Peace be among you…
Welcome one and all!
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
I don't have much to say, so… Enjoy!
Edit: I've gone through and fixed this Chapter, or at least cleaned it up so it flows smoother.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Majikoi!
...
-Start-
…
He didn't know how long it had been since he had started to talk, explaining his life in such a short, compact, and summarized way that he guessed it only took around a few hours to explain everything to Tesshin.
"-And right after I kicked his ass six ways to Sunday, I found myself here." said Naruto, gesturing with his arms to the room around him, indicating to which 'here' he was talking about. Some might have misunderstood that he was talking about the room he was currently in, but in reality, he was referring to the whole world around him.
Tesshin couldn't believe it.
Like, he literally could not believe it.
In fact, all he could do was rub his face and give a tired sigh, one of resignation. "You mean to tell me," started the old man, "That you come from a different world where Shinobi reign as the predominant military force. That your world is split up into different warring countries, very similar to feudal Japan, each with its own ruling Daimyo. On top of that, rather than directly ruling over these Hidden Villages, the Daimyo gives their support to these villages, endorsing them and employing these Shinobi as their main fighting force, resulting in a world filled subterfuge and guerilla warfare."
Naruto nodded and gave a careless wave with his hand, his eyes holding a slight mocking look in them. "That's just the general structure of my world." He started, "I skipped over a few things, most of them personal, but you should understand what this means, right?"
Tesshin leveled a disbelieving look at Naruto, his eyes wide. "You expect me to believe that crap!?" he half yelled, half asked, his tone incredulous.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders, not really caring whether or not the old man believed him. "You asked me to tell you the truth, and I told you the truth. In the end, it's just a very compact and shortened version of the truth. Take it as you will." He said, finding his attention drawn to the sky outside. It was dark outside, indicating that it was night time. How long have I been out? Well… I guess I did just waste a few hours of my life recapping everything for this old geezer.
Tesshin once again sighed as he truly started to look his age, his shoulders slumping as he slouched over, his cane held tight in his hands. He gave Naruto a look, schooling his features into what could only be described as neutral. "I can't possibly believe what you've just told me... I hope you know this." he said. Seeing Naruto give him his attention, he stroked his beard, deep in thought. "Though, I can see that you are being truthful with me. I'm forced to admit that you're outlandish claims are nothing but the truth... and you really are not from this world." Though, this does explain why you kicked my granddaughter's ass so easy. You're just a bag full of surprises, aren't you?
Naruto gave Tesshin a calculating look, searching for an unseen answer. Not finding it, he cast a questionable gaze at Tesshin. "That's it?" he asked, expecting more.
Tesshin gave Naruto a grandfatherly smile, a twinkle in his eye as he sprung his hidden trap on Naruto. "That's it.." confirmed Tesshin, "But, since you've confirmed that you have no way to pay for all of the damages..." he left his words hanging, leaving Naruto with a sense of dread. "You'll just have to work it all off."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head in thought. "Work it off? I suppose I can do that." said Naruto, his thoughts already thinking of Jiraiya's book series. If Ero-sennin's perverted books sell well here, I could easily pay off this debt...
Tesshin watched Naruto brainstorm, finding amusement in the blonde haired boy's struggle. Chuckling to himself, he rose to his feet. "Well my boy," he started, "Good luck in your endeavours. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to ask me. Though, I can't guarantee that you'll find much help from an old person such as myself."
Naruto watched as the old man chuckled to himself, finding mirth in his own words before he left, quietly closing the door behind him.
Smug bastard...
Naruto fell backwards into his bed, his head hitting the pillow behind him. "It's alway one thing after another..." said Naruto, yawning in the process.
Rolling over onto his side, he closed his eyes as he started to drift away, sleep quickly taking hold of his desires. He had but one last thought as he finally fell asleep
Maybe I'll open up a Ramen Stand…
...
-The next morning-
…
Naruto found out the next morning, in one conveniently placed note from Tesshin, that the Academy was going to be closed for the next few days as the Kuki Conglomerate graciously offered to repair the school, earning them some nice PR.
The second portion of said note mentioned a few things about taking it easy, maybe go searching for a job, and if he couldn't find one, Tesshin had work Naruto could do to pay off his debt. Naruto scoffed at the last bit, not trusting of the old man at all. Yeah, sure, just let me sell my soul while I'm at it...
