's talk to someone who knows about property hunting."

Tama nodded, "Of course. My dad has a friend who's a realtor, and I bet we can find a nice place to rent if he helps us look."

"Speaking of, I should probably talk to your mom and dad soon." Sato added as he fiddled with strands of her black hair.

"They've both been in higher spirits lately so your timing is ideal." Tama encouraged, "Is it about looking for a pl—?"

"I should get permission first before I marry you." He informed her, "That's the right way to go about it, and maybe it'd make your dad feel a bit more at ease." Sato exhaled roughly as an afterthought, "Or he'd relish one last chance to tell me to go scratch…but I'm hoping that he'll understand."

Tama had gone very still and quiet.

"But what do you think of…something small? It doesn't have to be ornate or garish if you're not into that. Maybe not a wedding-wedding, but, you know— a civil officiant thing." He tried to describe what he had in mind, "It'd be kind of amazing to…come home to you…every day."

After what felt like a while Sato observed as Tama lifted his hand (it had been laced with hers) and lightly slapped her cheek with it. She blinked hard to make sure she was awake.

"Come on now, don't do that." He rubbed her face and then wrapped his arm around her waist, "Did you…have any thoughts on this? Honestly, I think it can be whenever. I've missed you and I just…" Sato gave her a squeeze, "I'm so glad you're okay. I'll always be grateful for that. I can't stand not being with you all of the time." He gulped when she did not respond, and Sato wondered if she was taking him seriously, "Woman, don't leave me hanging! Say some words!"

"I…" She was smiling, "Just wanted a nap."

"You are killing me."

"Well…" Tama grinned a little, "I kind of wanted to get laid first. Before I become a respectful woman who will carry on your family name…"

"Oh for crying out— yeah, sure, if that is a point of contention," Sato tried to wipe the smug look off of her face, "Once you are a bit stronger and out of that therapy routine, I will take care of that for you. No problem. But please tell me that is kind of a yes—?"

"It's always been yes." Tama reminded him.

"But not because someone told you it was. You want to marry me because you want me?" He pressed.

"Purely of my own accord and love for you…" She assured him, "Free from external demands, recommendations, or obligations…that is an unfiltered yes."

"Even if it won't be perfect?"

"Nothing ever is."

He cupped her face and kissed her again, "You know that I'm crazy about you, right? That I love you? Even though it took me a while to understand…"

Tama nodded sleepily, "I know it."

Sato pecked her lips and face while she struggled not to drift off, muttering, "Thank you, thank you…I've been dumb. I was scared. I love you…thank you—" Tama silenced him with a warm kiss.

She drew back and gave him a bleary-eyed look, "You're still spiraling with a little bit of post-mission stress. It's okay. You really need a nap, and then afterward you can re-propose if you want to or we'll just accept this one as is…because it was very sweet and I didn't expect it."

"Ah, good. Did it get full points?" Tension seemed to whoosh out of Sato as he relaxed in the embrace.

Tama only yawned back at him and nuzzled into his neck, making happy affirmative sounds.

"Thank you for hanging in there. Thanks for the watermelon…and that shower. And for these pants, and…" A sympathetic response made Sato yawn, "Thanks for…just being glorious."

"Shh." She rested her hands just above his belly button.

Sato took the cue to stop extolling and thanking her, then shut his eyes and settled down to enjoy a rejuvenating, brief sleep.

---

Naruto wondered if it was only his imagination as he and Jiraiya finally began to see more consistent swatches of blue sky up above. The treacherous, winding path through the hills and jungles surrounding the Toad Valley had made for quite a claustrophobic trip. Also, they were going at a slower pace than anticipated. Jiraiya had complained frequently of lumbar pain as they carried on.

"I think…" Naruto did not want to speak too soon, "We are almost out of here…?"

"Goddamn." Jiraiya took a few tired steps forward to get a glimpse of the waning wilds and greenery ahead, "That took way longer than I remembered. Must be because I'm older and creakier now…"

"That might have something to do with it." For Naruto, it had not been nearly as rough.

"Look up there: a dirt path instead of debris and moss, some unobstructed sky…that's the Fire Country out there. The human-friendly portion of it, anyway." The man mustered the will power to keep moving, "Don't let me stop until we make it to an inn or something. I'm due to pass out."

"You're fine. I'll piggyback you out of here if I have to." Naruto was buoyant, "You can even feel a breeze now!"

"Pff. That's nice. Tell my legs and back that I'm fine. They need some convincing."

By mid-afternoon, after their slow exit from the cusp of the toad wilds and setting out a dirt road spanning rolling hills dotted with sparse trees and plants, a building was spotted on the horizon. Naruto did have to keep up the morale just to get Jiraiya there, schlep him inside, remove his crusty geta in the genkan, greet the innkeeper and then reserve a room. His mentor barely made it through a proper bath to clean jungle grime off before collapsing in a hotel room on a futon.

"You didn't even eat dinner yet. They'll be serving it any minute now." Naruto reminded him from a low table in an adjoining room, "This is a nice place, Ero-sensei. Don't you have another hour in you somewhere?"

"Kid, you don't know what it's like when everything hurts and exhausts you. Nope. You don't catch colds. You don't ache. You don't even bleed for very long with all of that Uzumaki vitality of yours." Jiraiya sniffed, "I am gonna lay here until dinner is served because it makes me feel better."

"Have it your way, you old bag of bones." He chuckled, "I can still talk to you from over here."

Jiraiya let out a long sigh.

"That bath was really nice. I was way dirtier than I realized." Naruto stretched his arms above his head, luxuriating in the robe the inn had provided.

"Yeah, it was refreshing. This is great place…just as pleasant as I remember it." Jiraiya laced his hands and rested them on his chest, "I haven't been here…since I last stopped by with your dad. That was a hell of a long time ago."

"Wow."

"Yep. Your hair's gotten so long you've started to freakishly resemble Minato, so I'm trying not to mistakenly call you by his name. When you get haircuts it does my memory a favor."

Naruto was amused by that, "Really? I wonder if people would notice if I went home looking like this?"

"In Leaf? I'm thinking it could confuse a good portion of older citizens. Give 'em flashbacks…"

"I don't know if I really want to tell anyone about...Dad. Or anything personal."

"Then don't. Even if they ask you who you're related to, it shouldn't matter." Jiraiya gruffed, "You're amazing all on your own, kiddo. I know they're gonna realize that. Everyone who's ever doubted or overlooked you…"

Naruto pooched his lips at the sentiment.

Jiraiya picked at crust in the corner of his eyes, "Of course I'll take a bit of credit for how amazing you are. I put work into you."

Shortly after that, various plated fish fillets and meats, pickled vegetables, dipping noodles, and soups were brought to the room and carefully set on the table. Jiraiya eventually hobbled over to take a seat across from his student.

Naruto pointed out before tucking into a bowl of soba noodles, "You probably can't tell right now…but everything feels light out here— thin and airy outside of the Toad Valley."

"You're right. I don't feel that because I'm an arthritic mess at present…but I used to be able to notice the difference in chakra density shortly after leaving Mount Myoboku." Jiraiya agreed, "It'll wear off in about a day. You won't notice after that."

"That's what I thought. So, have you ever been to Hidden Sand? What's it like crossing the desert?"

"Well. A lo-ooong time ago I made some visits out there. Usually for diplomatic assignments…" The man stopped to bite through a cucumber, "Uh…if I recall…it's not the cleanest, easiest trip. If weather permits and we don't have to deal with a sandstorm, then all we need to do is avoid too much sun exposure and accept that we're going to have sand granules up our ass cracks and everywhere else. For a while."

"Sounds great."

"The crossing isn't great, but Suna is. It's nice there, actually. And going off of what Gaara has shared with us, they've invested quite a bit in public works and greenhouse projects. The city itself has a lot going on, plenty of shade and shopping…" Jiraiya squinted his eyes as he recalled, "Also, the Kazekage's mansion is spectacular. We can count ourselves lucky that Gaara decided to put us up in his home. But he might be singing a different tune after he has to live with us for the first week…"

Naruto gestured his chopsticks at his mentor, "Come on, it won't be that bad. We minded our manners at Ma and Pa's house!"

"Yeah, but you'll get excited and forget yourself. I'm calling it now. You always used to goof off around Gaara." Jiraiya smiled mirthfully, "And I don't think that's ever going to change."

Naruto had to admit that, no, it would probably never change.

With the end of dinner, Jiraiya predictably retired to his room with some fond remarks to his student, shut the shared dividing door, and was soon snoring after that. As it was still a bit early that evening, the sunset darkening along the horizon, Naruto took a seat beside his room's wide glass window. He peered out at the slow waltz of fireflies above the grass of the inn's yard. He felt somewhat anxious to be apart from Mount Myoboku's lush beauty and security, but the hints of nature blinking and breathing outside calmed him. Naruto stared for a while, propping his cheek up in his palm while he leaned on the pane.

'…so this is weird. I was excited to leave. I wanted to go home and see my friends…get promoted and get back into a mission routine…' Naruto thought to himself, 'And yeah, sure, I am excited, but there's a coating of uncertainty on top of that. I feel nervous. Like, scared of how people might react to me. And-! How am I going to resume life at home without Gaara and Haku around? At least for a while…What's that gonna be like?'

Maybe he would have described himself as an outgoing, courageous fellow before embarking on this training trip with Jiraiya, Naruto figured. But he'd been humbled. He had seen and learned so many incredible things. Valuable things. The more there was to cherish, the more that prickling fear and doubt nipped away at the edges of his bold, vivacious disposition. The well-defined parameters and expectations of his life before the journey, before making discoveries on his own— they had been knocked down and rearranged. Such a change probably wasn't a bad thing, Naruto thought to himself. He'd walked out of that valley wiser than he'd gone in. These changes, even with the anxiety that accompanied his outlook, these changes were going to benefit others. He could return to the people that needed him with new knowledge to back up his convictions.

'It's benefited me too for sure. Even the sad stuff. As hard as it was, knowing it and going through it just…frames life. What I want to do and how I want to live. How to get it right and how to accept when I get it wrong…' Naruto exhaled deeply through his nostrils, 'And…I'm kind of freaking out. What are Gaara and Haku like now? Well, aside from how bitchy they are on paper. Or sometimes sentimental. Seems like I only get one tone or the other when they write to me…' He frowned, 'Come to think of it…those guys…'

It occurred to him he was mildly annoyed at his two friends.

Not in a friendship-shattering, argument-worthy sort of way. Rather, Naruto was not pleased that Gaara and Haku had unknowingly developed a habit of keeping secrets from each other, while fitting Naruto in the middle as they only shared truths with him. 'God! What is that about? They really need to knock it off. I mean, I know they went through that phase around the first Chunin Exam where they were arguing and resorting to fisticuffs…but like-! That better not be the norm now. When they're relaxed they get along great…' Naruto scratched his chin and stewed on it. 'I don't want to be a middle-man when they run afoul of each other, jeez! They need to develop coping tools that don't constantly involve me.'

Naruto was nodding solemnly as he cradled his face in his palm. He'd tell 'em.

'Yeah. I won't divulge any of the stuff they keep from each other— that's baggage they can work out. I'm not gonna be a therapist or convey favoritism…because I'll need them to help me when I feel overwhelmed and pissed too.' Apart from his concerns about the Akatsuki, enemies of Leaf, and the mysterious attacker who had struck on the night he was born, Naruto was sure he would need backup for other matters as well, 'Trust! And stuff. I hope that when Gaara gets Haku home, they can take that opportunity to be honest with each other.'

As full dark stretched over the landscape, Naruto noodled on the possible outcomes and watched the intensifying light show of insects trying to attract mates.

'I guess while I'm in Hidden Sand I can suggest that to Gaara. Gotta be subtle about it, though. He can get so damn defensive…' He sighed softly, 'If all else fails I can sick Sakura-chan on him. That'll keep him—' Naruto blinked as a rush of longing for his own girlfriend stormed the front of his mind, 'Hinata.' He rubbed his face roughly in his hands, 'Now that I think about it…she didn't answer the letter I sent with Kosuke when I left the valley.'

Naruto stood and crossed the room to his travel bag, retrieving a tooth brush and paste while reasoning, 'Maybe she's busy?' He snapped the light on in the connecting washroom, thinking to himself as he brushed his teeth, 'But even when she's busy she'll usually write a little something…' He spat and looked up at himself in the mirror, 'Maybe Kosuke's just running late finding me? Gamakichi didn't always have the fastest turnaround when he was doing deliveries…' More brushing.

He finished and rinsed his mouth, feeling restless again, 'I've just been spoiled. When she'd use her jutsu to visit me— that was instant gratification. I should be patient.' Naruto splashed his face with water at the sink, 'She'll send a response. It'll be soon. I just want…'

Sniffing at his harried reflection, Naruto shut the light off and saw nothing more in the mirror, 'I want her to drop by, even for a minute. Just to say hello or that she is busy. She's been absent for weeks. I know she liked to check on me frequently—' He shuffled over to his futon and crumpled into a heap upon it, 'Was it because Hinata saw me get like that? Did I say something? I thought all of that was fine! It feels like she's been avoiding me.'

Naruto hiked a thin blanket over his head, muttering, "Yikes, what a spoiled kid I am."

In the dark and still quiet of the hotel room, he let his racing thoughts coast to a stop while breathing evenly. 'I don't think Hinata is displeased with me about anything. I told her I was getting close to a breakthrough in Sage Training, so maybe she wanted to give me space to concentrate? That makes more sense.' Naruto took the rational side of it, 'Or maybe she just needs time to herself when she doesn't have missions? That's not a crime.' With his eyes shut, Naruto settled on those assumptions and made peace with it. It was alright to miss her. There was no real need to panic, as all of their previous encounters had proven very encouraging.

Soon, after his objectives in Suna were seen to, he would return home to Konohagakure. Naruto reminded himself that he wouldn't be waiting on Hinata's correspondence or jutsu to get a fix. He could see that marvelous young woman simply by crossing town.

Naruto rolled over onto his stomach and exhaled shakily, thinking about hearing her voice, catching up with her, reaching out to feel her under his fingertips, breathing her airy, blossom scent, becoming closer…

After silently venting some of this frustration, Naruto drifted into a tranquil, opaque sleep.

Fireflies made their appeals to one another deep into the night, beneath the tall moon that shone diaphanous light through a filigree of clouds. Penetrating the window, moonbeams stretched across the floor and brushed Naruto's back while he was curled up in deep dreams.

When Hinata did flit her consciousness over in the dark hours before dawn, she did not notice much of anything from Naruto's surface senses. While he was asleep, her presence was funneled into the dim paths of his unconscious mind, back to the place where she had encountered a strange prisoner. She hesitated for a moment in the wide, watery space. It was tempting to wake Naruto and greet him, congratulating him on his success and asking about some of the things he had recently written to her.

'But I promised that I…would come back here. I don't know if I should tell Naruto-kun just yet.' Hinata considered, 'He may not be comfortable telling me about Kurama yet, or what all of this means…'

That alone indicated to her what a violation of privacy it was, but Hinata also recalled that she had promised the prisoner of the seal that she would return. 'Tomorrow. I will see how Naruto-kun is doing in the morning and not bring any of this up. I know he will talk to me about it when he wants to.' She crossed the space and stopped just short of the bars, glancing around curiously at the featureless dark.

"Um…" She was not precisely sure this was a good idea.

…I was skeptical that you would return. You took your time.

"Y-Yes, I…had a lot of work to do. Also, I don't know if it's alright for me to be here." Hinata peeped.

Nothing is stopping you. Doujutsu that peer into the fabric of existence are not much concerned with consent or silly things like that. Kurama scoffed, Had you arrived earlier this evening, you would have found Naruto slaking his lust for you. Even if he's quiet about it, his thoughts are very loud.

She stammered and then stopped to gulp air. It wasn't entirely surprising. By now she was well aware of Naruto's feelings. Hinata collected herself to advise, "Please do not discuss the…private business of others…"

Why not? A growl came from the dark, Your ability disregards the privacy of others completely.

"Yes, but I won't make rude comments about anyone." She defended in a small voice, "All my life, accidentally seeing others when I shouldn't…I try to be respectful."

Or at least make it seem you are respectful. The voice drawled.

To change the subject, Hinata brought up some of her recent missions and pastimes, and how a friend was recently healed from a grave injury. Kurama wondered if she had anything to do with her friend's recovery, but the girl admitted, no, not really. She would celebrate it all the same.

Kurama rumbled, I know something else that will please you. If you hadn't already noticed, Naruto has left the home of the toads and is heading to Hidden Sand.

She had noticed a slight change in geography when contacting Naruto. Hinata tried not to convey too much excitement, "Yes, Naruto-kun told me he is on his way."