Naruto finally left the school premise, now dressed in some rather casual clothing that he pulled out of his sealing scrolls, which translated to wearing just a simple orange and black T-shirt with his regular black shinobi pants.
As he made his way into the city, he decided to knock out a few things. Creating ten clones, he had them split up, each with their own objective. Half of them were to hit up the local library, each under a henge, and learn all they could about this new world. Information was something that he was currently lacking in, and it somewhat irritated him on a base level, damaging his Shinobi pride.
The second group of clones were to search for any book publishers and secure an agreement with one that would accept, obviously trying to republish Jiraiya's life work. If I can achieve this, hopefully I'll be set up for the next few years.
Other than that, the real Naruto took it easy as he found himself walking alongside the riverbanks of the Tama river, his hands locked behind his head as he wondered if there was any nearby ramen joints that he could hit up. His face fell when he remembered he had no money. "Really need to get Jiraiya's book out there. Being poor sucks." mumbled Naruto before he stopped walking, something, or rather, someone catching his attention.
That someone, or should I say she, stood by the bank, looking down into the water with a paper bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other as she snacked on what looked like Natto, or fermented soybeans. Naruto observed her overall figure, finding her pink eyes, and waist length black hair to be easy on the eyes. She was dressed in rather casual clothing, wearing a yellow top with a white skirt, though she did have a utility belt around her waist for some reason.
As it was, his current path would pass right beside her, most likely getting her attention in the process, and that something he really didn't want right now.
Before he could even change directions, the girl glanced his way and gave him a light smile, waving with her chopsticks hand. Naruto had to suppress a groan. If I walk away right now, that'd be a real dick move... But when have I ever cared what other people think about me. Ignoring his own hypocritical thoughts, Naruto abruptly turned left and walked away, leaving the girl hanging.
"Hey!" Or so he thought. "Wait up! I like wanna talk to you."
Naruto sighed as the girl ran up to him, finding her own pace as she walked next to him, with no destination in sight. Naruto gave her a flat look, clearly annoyed with her presence. "What do you want?" he asked, trying to scare her away.
News flash, it wasn't working.
The pink eyed girl just giggled into her hands, her bowl of Natto and chopsticks have been thrown aside, and smiled at Naruto with a bemused expression in her eyes. "That won't work on me mister Namikaze Naruto. You won't scare me away that easily." she said, her voice coming out smooth as silk.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yay me..." he said, laying it thick on the sarcasm.
The girl quickly skipped past him and blocked his way, a cheeky smile on her face. "So... Don't you want to know who I am?" she asked, working whatever strategy she had. Naruto was having none of it as he sidestepped her and kept walking. The pink eyed girl pouted and chased after him. "That was rude you know." she said, retaking her position at his side.
Naruto shrugged. "Don't really care." he said, his gaze cast upwards. Maybe I should invest in a face mask like Kakashi-Sensei?
The girl huffed and the rest of their impromptu walk was spent in silence. Naruto with his gaze on the clouds in the sky and the girl with her gaze on Naruto, as if she was trying to figure out an unsolvable puzzle.
As they walked past another section of the Tama River, Naruto caught sight of a familiar blonde as she watched a group of people play baseball from the shade of a tree. "Chris?" he asked, walking up to her.
Chris turned and gave Naruto a surprised look before gently smiling. "Namikaze-Dono? You startled me, although it's good to see that you are in fine health after yesterday's fight. The others and I were quite worried that you had suffered permanent damage."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head in wonder. "Namikaze-Dono?" he questioned. "You don't need to call me that, Naruto is just fine. And yeah, as you can see, I'm doing just fine... So no need to worry."
Chris quietly chuckled to herself before she turned her sight to the girl standing next to him. "Who is this?" she asked, her question aimed at Naruto.
Seeing Naruto shrug his shoulders, his face set into a neutral look, the other girl stepped forward and offered her hand to Chris. "My name is Matsunaga Tsubame. It's nice to finally meet you, Christiane Friedrich, the daughter of the current head general of Germany." she said, a challenging gleam in her pink eyes.
Chris' smile tightened, a sharp look in her eyes. "Oh, so you know of me." she said, accepting the other girls handshake, her grip like an iron clamp. Tsubame seemed amused at her attempt of overpowering her in a simple handshake.
As the two girls conversed, Naruto turned his gaze to the group of people Chris was just watching. "The Kazama family huh..." muttered Naruto as he watched Momoyo in particular, since she was playing catcher for their little game of baseball. "She doesn't look angry or upset..."