How can you say that so calmly? Don't you suspect him? To make haste to you and have his way with you? The unseen voice snickered, He is such an obvious creature.

"N-No…" Hinata made an attempt to bashfully wave off the topic.

I have seen how you two interact. How dare you deny it, you red-faced human! I've witnessed the act from every mortal perspective. Male and female. My previous containers were women and I remember what debauchery they partook of. Kurama prattled as if he had authority on the matter as a bystander, It's never boring. Sometimes it's funny, but always a spectacle.

She cleared her throat and requested, "Please don't talk about that."

Then what should I talk about? I'd hate to disappoint as a conversationalist. The subject seemed relevant.

"Well, I think it is relevant, but—"

Then I will talk about it. The voice was amused.

Hinata tried to keep it together, "I-I-! Um. I just don't know how to bring that subject up…to Naruto…"

Flat out tell him to his face. Kurama recommended, Or you can wait until he's begging on his knees for you. Thoughtfully, he went on, Or I can make Naruto do it to you, if you like.

Hinata was visibly startled by the suggestion. In the dark of the seal's prison, Kurama was softly laughing, You don't know how to be teased. I don't do things like that.

She held her face in her hands and tried to settle down, her shoulders dropped as she took a cooling breath.

Little Moon Children get flustered so easily. Kurama observed.

Curiously, Hinata looked up into the dark space, "Why do you call me that? What does that mean?"

I told you already.

"But my ancestors were—"

Look at your reflection. The voice insisted.

It took a moment, but Hinata recalled she would be able to glimpse herself in the water of the flooded floor. She about-faced and glanced down, not as astonished as she once was to see the horned man looking back at her. She tried to make some estimates while able to see the disjointed reflection so clearly. He appeared middle-aged, silver-hair furling down his back, white eyes on a careworn face, small horns as pale as the rest of him curling up from his forehead.

"Who is he?" She wondered.

Kurama spoke casually, as if he could see what she was seeing, That is Lord Hamura, the Moon Brother. He was a good brother to my father. I never got to know him well, but he visited occasionally until Father died and gave him instructions. He and his people went to the moon as guards, I told you.

Hinata turned about, terribly confused, searching for the source of the voice, "Your father? His brother…is…why am I like him? Am I him? And why did they go-?"

We are all more closely related than you know. Kurama told her, It would take too much time to explain, and these visits of yours are unsanctioned. Naruto probably won't like it. But when you see to that, you can come again if you want me to explain. I know some, not all. He yawned, And you are cutting into my rest now.

"Oh!" She felt the need to apologize.

You have nothing to fear when you see your reflection. He added, You are merely a protector.

"…that's…good." Hinata reasoned, "The next time I visit…I would like to learn more. And to learn about you too."

Go now and sleep. Kurama recommended tiredly.

She set out to cross the room, exiting through unconscious dimness. Hinata was yet undecided on how to broach her discovery with her boyfriend, but as she withdrew and returned to her own body in her own home, it did not trouble her much as she fell asleep.

---

The next morning, when Temari pointed out to Gaara that they were dressed in corresponding shirts (oxblood) Kankuro stopped to give them a comparative once-over.

"Hmm. You were all buddy-buddy before we left the house this morning…I guess the mimicry is a subliminal thing." Kankuro assessed. He'd missed breakfast and was still wearing his customary black outfit, but if he had joined his siblings maybe he too would have jumped on the psychological matching band wagon.

"We just own a lot of the same colors." Temari led her brothers down the street as they left the grocery store together, "And Gaara buys three of the same top, for some reason, so it's just simple probability."

"Not always." It was a weak protest. He did wear a lot of red, black, and beige multiples of v-necks, but not for everything.

"Hey, whose bag has the coconut water in it? I wanted to drink mine now." Temari was examining her tote grumpily as she walked. Her brothers obediently searched their bags, and Gaara handed over her boxed drink.

"Thanks." She unscrewed the cap and resumed the march, "Do you think this is enough for dinner tonight? We have a few extra mouths to feed."

"It had better be. If not, I'm kicking those Tide kids out and they can eat at Tanwei or wherever." Kankuro turned to look to his brother, "Gaara, don't you have that meeting with Wind Country diplomats to get to?"

"I'm stalling."

Temari gestured to him with her boxed water, "Obviously. Why else would he accompany us? He hates sitting in his office, and he doesn't like food shopping much either."

"They're not going to adjourn that meeting even if you show up late." Kankuro reminded him, "Get over there already."

Another flimsy excuse on Gaara's part, "Baki and Zeriko are there. That should satisfy Tide's questions."

"Nah. Since our subcontracting for Tide's shinobi training ended, they keep honking about setting up major trade deals." His brother tried to snatch a grocery bag from Gaara, but Gaara nudged him away, "Those are discussions the Kazekage should sit in on."

"Menma's there, I presume." Temari took a wild guess.

"No duh." Kankuro sniffed.

"We should be discussing how to prepare for the Accelerated Chunin Exam." Gaara tried to steer towards a new subject, "Trade talks can wait."

"You're already making them wait." His sister chuckled, "Just go. Kankuro and I have time off, so we're going to nap and cook all day. Get your least favorite tasks over with and then join us."

Gaara's pout wavered slightly, supposing, yes, he'd get it over with, rush a few things at the office, and then go home to eat and sleep. Live a little.

"Look," Kankuro said in all seriousness, "Menma's a good guy. I've gotten to know him, and to be honest, I put that kid through his paces back when I didn't trust him. You'll warm up to him, Gaara."

"I'll warm up to him when Matsuri stops sighing all the time and rushing her assignments while Menma is in town." Gaara countered.

"Do you have a problem with efficiency?" Temari wondered, "Because Matsuri's speed is something any leader would use as an example to throw in the faces of lazy, slacker teams."

Gaara just made a noncommittal nasal sound in response.

Kankuro provided additional perspective, "Maybe it's not her speed and efficiency, but, you know, the romantic sighs and stuff?"

"Get over it." Temari deadpanned, "Is anything else bothering you Gaara? Just so we can get any other nonsense out of the way now."

"No." Gaara said.

"That was the least convincing no I have ever heard." Kankuro swung a bag to whack his brother in the leg.

"Wait, let me get a look at him." Temari scrunched her face at Gaara, evaluating him, "Something tells me you're thinking about all the people who annoy you today."

"Ah." Gaara sighed a little, "Can you tell if you're on that list?"

"I'm not. Kankuro isn't either."

"Not yet." Gaara warned.

"It's Haku." She guessed again.

Gaara only frowned at her while Kankuro concurred, "Bingo."

"He didn't give you the response you wanted when you asked him to come here for the Accelerated Exam." Temari was ever-observant, "So that's been eating you up, eh?"

For a few meters of walking, Gaara did not reply. Then slowly he admitted, "He didn't even sound that sorry or concerned about declining."

"Not on paper." Temari snipped, "But you can make him sorry in person."

"So what's his hold-up? Is he down south curing diseases or something?" Kankuro was genuinely curious.

"No. He just continually abuses the refuge of my patience." Gaara concluded, "While having little to show for his expedition in finding the Yuki clan."

Kankuro turned to Temari, still not up-to-speed with his brother's and sister's knowledge and correspondence with Haku, "Yuki clan…?"

"Oh yeah. He got a name, at least." Temari tacked on.

"Huh, well, good for him." Kankuro said as he drew the glares of his siblings.

"He can postpone the search, or at least accept my help from this point." Gaara asserted, taking the lead as he moved a bit faster than his siblings, "I'll make him regret not coming here to join Naruto and I." He was growling, "I have work for him. Terrible work."

Kankuro checked him, "You sound a little salty, bro."

"It's justified."

"As much as I agree and relate to how you feel," Temari advised sagely, "You need to put all of that out of your mind for now, Gaara. Seriously, get to that meeting."

"I will." He acknowledged as he gave his sister a weary look, "But I need you to think about and be prepared to track Haku. I'll be putting an experienced Sensor team under your command, and give you what intel we've collected so far on where to look around the Water Country."

"Right." She seemed rather bemused even though she had already accepted the mission assignment. Temari cleared her throat and retreated into her own head to actually give it some real, substantial thought. Beside her, Kankuro could sense her abrupt disquiet.

"Kankuro." Gaara addressed him next.

"Yeah?"

"I also need you to think about how we are going to put up with Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei in our home for the next few weeks."

"Really? You didn't stew on that before you invited them?" Kankuro groused, "Or consider the logistics of feeding them, sheltering them, and dealing with their personalities?"

"I have a meeting." Gaara deflected, and then he was off to the city council building.

Temari and Kankuro stopped on the street and goggled at each other. Even on a day off, they were still heaped with quite the workload.

---

15 meters of sealing calligraphy slowly began to creep across the dirt and stone floor of the courtyard. The writing stretched in a circle around Haku where he sat cross-legged, the shrinking diameter picked up speed as the formula condensed and wound in on itself. The seal crept up from the ground and over his body, streaming into a focal point on his forehead.

Nearby, Hiroshi stood and watched in bemusement with the rear of his tea shop behind him. Ranmaru, Raiga, and Zabuza were also in attendance, stock-still and quiet as they watched the sealing jutsu run its course. Hiroshi tried not to fidget. He'd never seen anything half so strange, least of all on his property.

After all of the brushwork had disappeared and amassed on Haku's forehead, he blinked his eyes open. Zabuza took a loping stride forward and extended a hand to him. Haku regarded the offer for a moment before he took it and was pulled to his feet. The man then scrutinized his face up close, "…well it worked."

Haku exhaled a small sigh of relief.

"Let's accept this development as the newest reason not to use the Cursed Seal that snake gave you." Zabuza reiterated, muttering, "Four hours of my life…writing those seals…"

"I do appreciate your help." Haku thanked him.

"Hmf." Zabuza palmed the young man's cheek and took another hard look at his forehead, "Yeah, it's there alright. Can't see it yet…but it'll show up as a permanent mark once you finish working on it." Some of the ink on his hand swiped off onto Haku's face. When Zabuza moved to the side of the yard to pack up the seal-writing supplies, Hiroshi and Ranmaru came forward to examine him.

"Hold still a moment…" Hiroshi tried to dab at Haku's messy cheek with a dry rag, "Seems like you'll need to wash up later. You've got a bit of ink just there…"

"That's alright. I can't believe we were able to reproduce that formula correctly." Haku was still astounded they had accomplished it, "If Zabuza or I made one single mistake…you all may have witnessed a grisly mis-sealing."

"Perhaps you are blessed?" Hiroshi surmised warmly, "You've been bestowed with a gift from each of the Legendary Sannin. Take these chances to grow into someone great."

Haku shared a fond chuckle with the shop owner before he felt Raiga's finger flick strike him in the forehead. The swordsman was not impressed, "I don't see what the big deal is. There's nothing there."

From the workbench, Zabuza growled over his shoulder, "That's why we've never counted on you for your powers of perception…goddamn ignoramus." Raiga ignored the remarks.

"Raiga, special things don't always happen right away." Ranmaru reminded his companion.

"Yes, I still need to charge the seal with chakra." Haku explained, "I don't know how long that will take."

With the spectacle concluded in an anti-climactic fashion, Zabuza hauled away his supplies and made himself scarce, and Ranmaru and Raiga set out shopping at the main street's market. Haku ventured indoors to help Hiroshi prepare the tea house for a late opening. The portly man asked Haku to wash his hands and face first before touching anything in the shop.

Hiroshi made small talk as he set Haku to work fetching ingredients for a kuzumochi mixture to be chilled, "I'm sure Migawari-san will be pleased to hear that you were able to make use of that jutsu he's held onto for so long…"

"I think he only gave it to me out of pity…that he expects I'll only invite unwanted attention or danger here." Haku imagined, "He isn't wrong about that."

"Well you said it can save your life, if used correctly. I suppose that make less work for him if you ever get into another fight."

Haku tipped a cup of kuzu root starch into the bowl Hiroshi was mixing, "It could happen. We need to keep the peace on this island. I don't like that Zabuza's presence has made this town less safe for the elderly who live here."

"Look at it both ways— we're securer in some respects with the two of you around…Raiga and Ranmaru too. There are other benefits to it, besides!" Hiroshi recalled cheerfully, "That jewelry you handed out to townspeople…though I don't know where you got it…the Shibasaburō sisters told me they were able to sell it and pay off their mortgage with that income. Your gesture helped many people here."

Preparing metal pans to mold the mixture, Haku assured his friend, "That was the idea." He was hopeful that Temari received some of the pieces he had sent to her with a message. He doubted that she would reject such rare finery.

After filling six molds, heating tea kettles, and setting snacks and breads on display in the shop, Haku unlocked the store and swept the floors as Hiroshi directed. The man counted a cash drawer to begin the day. The morning dragged on with no visitors, and Haku was about to relax and share a pot of tea with Hiroshi when Zabuza suddenly returned. He stormed through the door in a great hurry, snatched Haku by the arm, and pulled him into the back room of the shop just off of the anterior kitchen. Hiroshi sputtered over his tea cup, unsure of what that interruption meant.

Squashed flat against the plaster wall of the pantry, Haku snapped indignantly, "What are you doing—?"

"Shut it." Zabuza held him still and hushed him, turning his head to listen for any activity in the shop. The door chime rang again as visitors entered the tea house and began conversing with Hiroshi.

"Zabuza, you—"

"You seriously need to shut the fuck up right now." Zabuza hissed in a whisper, "A team from Hidden Mist is on patrol."

Haku fell silent after receiving the news. He and Zabuza listened in, and neither were surprised to hear the voices of two adult male strangers asking to be served tea as they noisily took seats at a table. One of them also asked if Hiroshi had encountered any rogue ninja lately.

"I can't say that I have." Hiroshi replied innocently, "Not unless these rogue ninja are pushing seventy years old?"

"Nah. More like early thirties…and a teenager." The Mist nin grunted.

"This is a retirement town. We don't appreciate mischief here." Hiroshi defended, "I'm sure I would have spotted any troublemakers of that description."

"Then you don't have very good eyes." A sharp voice replied. The speaking Mist ninja was not as lax as his teammate, and continued to pry for information, "More than a month ago, Hidden Mist put out an alert for a missing Hunter squadron. Do you know how often our Hunters go missing?" The man sniffed before taking a sip of tea, "They don't. We've been scouring five of the islands west of Kirigakure that the squadron was overseeing. Nanakusa is one of them."

"I still don't see why you would look here for anyone dangerous enough to trifle with Hunter-nin?" Hiroshi stuck to his convincing, ignorant-old-man tone. He was also serving cheesecake, which the less-astute Mist ninja began gobbling up.

"One in five odds gives us a good chance of finding whoever took out that squad— really one in four odds now that we've completed a clean sweep of an island south of here." The Mist team leader announced, "I wouldn't give so much as a backwards glance at this mountain of adult diapers if not for the fact that the Sensor-type nin of our team went missing. Do you know what that is, old man?"

"No."

"A Sensor is a ninja that can detect who the fuck might be hiding in this piss-hole." The man clacked his tea cup down angrily, "Yusho doesn't carelessly wander off during assignments. He checks in frequently when he goes off to investigate suspicious shit."

Worriedly, Haku flicked his eyes up at Zabuza, determining from the look on the man's unwrapped face that he had absolutely killed and disposed of Yusho, the Sensor ninja. Haku's scowl conveyed what a terrible mistake that had been on Zabuza's part.

"We do have some secret gambling houses here." Hiroshi conceded, "Maybe he got caught up in a game?"

"Yusho doesn't gamble." The subordinate Mist shinobi spoke as he munched, "But he does like to get drunk and laid though. Maybe he found a nice old lady here?"

"Not on assignment he wouldn't, Norio." The team leader then sneered at Hiroshi, "My team wouldn't be caught dead looking for leisure in a place like this. So that got me to thinking…what might the seniors here have to gain if a rogue ninja was taking refuge in one of their little cottages? Quite a bit, in times like these."

Hiroshi calmly brought over water to refill the tea pot. Norio wanted another piece of cheesecake.

"People like you can go missing." The Mist captain lowered his voice, "A modest tea shop owner…his whole livelihood stolen. He can disappear without a trace. An old man like you…knows the value of protection when he sees it. How else can you live peacefully in the Water Country?"

"Good luck, I suppose. And a pension."

The Mist captain pushed back his seat and stood, towering over Hiroshi. His stare bored holes in the man's head, suspicious and impatient.

"Yo, Suetada-taicho. At least let him bring me my cake first before you make him squeal." Norio grumbled.

In the back room, Haku tensed. The escalating danger made him want to act— if he was quick enough, he could at least subdue the captain to protect Hiroshi. Yet he couldn't budge Zabuza. Incredulous, Haku glared at the man for a long moment before silently struggling, unable to escape the grip that pinned him to the wall. One hand was clapped over Haku's mouth as the boy's eyes darted wildly, alarmed, and Zabuza held his hip in the other, locked a leg around Haku's to stop him from bolting.