Indeed she didn't as she laughed, punching her bare hand, not even needing a glove, as she crouched behind their makeshift home base. "All right!" cried out Momoyo, "Batting cleanup, first baseman, Shimazu-kun." declared Momoyo as Gakuto walked up to the plate, swinging his bat a few times as he stretched.
With a cocky smirk on his face, he pointed to far beyond the boundaries of their little field. "Today's the day! I'm hitting it out of here!" he declared, his confidence overflowing.
Miyako, who was pitching, eyed Gakuto with a speculative eye. "So it's Gakuto... He'll be easy to strike out." she whispered, waiting for the right time to strike.
Kazuko raised her arms from her own spot in the outfield, a smile on her face as her haired slightly bounced with the wind. "Go ahead and hit it!" she said, daring Gakuto to fulfill his words.
Yamato, who was also playing in the outfield, joined in on the fun. "We'll catch whatever you hit!"
Naruto grunted when the girl, Tsubame was her name, squeezed his bicep before whispering to him. "I have to go now, so I'll see you around, Namikaze-kun." With that, Naruto watched her skip away, feeling slightly confused about her attitude. What a weird girl.
Chris softly sighed before grabbing him by the arm, pulling him with her towards the Kazama Family. "Let's go." she said, a neutral look on her face.
Naruto sputtered, disbelief on his face. "Wha? Chris, let go off me. Oy, are you deaf? I said let go!"
Despite Naruto's best and lazy efforts to escape, which he made no actual effort to, he was dragged along with Chris as she finally got close enough to speak with Capt. "So, you're playing baseball..." started Chris, getting Capt's attention since he was up to bat after Gakuto.
Capt gave a friendly wave to Chris and the somewhat struggling Naruto. "Oh, hey Chris, Naruto." he said in greeting. "It's good to you fine health! I was worried that Momo-senpai had caved in your skull."
Naruto muttered some incoherent words as Chris brushed a stray lock of hair out of her way, a smile on her face as she asked a question. "Is everyone playing baseball?"
Naruto gave her a unbelieving look. Oi, you're the type of blonde who gives us other blondes a bad rep. Use your eyes, of course their playing baseball!
Capt shouldered his bat as he started to talk. "Well, it's more or less just batting practice, but that's always how we've played." he explained as the three of them went back to watching Gakuto make a fool of himself.
Miyako gave a dark grin, a look in her eyes as she wound up her next pitch. "Kukuku... I've got you now. The last pitch will be..." she whispered as she drew her arm back before throwing the ball. "My secret Technique! A pitch that even handsome guys can't hit!" she yelled, the ball soaring towards Gakuto as a fire lit in his eyes at the word handsome.
"Handsome!?" he yelled out before striking a pose, flexing his muscles as Momoyo caught the pitch. "Hn, you must mean me." he said, flexing his bicep muscles, completely missing the fact that Miyako had just played him.
Momoyo gave him a blank look. "Strike three! You're out!" she declared, getting Gakuto to drop his jaw in shock right before he swiveled to yell at Miyako.
"That's dirty Miyako! Don't ever use that demonic pitch against me again!" he yelled out as Miyako hid her smile behind her hand, everyone laughing at Gakuto and his misfortune.
"Sorry Handsome!" said Miyako, teasing Gakuto about his loss as he continued to fume.
Yamato smiled before making his way towards the plate, a small smile on his face. "Alright, Batter change. It's my turn next." he said as Wanko finally noticed Chris, who was still dragging Naruto by the arm as he gave up his half hearted attempts to escape, now dragging his feet just to annoy the blonde haired girl.
"Oh hey, It's Chris and Naruto!" she said, gathering everyone's attention onto the two blondes as they approached Capt. Chris finally let go of Naruto's arm as she stood before Capt, leaving him to rub at his somewhat sore arm, and softly complain about not liking aggressive girls.
Chris cast her gaze around, viewing everybody having fun. "Everyone is so close, it looks really fun." she said before turning to Naruto, wanting his opinion on the matter. "Don't you think so?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head and averted his gaze away from the look Momoyo was giving him. "Yeah," he started, "I suppose it looks pretty fun."
Capt rubbed his nose as he grinned. "Ah, you guys! Since you both just said this looked fun, I'll be straight with ya'." He pointed his thumb towards himself, a fierce grin on his face. "Once and for all, why don't you become on of us?" he asked, officially extending a hand of friendship to the two blondes.
Naruto rubbed his neck, still averting his eyes away from Momoyo. "Yeah, sure, whatever." he mumbled.
Chris was much more complex as she crossed her fingers. "Is that okay?" she asked. "You guys are all childhood friends. Of course, I for one am happy to have more friends, but..."
Capt shook his head and closed his eyes, a bright smile on his face. "It doesn't matter! I like people that are fun!" he exclaimed, his natural leader ability showing. "Isn't that how it should be?" he asked before pointing to his friends standing behind him. "And everyone agrees, Right?"
Yamato smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, it's fine. If it doesn't work out during the test, then you can always drop out." he said, proving to Naruto that he was a chill dude.
Moro nodded along, a light smile on his face. "That's right." he said as Gakuto and Wanko nodded along, leaving Miyako to stare at Chris in silence.
Momoyo, the last to speak up, stepped forward so she could close the gap between her and Chris, but more importantly, the gap between her and Naruto. "Welcome, pretty girl!" said Momoyo before she cast a glance towards Naruto. "You to, Namikaze-kun. Welcome to the group." she said with an easy smile, one that was more feminine and gentle than all her others, though only Yamato noticed.
Capt crossed his arms and nodded to himself, his flame bandana fluttering in the wind. "So, what's it gonna be? Your choices are 'yes' or 'hai." he asked, giving them an ultimatum with no way out.
Naruto finally looked at Momoyo, his gaze set in neutral, as he slouched over, hands hidden in his pockets. "I already said sure, so from my limited knowledge, I would assume that means yes." said Naruto, his sarcastic response being ignored by everyone.
Chris was much more simple. "Umm... Yes!" she said, a bright smile coming onto her face before it was replaced with a blush and shock as Momoyo scooped her up into a bridal carrying, revealing the white panties she was wearing as her skirt was lifted upwards. "Wh-Whoa!"
Momoyo grinned, falling back into her old routine. "Alright! Now I don't have to restrain myself when admiring you!" she said, a lewd leer on her face as she drank in Chris' appearance.
Yamato walked up and stood next to Naruto, a blank look on his face. "Nee-san, when have you ever restrained yourself?" he asked nobody before giving a thoughtful look towards Naruto. "Hey Naruto," he started, "Can we talk later?" he asked.
Naruto gave Yamato a semi-serious look before it fell into a neutral bored. "Sure. How's tonight sound? Back at the dorm?" offered Naruto, having some idea on what Yamato wanted to talk about. I wonder...
Yamato nodded, the look on his face falling into a relaxed smile. "That works." he said before walking off, leaving Naruto to sigh.
"What a pain." mumbled Naruto before he pulled out a familiar orange colored book as he promptly stuck his nose in it's pages, trailing after the group from behind, pulling a classic Kakashi maneuver.
...
…
Everyone had retreated to the Shimazu Dorm for a celebration, Momoyo and Kazuko making a quick run to the Temple to grab some raw meat, leaving the rest of them to prepare the table and silverware, etc. When the sisters returned, time was not wasted as everyone got straight to cooking, throwing meat and vegetables into a communal cooking pot.
Naruto, somehow, ended up with Momoyo sitting to his left, and Yukie sitting to his right. He looked down at his empty plate, having not even touched the food, and then glanced back up to witness what could only be described as utter chaos.
Everyone was fighting for food, chopsticks flying in and then out of the pot, pieces of meat being consumed at fast rate as Yamato tried to make a speech. Tried but failed.
"So basically..." started Yamato, holding his glass out if front of him. "To celebrate our new members," he continued, feeling his eyebrow twitch. "I, the unworthy Naoe Yamato, would like to lead a toast..."
Naruto watched in amusement as Yamato finally broke down, an annoyed expression on his face. "LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT!" yelled Yamato, trying to gather everyone's attention, and ended up in failing to do so.
Naruto glanced to his right as someone gave a startled gasp.
Gakuto gasped before yelling at Kazuko for stealing a piece of meat that was his, so he called. "Hey Wanko! That's my meat!" he cried out, a betrayed expression on his face.
Wanko laughed uncontrollably, a wicked look on her face. "The pot is a battlefield!" she declared, swiftly eating her stolen goods.
Moro, who was sitting besides Wanko, simply watched on with a tense smile on his face. "I like Shirataki noodles more..." he whispered, upset at the limited choice he was given.