Suetada wrenched the plate of cake from Hiroshi's hand and dropped it in front of his whining subordinate, backing Hiroshi against the counter as he loomed furiously, "I know my way around these parts. I can smell secrets. Are there Swordsmen hiding around here?"

"T-The—?"

"Any of the disbanded Shinobi Swordsmen of Mist— any of those fuckers." Suetada elaborated, "I wouldn't put it past a fat hog like you to trade shelter in exchange for protection. I've got news for you, porky, Mist isn't blind. It sees more than any of you impoverished bumpkins can imagine. We have eyes and ears everywhere, even among you old fucks." He bared his teeth threateningly, "So it doesn't pay to side with the resistance. You either work with Mist…or you can die like the hog you are while we eat our lunch here and take you for every Ryo in that drawer."

Teary-eyed, Hiroshi spoke in a quaking voice, "I d-don't know…anyone like that…"

Norio watched curiously from the table, stuffing his face. He wondered how his captain was going to work over a defenseless tea shop owner.

"But I…wish I did." Hiroshi sniffled.

Suetada gave him a baffled look, "—what'd you just say?"

In the pantry, Haku was struggling again, biting Zabuza's hand and kicking him as quietly as possible. If Hiroshi did not have the sense to protect himself or misdirect the Mist captain, they needed to do something.

"It'd be wonderful to have some protection around here…the kind you were talking about." Hiroshi elaborated, "Every year it's the same old thing— we pay dues to our Mist contact named Kino. I don't know if that rotten slob's still alive…but this island has made him rich if that money never made it back to Kirigakure." Hiroshi shrugged with hefty shoulders, "If I am going to die here, I suppose that's it. We don't have much left to give. We don't have anything to hide. I only have 3,000 Ryo in that drawer, if you're interested. Eat the bread on the bottom shelves, it's fresher…but I still try to sell the stale stuff."

Norio exchanged a glance with his captain, perplexed.

"I hate to waste your time, really. I couldn't even point you in the right direction if I wanted to, but I just— I have no idea what you've been talking about!" Hiroshi falsely confessed, "I don't know about Sensors or Swordsmen or whatever Mist's doing, besides taking my money. You can kill me if you want, but that would just encourage townspeople here to harbor the rogues you're imagining, no? It'd just make it worse."

"Then we could flush them out." Suetada growled, "Should we leave your corpse here…or out in the street?"

"The picnic tables beside the crematory would be most convenient. I wouldn't want Hasekura-san to throw his back out disposing of me. Make it a short walk." Hiroshi suggested.

Suetada leveled a discerning look at the old shop owner, mulling it over.

"We don't need more angry old people on this island— not like the first one. It could promote rebel sympathy." Norio polished off the last of the tea, "I don't see the point in killing an old fat guy who doesn't know gumdrops about anything. He's a dumb 'ol brick who makes a mean cake…"

"Or he's a liar." Suetada sensed it.

Hiroshi just shrugged at him. Truly, if this was the end, and his friends in the back room did not spring to his rescue, what more could he do but make things less of a hassle for the elderly mortician up the street? Life was hard enough in Nanakusa.

Norio stood from his chair with a burp, announcing, "Well, I'm gonna look around for Yusho. He's off fucking a granny somewhere, I bet. Gotta keep him on task. Do what you have to, Captain." And he was off and out of the shop with the door chime's sounding.

Things became eerily silent. Haku had no idea what was going on at the shop's front, and resisting Zabuza's hold was proving fruitless. 'He won't let me do anything! How unlike him to act so cowardly…and if this is a serious threat, surely we could do something about it together?' A puff of air escaped his nostrils, frustrated, and Haku gradually noticed the hand not covering his mouth had wandered. Zabuza's hold on his hip had strayed upward, the rough pad of a thumb swiping purposefully over his stomach. Haku stared without seeing, massively confused by the grope. That had not been an arbitrary touch— not like an exchange of tools, utensils or food, nor like the contact of training. With a furrowed brow, he mouthed the words against Zabuza's palm while thrashing again, What are you doing? Let go of me. He met the man's narrow, steel eyes without flinching, You don't get to touch me. Haku got a good shove in and nearly freed himself, but after that Zabuza wrapped a hand around his neck as if to choke him.

Beyond the storage room, the silence was broken by the door's bell once more. Hiroshi let out a long, petrified sigh that his concealed companions could hear. The choke hold was only for show, as Zabuza applied no force behind it. Haku tore away from him after that, knocking into a prep table and sending bowls clanging and tumbling. He hooked around the corner doorway and into the shop, bracing Hiroshi as the man keened sideways over the display counter.

"Are you alright? How did you get him out, Hiroshi-san?" Haku was aghast.

"Easy…I gave him all of the money in my drawer. As one often does during a stick-up…" The man chuckled in fright, "He said it would have been too much effort to kill me…"

Haku braced his shoulders, "I'll get it back for you. Stay here while I—"

"Don't move a fucking muscle." Zabuza warned from the doorway, "We're not messing with rat-face Suetada. That's not a fight worth picking."

"He just—!"

"I know what he did. I know what he didn't do." The man stalked through the room and peered out between the blinds of the shop window, "For instance, he didn't vaporize your old man with Boil Release right where he stood."

Haku kept a hand on Hiroshi's shoulder, still listening to Zabuza in spite of his indignation, "Boil Release?"

"Terumi Suetada is loyal only to the Mist Village. He's good at two things: reasoning and fighting in close quarters." Zabuza snorted, "Polar opposite of Thunderbrain, really. At least Raiga had the sense to duck in cover too when those fucks started strolling through here…"

Hiroshi had wilted from anxiety, breaking out into a sweat. Haku shot Zabuza a livid look before he guided Hiroshi to the back stairwell and up into his living space. He set Hiroshi down on a sofa to relax and promised to check on him soon. Then, Haku returned to the tea house on the first floor, finding Zabuza still standing by the window and watching activity on the street.

"You would have let him die, if that captain decided to not take Hiroshi-san at his word." Haku locked the shop's door for good measure and dimmed the lights of the place, "You had no right to stop me from helping him. Even if he killed me, Suetada was alone. You could have—"

"Spare me the lecture. I know what kind of a threat he is. At any given time, you have no idea what the hell is going on down here or how things work." The man grunted at him, "I'm not going to let you drag me into fights I know I can avoid."

"You can't always fight for money. You need to fight to help others." Haku stood in the long shadow cast by a tea display, "If you intend to free Kirigakure and mend what its current leadership has destroyed, you can't be just like them. You can't become what you replace."

"That bleeding heart sentiment won't win any—"

"Stop acting as if you don't need anyone or that you're incapable of concern for the welfare of others!" Haku railed at him, wide-eyed and bristling, "Even you can't go on like that! Not for the goal you've set— it'd be pointless! Why change anything if you don't care? So that you can revel alone at your accomplishment?" He brought his fist down on the countertop beside him, "Are you so afraid of growing and changing that you can only hide behind an image? To be something better terrifies you."

Zabuza turned away from the window to stare at the whelp, briefly lit with an apoplectic expression that colored his face with an unusual amount of emotion. He said nothing because Haku's words had sunk in and rang true. That momentary anger fizzled while Zabuza stood there, inured to the subject that Haku had brought to the forefront and challenged him with. There were many days he wanted to claim that he knew better than the righteous, know-it-all waif, but today Zabuza could not.

"You have said yourself that you can't do anything about Mist's oppression on your own…that you would need my help." Haku reminded him, "That you would have to bribe Terumi Mei's rebel forces to cooperate with you— and you've even accepted Raiga and Ranmaru's assistance. Why in the world would any of us try to aid you when we can be sure that you care nothing for our prosperity?" He lowered his voice, "I have done more for you than I ever should have. You've told me nothing about my clan. You trade empty promises in exchange for an onerous goal."

Not visibly moved by the plea, Zabuza plucked a pastry from the display and helped himself, "So you're saying that none of this is worth it?"

"If you were in my place trying to find out where you come from, would you think any of this is worth it?"

"Probably not." He could admit that in fairness, "I would have killed me already."

Haku had his mouth pressed in a hard line, staring boldly. If he could not make a clear point now about Zabuza's most obvious flaw, there may never be another chance to do it.

The man was chewing nonchalantly, "But you didn't."

"Plenty of others will have the opportunity and desire to kill you." Haku pointed out.

"What do you want? Some metamorphosis out of me? That I might do any of this the right way, or actually win people's trust? Because that scenario has been stacked against me for a pretty long time." Zabuza quipped, "Even if I gave a shit about people, saved them, whatever…they'd never believe it. Anything I did would not be considered authentic. I won't genuinely be trusted. That's what is really pointless."

"Try anyway." Haku insisted, "Should you never be accepted or trusted by others again, you can still choose to do good things."

"Doesn't sound like there's much gratification in that line of work." He set the pastry down and stalked closer, "And that's easy for you to say, coming from you— a shiny do-gooder who's so invested in making life great for everyone."

"I haven't gotten all of it right. I've made mistakes and hurt others." Haku moved back a step when Zabuza approached him, "But the attempt holds more value than the excuses we make for doing nothing."

"So I make excuses?" Zabuza was less than an arm's length away, and the proximity again stirred the uncomfortable feeling that Haku had experienced earlier in the pantry.

"All of the time."

"How do you know the difference between me making an excuse or using common sense?" He rumbled.

"I don't always know the difference." Haku stopped inching backwards, deciding that it was better to take a stand against the intimidation, "But I'm a fast learner."

"Ohh. Then I should be more like you? Think and act more like you?" Zabuza was still too close, and slipped a strand of Haku's hair between his fingertips where it framed his face, "Do I need to start looking like you too?"

He jerked his head away, baffled by the weird interaction.

"If I'm going to stick my neck out for people and be sensitive and all of that shit…though I'm going to fuck that up plenty…you're telling me the attempt matters," Zabuza leveled with him, "In that case, I'm going to get something in exchange."

For a harebrained moment, Haku was not at all sure what Zabuza wanted in compensation. He dearly hoped it would not have to do with any of the vaguely non-platonic signals he'd gotten that day. To escape the awkward vicinity, Haku brushed past him to clean up the mess that Mist ninja had left on a table. He asserted while he worked, "I am not exchanging anything for that. You still owe me information about my clan. Because you feel it's fair to withhold it until we liberate Kirigakure, if you know anything at all…this change should be voluntary."

"No. It won't be voluntary."

When Haku felt Zabuza's hand close around the scruff of his tunic, pulling him away from his task, he felt an urgent flight instinct kick in. Something about this was most assuredly not the same. His suspicions were immediately confirmed when he couldn't swat the man off, and then began to struggle to avoid being restrained again. Haku used a succession of Taijutsu arm locks in response to being dragged, and nearly got the better of Zabuza with a swipe to the eye before an elbow jab in the stomach doubled Haku over. While he gasped for breath, he was again pinned to a shop wall, but Haku had a hand free. He slipped a small knife from the holster under his shirt and pressed it to the area above Zabuza's larynx, cutting into flesh there. The man froze.

"I don't know what you think you're doing…" Haku was electrified with adrenalin, "But you can stop, or I will make you stop."

"What, do you think I've been doing these things for you for free? Sealing projects that go beyond basic training, letting you take shares of a bounty, talk to mob contacts…humoring the posse of dimwits you keep around?"

"Let go of me." He watched Zabuza bleed.

"I don't give handouts. I never will." Zabuza warned him, "And you like to take an awful lot from me."

"I'll kill you." Haku reminded him of the position he was in.

"You would have done that without hesitation if you actually meant to." The man scoffed, "You cause me a lot of trouble, Haku. You can't pay me with money, and you have lousy judgement about how to tackle Mist Village issues." Zabuza asked him, "What do I get out of this?"

With an athletic twist, Haku kicked Zabuza off and cut a line over his clavicle, incensed, "Are you out of your mind? I would never agree to something like that— I'm not for sale— I'm a student and maybe even an ally in your endeavor to stop the Akatsuki in Mist." He righted himself and took a breath, "If I had known you expected repayment for the things I asked your help with, I never would have asked."

Zabuza had ventured around the corner into the kitchen, stemming the bleeding at his neck with a towel, "Who else are you gonna ask?"

"You are shameless." Irate, Haku returned to the table to take away settings and the teapot, "Go back to Moji, you dog. Attention there is cheap."

"That's not on the agenda."

"Right. With Mist patrols active on the local islands, you might be apprehended." Haku recalled, making a racket in the kitchen, "And I would not be motivated in the slightest to intervene."

"Quit fussing like a woman, no one needs that bitchfest."

Haku maintained, "I'm reacting the way anyone would react to what you did."

"Well if that's off the table, you carping prude, I've got another suggestion." Zabuza was glancing down interestedly at the cloth that had been soaked, as if his own blood was an uncommon sight, "You want me to adopt some selfless, altruistic attitude wherein I respect and serve ungrateful denizens who already hate me. That it? Be more like you." While Haku watched him warily from the sink Zabuza elaborated, "Then you should be more like me."

"I don't have the stomach for it."

"Likewise, dipshit. Do you see now what you're asking me to do? To be something I'm naturally not?"

"You are not naturally an unfeeling, selfish brute. What was denied of you in Kirigakure as you grew up, and the horrible demands made of you— that's why you're convinced who you are now is who you were meant to be." Haku chucked another dry towel at Zabuza so he could put pressure on his injury, "I could have been the same as you. I know you remember me— where I was, that day. Alone and near death after I killed my father." He shared a sensitive detail about his past, "The environment you are in changes your perceptions. If you had a different opportunity, the support of others, a secure village, and dedicated yourself to a different goal…you wouldn't even know yourself as you are now. You would be someone else."

They had a staredown for a time and Haku supposed he was preparing a counterargument.

"Fuck it. You're right." Zabuza conceded.

Haku's eyebrows shot up. He had left the tap running and hurriedly shut it off before the sink overflowed.

"That doesn't mean you aren't still asking a lot of someone who wouldn't know decency if it fucking slapped me in the face." The man gruffed, "But it isn't something I've tried yet. If that's what it takes to get those rebel twits to work with me, and to actually affect change in Hidden Mist…screw it. You said attempts matter."

"They do." Haku said in astonishment, "Then for your first exercise: consider helping your friends when they are in crisis…" He added harshly, "And keep your hands off of me."

"Don't bombard me, fuck. One thing at a time."

"These are simple demands."

"Whatever. Then in exchange— you've gotta think more like me. Less reckless, bleeding-heart bullshit. Suetada would've sautéed your organs before you even knew about his Blood Limit." Zabuza informed him, "You're going to learn your way around here…recognize the names and descriptions of Mist ninja who are trouble, I've got old records and stuff for that. You should also start practicing with a spare needle, because I need you to get familiar with Kushimaru's blade."

"-I don't know what you're—"

"Mine is a replica of the real Nuibari, and it's busted…but hell, start somewhere. You need to get a feel for it." The man noticed his bleeding had slowed, so he removed the cloth from his neck, "Before I go digging around for the Master Scroll…wherever it was buried with Mangetsu…I want you to know what you're doing."

"I don't need any of that." Haku protested.

"You're going to need it, even if you didn't sign up to succeed a Swordsman. You already have." Zabuza leaned on the prep table and crossed his arms, "That's a weapon you'll want at your disposal when we're knocking at Mist's door."

"I won't be keeping it when all of this is over with. I'll return to my friends."

"Suit yourself. Pass it on to the next shinobi worthy of it…or leave it behind for pig-headed kids to scrap over because they think they can handle it. That's how it worked in the old days." He gave a small shrug, "Are you gonna heal my neck or not? Get over here. I'm practically hemorrhaging."

"You're joking." Haku said flatly, "You deserved that."

"I already agreed to the stupid, compulsory hero shit you shoved down my throat."

"That has nothing to do with the unpardonable molestation you tried to get away with!"

"I explained that already, and I'm not going to bother with your frigid ass again." Zabuza assured him, "What's that medical training good for? Get to it."

Haku muttered in irritation, "You really do have a long way to go…" He crossed over and demanded, "Keep your hands like that where I can see them, and don't move." Scowling, he clapped his palms over Zabuza's injuries to seal them up with chakra.

"Suetada and his lackey might still be out there." Zabuza wondered out loud.

"Then you can deal with them on your own."

"The best way to deal with them is to lay low. And what was all that junk you were spewing about caring and cooperating?"

"You requested one step at a time." Haku reminded him. He finished his work and then turned for the stairwell to the second floor, "I'm going to make sure Hiroshi-san is feeling alright. Since you're trying to understand what it's like being concerned about others, you should come along and see how it's done."