Yamato, who sat to Moro's right, turned on the boy. "Moro, eat meat dammit!" he ordered, still upset that no one was listening to him.
Naruto glanced to his left as slow chanting could be heard.
Miyako slowly crept up onto the pot, a bottle of ultra hot sauce in her hands, a dangerous look in her eyes. "Must. Add. Some. Tabasco Sauce..." she said, slowly chanting each word.
Momoyo, who sat on Miyako's right, noticed a bit too late and blanched at the thought of having the food ruined. "SOMEONE STOP MIYAKO!" she demanded, a wild look on her face.
Naruto sighed, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed what food he could get his hands on. Which, in reality, was quite a lot. Hehehe, these fools can't hope to keep up with a Shinobi, not that they know that I am one...
Slowly chewing a piece of meat, he watched as Chris, who grabbed a slice of meat from the pot, was fighting over said piece when Kazuko grabbed it a second later.
"Hey, Chris!" said Kazuko, an angry look in her eyes. "Let go of my meat!" she said.
Naruto almost choked on his food as he slammed his fist repeatedly into his chest, trying to dislodge the food that was stuck in his throat. "P-Phrasing..." he whispered, no one even paying attention to him as he quietly died in his seat.
Chris gave Kazuko a neutral glare. "You just said the pot was a battlefield, dog." she said, trying to intimidate Wanko into giving up the piece of meat.
The two of them butted heads, lightning flying from their eyes, each holding promises of pain for the other.
"You wanna go?" asked Kazuko, looking for a fight.
"Bring it, Bitch." said Chris, not mincing her words.
The two of them soon started to fight, grabbing at each other as the grappled with one another, hoping to best the other in hopes of obtaining more meat.
Momoyo finally took notice that Naruto wasn't eating since he was still recovering from almost dying to a single piece of meat, not that she knew that.
"What's wrong Namikaze-kun?" she started, quickly eating another piece of food of her plate. "All of this is an offering to the Kawakami Temple so it's good meat." she said, unfortunately reminding Naruto of his earlier deal with Tesshin.
"Ugh... Yeah, it's delicious." said Naruto before he turned to glance at Yukie. "Have you tried it, Yuki-tan?" he asked, trying to get out of a conversation with Momoyo. I may be running away from the problem, but I can't find it in me to confront her...
While Momoyo narrowed her eyes at Naruto, Yukie jumped in her seat, her green eyes meeting Naruto's blue ones. "Eh... Umm... It's pretty good..." she mumbled, feeling self conscious, not sure if she should even be there.
Yamato, who was paying attention to their conversation, turned to yell at Wanko and Chris. "Hey, you guys! You're being rude over there!" he yelled, trying to quiet them down.
Chris was the only one to turn to face Yamato. "Ah! Sorry, I was just..."
Wanko took advantage of her opening. "An opening!" she said right before she grabbed the piece of meat with her mouth, chewing it before swallowing it whole.
Besides Naruto, who was the only one to pay attention to her, Yukie fell silent as she turned around in her seat and pulled out her cell phone strap, a horse dangling from it. "Matsukaze, my comment was just completely ignored." she said, pleading with her friend, which in reality was herself, for help.
Matsukaze spoke wise words. "The situation is still okay! If this were Shogi, it's just like moving a pawn forward!" he said, giving Yukie confidence.
She rapidly nodded, her voice stuttering. "R-R-R-R-R-Right? I was completely normal, right!" she said before freezing, feeling people stare in her direction. "Huh!? What are these tepid gazes I'm sensing?" she asked, finding everyone but Naruto giving her odd looks. She turned once more to Matsukaze, a fierce blush on her face. "Matsukaze, do they think I'm a creeper who talks to her cell phone strap!?"
Matsukaze had these wise words say. "Don't worry! If this were Shogi, it's as if you've lost two pawns!" declared the horse figurine.
The words served to complete the opposite of what they were intending to do, bringing Yukie into a deeper despair. "THEN, I'M LOSING!" she loudly whispered.
Yukie taken out of her conversation with Matsukaze as one Momoyo missile collided with her, the older girls arms coming to wrap around Yukie's waist. "BOOOOM!" she said, completing the action with sound effects.
Naruto gave her a small, amused look as he ate. Ten out of Ten Momoyo.
As the taller girl looked down at Yukie, she held a mischievous look in her red eyes. "What is this cute and interesting creature?" asked Momoyo.
Naruto's amused look fell flat. "A human being?" he said, once again getting ignored.
Momoyo tightened her grip on Yukie. "Are you a first year?" she asked.
Yamato rubbed the back of his neck. "Is it the first time you've met someone that's not a dorm resident? This is Mayuzumi Yukie-san, a first year." he said, gesturing towards the poor girl.
Momoyo had her charm going full blast as she leaned down like she was going to kiss Yukie. "Mayuzumi? Then you're Mayumayu from now on!" she said, bestowing her own nickname upon Yukie.
Naruto grumbled from his seat. "Yukie-tan is so much better..." he muttered, biting angrily into the rest of his food, being ignored by his so called friends.
Yukie was shell shocked. "N-N-N-Nice to meet you, Kawakami-senpai!" she said, somehow staying conscious.
Momoyo grew a lewd look on her face as her hands wandered up from Yukie's waist to her breasts, fondling them. "Nice to meet you too, Mayumayu." she whispered into Yukie's ear. "You've got a nice body."
Yukie was stuttering mess, her blush turning into a dark red color. "Th-Th-Thank you!" she stuttered, her voice sounding erotic. Kawakami-senpai sure is affectionate…
Naruto pointed a chopstick in their direction. "That's sexual harassment you know! Yukie, don't fall for her tricks!" he said, being ignored for a third time.
Momoyo let go of Yukie, her gaze inspecting the girl in front of her. "It's not just your body that's nice." she started, her red eyes gleaming with excitement. "You're strong too. Try dodging this." she said, pulling her arm back for a punch.
Yukie was stunned. "What!?"she asked, not getting a response.
Naruto watched with a keen eye, ready to intervene in a moments notice before he relaxed, a gentle smile on his face.
Kazuko, Miyako, and Chris watched on as Yukie deflected Momoyo's blow, guiding it away form her with both hands.
Momoyo smiled and gently gave Yukie a pat on the head. "Yup, you're strong." she said, "I like you." declared Momoyo as Yukie held up in hands in refusal of Momoyo's claim. "No... I've still got a ways to go..." she said, being humble with her skill.
Chris and Wanko watched with a keen eye.
"Impressive," started Chris. "She dodged Momo-Senpai's punch on her first try." she finished, giving the shy girl second thoughts.
Kazuko crossed her arms is distress and begrudgingly admitted that Yukie was strong. "She..." started Wanko as she closed her eyes. "She's pretty good."
Momoyo gave Yukie a calculating look. "I'm sure of it now." she started. "Mayumayu, you're the daughter of the sword saint, Mayuzumi Eleven-Dan, right?" she asked.
Yukie blinked and cast shocked eyes towards her senpai. "You know my father?" she asked.
Momoyo scoffed. "He's gotten permission from the country to wear a sword, so the man's pretty famous." she admitted.
Moro seemed slightly put out at the fact she was another fighter. "Why do we get all the fighter girls?" he asked, upset that there wasn't a nice and simple girl he could hit on.
Yamato seemed more impressed and was already working this to his advantage. "So she's the daughter of the legendary Eleven-Dan..." he started. "We've got another big time newcomer."
Capt pointed at both the boys, a smile on his face. "This is interesting!" he stated before closing his eyes in anticipation. "Alright, I have a proposal for you. On this occasion-"
"PLEASE!"
He was cut off and left speechless, as was everybody else as Yukie bowed her head. Naruto sat back, willing to watch the scene play out before him as Yukie stood back up.
"Err... Um..." started Yukie, "This is the only chance I have..." she whispered, her words soft but loud. "I know it might be rude to ask this, but..." she paused as Matsukaze spoke.
"Yeaaah Mayucchi! This is your chance!" yelled the horse, offering its support.
Yukie nodded, her resolve coming to together. "This might sound a bit silly, but, because everyone's looked after me, I've become more outgoing and optimistic." She said, pausing to lick her lips. "Ummm... Okay, I'll just say it!" She took a deep breath before bowing once more. "I BEG OF YOU! PLEASE LET ME BE YOUR FRIEND AS WELL!" she said, her hands forming into fists as she clenched them, her anxiety spiking. "I've never really had friends... Or been able to make them..." she said before going quiet for a moment.
Her head shot up, tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. "I CAN COOK! I CAN CLEAN! I'LL DO ANYTHING! SO... LET ME..." she was halted as someone interrupted her.
"STOOOOP!"