In great annoyance, Zabuza watched the back of Haku's head as he carried on. He followed after him while tenderly rubbing his neck.

---

A few days later, the first leaf on one of the thousands of trees in Konohagakure was tinged red in anticipation of autumn. The rest remained stubbornly green, dedicated to the lingering warmth of late summer.

That day, returning from the easternmost reaches of the Fire Country, Kakashi's team was traveling with a bit less speed after completing a mission. It was the first mission that Tama had been cleared for after Tsunade's evaluation of her. It involved diplomacy, supervision, and haste-free travel. The Hokage figured that was a reasonably prosaic assignment that would get her late-bloomer Chunin back on track as her body strengthened.

Of course, in spite of the unbearably dull task, Sakura and Kiba were ecstatically happy. Kakashi too was in a most pleasant mood while concealing a persistent smile beneath his mask.

When Tama began to lag behind from exhaustion on the return route, she gave in and summoned her bicycle from a tool scroll. It was a bit easier to coast along beside Sakura as Kiba and Kakashi headed the front of the group. Akamaru orbited between the divided parties of the team.

"So you were saying-?" Sakura asked with hushed enthusiasm.

Tama had a forgetful look on her face, "What was I saying?"

"Before the bike— you were telling me about a shower."

"Oh, right," Tama recalled where she left off, "I washed off with Sato and it was nice. We caught up and talked."

"Anything else-?"

"…well yeah."

Sakura applied the gossiping pressure and flared her nostrils, "Did you…Do. It?"

"Sort of." Tama yielded with a small smile, "I was feeling way more tired and frail that first day he came home. So it was just—" Tama gave a casual shrug as she pedaled, "Lots of touching and kissing and he enjoyed it a lot."

"Oh," Sakura was mildly crestfallen, "Right, I know you're still on the mend. Well, did either of you finish? Being handsy doesn't have to be boring." She of all people would know that.

"Yep, he did."

"Why aren't you more excited about it?"

"Because that wasn't the exciting part," Tama clarified, "Then I settled down for a nap and I let him borrow my clothes."

Sakura scrunched her face, "…seriously, you and I do not have equal definitions of excitement, Tama."

"Sakura-chan, wait! What I meant was that I wanted to take a nap, but Sato-kun proposed to me. That's what I didn't want to tell you until after the mission." Tama's smile stretched in response to Sakura's whooping, grinning reaction, "He was actually very romantic about it. He'd been so worried and kept talking about…coming home to me…and keeping it small…" She sighed.

Ahead, Kiba and Kakashi only overheard a distant, screeching: Oh-my-god-that-is-amazing! They exchanged sidelong glances, curious as to what the kunoichi were talking about.

Tama went on, "And then after the nap we got properly dressed and visited some friends at the Obon festival."

"Yeah, that was fun…much calmer than the last festival." Sakura had extra spring in her step.

"Later I went home with him and stayed over!" She recalled cheerfully, "I told my mom I'd be too tired to cross town at night."

"You always give that excuse."

"Because she always accepts it. I think she covers for me when Dad comes home and asks where I am."

"Wow." Sakura was envious, "I wish I had a mom that did that."

Tama tilted her head back to enjoy a breeze as she coasted downhill. At the bottom, Sakura asked her, "So you haven't actually done it yet?"

"Not yet, but before we went to sleep we…um…" She frowned and tried to find a less graphic way to phrase it, "I still can't do much, so…Sato-kun just used his mouth."

Sakura's face conveyed a sense of total understanding.

Tama admitted, "I liked that."

"Honestly, that may be the best part. It doesn't get much better."

"Well don't tell me that! I haven't tried it all." She tried to shut down spoilers.

"Right, right…" Sakura waved off her friend's objection, "Then let's get into what Kakashi-sensei was talking about this morning."

"His new book?"

"No, how he brought up our peers getting Jounin recommendations…even if Sensei only mentioned it for a minute." Sakura reached out to pat Akamaru's head as he galloped beside her, "He said that Shikamaru's gotten at least one recommendation." She grinned, "And that he's willing to write ours next year, if we keep performing well."

"Wow, the three of us?" Tama was surprised.

"That's what he said. Kakashi-sensei also mentioned that Sato got at least two recommendations, and Neji received three." Sakura added, "Allegedly. I guess we'll know for sure if they apply for evaluations sometime this year."

"I didn't know all of that could happen so fast."

"Sensei said that Jounin are motivated to recruit and test new Jounin because it promotes mission availability, and boosts team success rates. Statistically speaking…and the other reason was because they like to hand off undesirable missions to newbies and otherwise take advantage of them."

"That sounds about right." Tama nodded, "All of that hard work…I can see why they want to delegate it when they can."

"Now that you and Sato are really thinking about getting married, do you think now is a good time for him to try for another promotion?"

"Sure! He can definitely handle more challenging missions. I don't think it'd hurt for him to be tested." Tama imagined, "That doesn't mean that he'll be certified. Or they might only classify him as tokubetsu."

"I don't know." Sakura tried to forecast the outcome, "He's a bit too well-rounded to be a specialist. But I guess that call is up to an evaluator?"

A short time later, the team passed a security checkpoint into the village and avoided a bustling flea market that had spontaneously appeared on a main avenue.

"I guess we're not getting lunch at the tavern." Kakashi supposed, "That area is teeming with people." Cheerily, he waved goodbye to his students, "Well, we can share a meal some other time. Good work today, you three. I'll turn in the report."

"Kaka-sensei, are you going to show up for training tomorrow morning?" Kiba checked with him before he wandered off, "This will be the first time in a while that Tama can join us."

"We'll see. I may not make it. I've got a few committees to deal with tomorrow." Then he was off, departing just before Kiba and Sakura confirmed tomorrow's plan and also set out for home.

Tama pedaled tiredly across town and into the nouveau community, parking her bicycle out in front of her house. She trudged through the front door and announced her presence with a waning voice. She had put up a front for her team. Hoping not to seem weak, Tama withheld complaints or whines of pain while keeping pace with her teammates, even as her muscles and surgery sites ached.

From around the corner in the living area, Tama heard her mother speaking to her, "Dear, you're home? Are you feeling alright? Two days of work might've been stressful for you…"

"It was alright, Mom—"

"Are you hungry?" Miako zipped from one room to the next, taking Tama's travel bag from her, "I'll put this away for you, Tama, ah, let me…come have something to eat before you go. Oh! I'm so happy you have your Chunin vest on."

"Thanks, Mom." Tama sighed, relaxing. She settled in a seat at the counter and asked, "What do you mean, before I go? I was just going to stay home today and rest."

Miako stilled and silently mulled over the small blunder she had made. She was supposed to keep that detail under wraps. She tittered over her shoulder, "Did I say that? Of course you're staying in, I forgot. But just in case you…change your mind…" Miako pushed a plate of sliced tomatoes, vegetables and rice balls in front of her.

"Mom…"

"Eat up!" Miako gravitated toward a drying rack to put away clean dishes.

"Is something up, Mom?" Tama bit into a rice ball, "Was I asked to go somewhere?"

"No, no!"

Tama restrained a grin, cramming tomato slices in her mouth, "Are you throwing a surprise party or something?"

"No, you know your father doesn't like surprises or parties, and I'd have to invite him if we were celebrating you." Miako simpered over her shoulder, "Don't press me, my lips are sealed!" She turned her nose up, doing her best not to ruin anything.

So Tama asked no further questions, and did not find it so unusual that her mother insisted she change out of her shinobi attire and into something nice. Which she did. She sat on her living room sofa in a white top and floral shorts, unashamed of the track-marks on her bare legs, trying to work out what her mother was hiding, 'Maybe she and Dad did plan something for me? I know they're happy that I'm up and about again.'

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and proceeded to braid it, 'Maybe Kaka-sensei, Kiba-kun, and Sakura-chan are in on this? They left promptly before…I don't know. What's up with them? Or maybe—'

"Yo!" Sato poked his head in through the front door, "You home? Oh!" He spotted Tama on the sofa and grinned at her, "Looks like Mom gave you the memo."

"To get changed?" Tama continued braiding where she sat and grinned back at him.

He gave her a slow wink as he stood respectfully in the genkan in shoes, and accepted a kiss on the cheek from Miako as she greeted him. She turned to her daughter and ushered her over, "Okay! Now I don't have to watch what I say. Sato-kun will handle the rest."

"I suspected as much…" Tama gave her mother a small squeeze of a hug before tapping sandals on, "Will I…be back for dinner?"

"We will." Sato informed her, "We'll have stuff to tell your parents later."

"Ah." She smiled.

Miako saw them out merrily, and outside in the sunshine Tama was hoping she'd get a clear explanation.

"I'm a bit tired so I hope this isn't anything…strenuous." She let Sato tug her along carefully out of the front yard and down the road, "It was an easy mission, but—"

"We are totally gonna take it easy." Sato assured her, "We're just going to meet your family's realtor pal Masajuro-san. His office is pretty close, your dad said."

"My dad told you?" Tama was astounded, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him and your mom that we want to get married, and that we've been thinking about finding a place." Sato gave her hand a small high-five before he laced his fingers with hers, "And I actually didn't get reamed out! They looked legitimately surprised and then kinda happy. So let's check some places out that are close by, because your dad said so…and then tell them what we think later."

"They—? We—! Can we afford this side of the village?" She was blushing and also elated.

"Maybe we can't, but I say we just look at stuff and then set a goal. I was thinking about going for a promotion so I can make more money…" He added, "And my uncle said he wouldn't mind helping us buy a place. Since he's been such a deadbeat to me for so long, Kakashi said he ought to do something like that. He's kind of rich, so I don't feel guilty about taking him up on the offer."

"K-Kakashi-sensei knows?" Her embarrassment escalated, "He didn't say anything during our mission!"

"Well, he probably wanted you to bring it up." Sato chuckled at her, "You didn't?"

"I don't exactly broadcast things as fast and loud as you do." Tama pulled him in the correct direction when he nearly took an erroneous left, "This way!"

"It's not broadcasting, this is kind of a big deal and people will find out. You can tell them."

"So have you told—?"

"Almost everyone."

Tama held her face and took a deep breath. She had intended to take it slow and plan thoughtfully, but Sato was probably going to find a rooftop to stand on and crow the news for all to hear. As was his way.

She blushed just about the whole way to the realtor's office, greeted Masajuro-san, accepted his congratulations and small-talk, and then they set out again to inspect a few model homes up the block. On the way, Sato perked up and gave Tama's hand a squeeze to get her attention. She followed his gaze and spotted Kiba crossing a footbridge in the distance, near the back entrance of a small veterinary clinic his sister oversaw. He spotted them as well. Kiba stopped in his tracks and pinned them with a surprised stare.

Tama could not explain the peculiar feeling in her stomach. She gave her teammate a wave of acknowledgement before carrying on.

---

On the footbridge, Kiba muffled a groan. Well, wasn't today great?

He had dropped off a supply parcel to Hana's secondary vet office and then laid eyes on Tama and her soon-to-be-husband. Not that he needed another reminder after Kakashi had dumped that fact on him before departing that morning. He returned the wave from Tama and Sato tepidly and then kept moving.

"I'm pretty sure I am almost over it." Kiba spoke sidelong to his ninken, "Or, at least fine with Tama living her own life. I'm doing okay for myself aren't I, boy?"

Akamaru made a small chuff of confirmation.

"And I was lucky enough to meet Karui. It'd be nice to get another chance to talk to her."

The dog agreed again.

"I don't know…I'm just tired of this swirl of feelings— it's just—" Kiba motioned at himself, "I'm not even mad. Maybe my timing kind of sucks…and I definitely respect people in their own relationships and won't trifle with them…but I want someone to look at me like that. I'm eligible. Charming, on a good day. I know I could treat a significant other like a goddess if I had the chance."

Akamaru's soft whine seemed to recommend patience.

"Yeah, I guess. There's plenty of time." He sighed, "It's easier when I don't think about this junk."

Akamaru had stopped paying attention as they walked uptown and trotted over to a butcher's shop, sitting like a good boy beside the dried jerky stand. Kiba, as he often did, bought the treat for his dog as thanks for his participation on the mission. Akamaru chewed nosily as they kept moving.

Kiba did not feel like returning home just yet to be subjected to the high-energy ramblings of his mother, and the grumbling complaints of his grandfather. The family would be returning to court next week to seek damages against Nichiyo, since his father had lied and taken advantage of him, 'Among other things…' Now he also had a baby half-brother somewhere in the Tea Country, allegedly. Tsume had warned him and Hana not to go looking for the extramarital sibling they now had. It was not as if they were compelled to find and bond with this mysterious baby brother, so they had agreed to their mother's wish without a fuss.

On the northeast side of the village, on the way to the cherry blossom grove, Akamaru stopped inside the open doorway of a printing office. A few moments later, Fujita appeared and began patting the dog vigorously. He looked up and noticed Kiba, "Kiba-kun, did you need to print something for the Sensory or Sealing Corps? The office is closing in a few minutes."

"Nah, just walking around…" Kiba gave his young friend a fist bump when they united and carried on toward the grove.

"Did you return from a mission, then?"

"Yep." He folded his arms behind his head, "It was an easy one, and Tama was able to join our team again."

"That's great!" Fujita was chipper, "I have no other work to do…so I should probably go home and help mom with some things."

"Keeping busy?"

"Very. Now that I have a new big sister…and Great Elder Haburo has asked us to do so much…" Fujita let out a small, tired breath, "There's never a dull moment."

"Oh shoot that's right." Kiba remembered the circumstances, "Your parents adopted Tenten; I think Sakura told me that."

"Yes. I like her quite a lot, and mom and dad have been happy…though a bit more stressed." Fujita recalled, "Great Elder met with Onee-san and determined that she will not be likable enough to forge relationships with other clans."

"Uh…" Kiba gave him a confused look, "Is he even talking about, like, Tenten? Actually? She gets along with everyone."

"I know, but I don't think Great Elder saw that quality in her while he was trying to arrange a match for her."

"-shit— she just gets in and they try matching her up with a guy that fast?"

"Great Elder always does things like that. Dad said Great Elder made a mistake during the last Taketori meeting that offended a few parties…so he asked Neji-sama to consider courting Onee-san to settle things." Fujita frowned to himself, "It was odd that I had to sit in on that conference and approve it too. Great Grandfather looked worried that Onii-sama would not agree to it…but he quickly did."

"Bizarre. And newsflash: Neji was already dating her, I thought." Kiba stopped beneath a shady tree and leaned against the trunk, "Why is the Hyuga clan so damn weird about this stuff?"

Fujita gave a small, confounded shrug. He had no idea.

He considered the situation again, "Well, that's good then. She'll calm Neji's ass down."

Fujita stifled a laugh, "Not really. Neji-niisan has been serious about courtship and gets aggravated with other clansmen or guests who talk to Tenten-neesan for too long. Glaring at or interrupting them…I noticed that he has spent a lot of time with her at the estate. I think Great Elder asked them to get to know each other better…but they already seem to be the best of friends."

Kiba was amused by this, "You know, for a wise old elder…it sounds like he doesn't see much."

"He sees and hears what he wants to, Dad says."

"Pff, a lot of old guys are like that…" He observed, "It's kind of nice to have an older sister, isn't it?"

Fujita lit up, "It is."

"They come in handy…give us perspective we really need sometimes…" Kiba thought fondly of his own sister, "They tend to understand things in ways that brothers won't."

"That's true. I still miss Hikune a lot…but I feel better with Onee-san around. She spends time with me and is learning about the things I like." He added merrily, "And she told me that entering the Accelerated Exam in Sunagakure was a good idea even though I don't have a team to compete with."

"Whoa, you entered that?" Kiba raised his eyebrows, "I didn't think you could enter it as an individual."

"Single entries are allowed, but space was limited. I think the application window is closed now."

"You'll pass." Kiba affectionately patted the boy's head, "Well, depending on who you get matched up against if there's a knockout round."

"Sensei said there might be, so I'm preparing as best I can."

"You're not the only one entering that Exam, by the way." Kiba warned him, "Sakura-chan told me that Naruto is entering too."

Fujita patted Akamaru absent-mindedly as he considered the news.

"Yeah, you better hope you don't get matched against him. He cleaned Neji's clock at the last one." Kiba chuckled, "But hey, no pressure. You're going in this time knowing a bit more about what to expect."

Fujita released a rumbling sigh, feeling a bit more anxious about what awaited him at the next test. Kiba gave him a clap on the back and steered him westward through the grove, where he'd spotted Shikamaru and Chouji, "Look over there, let's make them buy us lunch out of sympathy. I'm still starving and you're shaking like a leaf, kid…"

---

Note: Oof, I've been gone for a while. I have missed you my nerds. Here, have lots of updates.

Chapter 44: Listen, for Hearts Have Conversations