She turned to face Capt, the one who yelled out stop as he continued to engorge himself on food, his eyes observing her as he chewed.
"Look Mayuzumi-san," he started, swallowing a piece of food. "I think you're misunderstanding something." Capt took a deep breath before pointing his thumb at himself, a clear look in his eyes. "Friends are Equals," he started, "Just bowing your head, and begging to be let in doesn't mean we'll let you." he said, his words coming off as harsh.
Naruto watched as Yukie withdrew into herself, her confidence completely shattered just like that. "Oh... I guess that's... Right..." she muttered. I guess it couldn't work after all…
Capt placed a hand on her shoulder, a smile on his face as she looked up at him. "That's why," he started, giving her a wink, "You should just say something normal, like 'you guys are fun, so let me be your friend." Capt finished by wiping his nose with his thumb, a confident smile on his face.
Naruto smiled to himself, finally seeing Capt in action. So this is the leader they follow... I wouldn't mind following him myself…
Yukie gazed at Capt in awe, her eyes watering. "Kazama-senpai..." she whispered before taking a deep breath. "YOU GUYS ARE FUN SO LET ME BE YOUR FRIEND!" she tried again, this time following Capt's advice.
Capt shot her a cool gaze. "I refuse." he stated, causing Yukie to shoot backwards, an imaginary arrow dome rocking her as she passed out.
Yamato shot Capt a angry look. "You're a monster!" he declared, the rest of their friends nodding in agreement.
Capt just laughed it off. "It's just a joke. We'll let her be one of us." he said, his arms behind his head.
Naruto poked Yukie in the side. "I think she passed out from the shock." he muttered, slightly worried about his friend.
Momoyo pushed him out of the way. "WHAT!?" she said as she started to cradle Yukie's body. "This is the perfect opportunity! Wanko, this'll be too graphic for you, so just close your eyes and recite America's fifty states!" she said, her lips getting dangerously close to Yukie's.
Wanko nodded, her imaginary tail wagging as she closed her eyes. "Okay," she said. "Oooh... Las Vegas..." she said as she scrunched up eyebrows in thought.
Moro gave her a flat look. "That's not a state." he said.
Ignoring the other side of the room, Yamato turned to face Capt. "But Capt, you were about to say something just then, weren't you?" he asked.
Capt shot Yamato a look. "Oh yeah," he said. "I was gonna propose to let Mayuchhi be one of us, but she asked first." he said right as Yukie woke up, avoiding her CPR treatment just in the nick of time.
Yukie shot up and struggled to get out of Momoyo's grasp. "Damn, you woke up!" said Momoyo as she tightened her grip on Yukie, "Don't move Mayucchi!" she ordered, still trying to kiss the younger girl.
Wanko was left to struggle, her brain petering out as it short circuited. "Las... Las Vegas." she said, so sure of herself that it was a state.
Capt shrugged to himself, watching his friends interact. "Well, it worked out in the end." he said more for his benefit.
Yamato took a step back and watched all his friends.
Chris and Miyako stood off to the side, watching with interest as Gakuto, Wanko, and Momoyo surrounded Yukie. Standing besides Capt was Moro, and in the corner, having gotten up from his seat and leaning against the wall was Naruto, who watched everything with a small smile on his face.
Yamato scratched his head in thought. So this is the start of a new Kazama family... I guess it's okay...
As Yukie started to stand, Naruto walked over to her and offered her a hand up, which she accepted. Giving her a soft smile, he gave her a small pat on the head. "You see Yuki-tan," he stated, "You just have to have more confidence in yourself. We were already your friends, so there's no reason to act like we're not."
Yukie gave Naruto a beautiful smile, one that stunned the ever watching Momoyo into silence, and gave her plenty of wet dreams. "Thank you... for everything." she said, grateful for his support.
Naruto laughed and scratched his cheek. "Anytime."
They were interrupted as Capt stood up, a fire lit in his eyes. "Alright you guys!" he started, "Our Next Friday meeting will be our very first event together as a new group!" He motioned towards the table and all the uneaten food still in the pot. "Everyone eat up and build up your stamina!" he ordered, and in return he received a 'yeah' from everybody except Naruto who just lazily pumped his fist.
Chris blinked. "Friday meeting?" she asked herself, wondering what that was all about.
...
-That Night-
…
Naruto sat in Yamato's room, his eyes roaming for a bit before he focused on Yamato, who sat across from him with intense eyes, observing and making a note of everything Naruto did. Scratching the side of his head in thought, he gave Yamato a curious look. "So," he started, "What did you want to talk about?" he asked.
Yamato held a serious expression on his face as he looked Naruto in the eyes. "Yeah…" He started, trailing off as he collected all his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he had a heart to heart conversation with Naruto. "You don't have amnesia, do you?" he asked.
Naruto gave Yamato a speculative look for a moment, then he broke out into a smile. "Ya' know," started Naruto, "Your one sharp kid." he said, praising Yamato. As the smile fell off his face, Naruto gave Yamato an intense look, his blue eyes seemingly growing colder.. "So now that you know, not that I was trying to hide it, but what are you going to do with this information?"
Yamato tugged at his collar and looked away, looking uncomfortable under Naruto's icy gaze. "I haven't really thought that far ahead." he said, admitting he didn't know what he was planning for.
The smile was back on the blonde's face as he laughed at Yamato. "Haha, you don't know?" he asked before laying down, resting his head onto his hand. "Then why did you drag me here?"
Yamato's face turned sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I was…" he started before trailing off. Taking a deep breath, he locked eyes with Naruto. "I was jealous, okay."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the brown haired boy. "Jealous?" he asked.
Yamato nodded. "Yes." he started, "I wasn't originally, but when I saw you fight against Nee-san…" he trailed off and looked away, lost in his own thoughts.
Naruto sighed and waved his hand. "Yeah, Yeah." he said, closing his eyes. "You were jealous of my handsome looks and great personality, I get it." said Naruto before he cracked open one eye to look at Yamato. "What I don't get is why you dragged me here."
Yamato sighed and shot a half hearted glare at Naruto. "Despite what you say, it's not about your looks or personality, which is pretty shit by the way." explained Yamato as he stood up and walked over to his Hermit Crabs, finding them to be soothing to watch. "I was jealous of your power and…" he said, trailing off.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, his other eye now open. "And?" asked Naruto, searching for a more concrete answer.
Yamato to look at him from the corner of his eyes, a small frown on his face. "I was, and still am, jealous of the fact that you stole Nee-san's attention so easily." he finally admitted, turning back around to watch his hermit crabs.
Naruto sighed, stood up, and made his way to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he left a few parting words for the somewhat brooding teen. "Look Yamato," he started, "I like you guys. You're fun to hang out with and I can see myself sticking around for some time."
Opening the door, he looked back to find Yamato watching him. Naruto gave him a genuine smile, one that seemed so bright that it was a miniature sun. "I'm currently not in the market for a girlfriend, so you don't have to worry about me stealing your Nee-san." said Naruto with a teasing tone, finally closing the door, leaving Yamato alone with his thoughts.
Yamato grit his teeth and clenched his hands in frustration. I don't know why I'm getting so worked up of this…
Casting a glance towards his door, he turned to Yadon and Karin, his hermit crabs. "You may not be looking for a girlfriend, Naruto, but you don't know Nee-san like I do." he whispered, his eyes tracking Yadon's movement. "Once she's interested, the more you push her away, the harder she'll try..."
…
-Later, That Friday-
…
Naruto firmly established that his position was near the back, his hands pocketed as his eyes beheld the building in front of him. It looks a bit old and run down… he thought, scratching his cheek in wonder.
Chris and Yukie, walking in front of him, gazed up at the building in wonder and awe.
"What is this place?" asked Chris as her eyes roamed across the 'Entry Forbidden' sign.
Yamato, who was opening a gate off to the side, shot them a glance over his shoulder. "At first glance, it's just an abandoned building," he started, quickly entering the building from the outside stairwell, leaving the rest to follow after him. "But on the inside," he said, arriving on the fifth floor, he opened a door to show them a completely furnished room with several couches, a coffee table, a few bookshelves, and they even had a corner dedicated to lifting weights. "Tadah!" said Yamato. "We turned it into our own secret base!"
Naruto cast a lazy gaze to all around the room, observing everything he could as he walked forward. Finding a nice spot on a nearby couch, he plopped down onto it. "I've seen better." He started, "But it's not bad." He cracked his neck and sunk into the couch. "There's a nice, relaxing presence to this building…"
Still standing, Yukie clasped her hands together. "Wow!" she said, her eyes sparkling in the light. "A secret base… It's wonderful." she said, inspecting every inch of the room. "I've always wanted one of these." she said, reading the spines of the books and manga of a nearby bookshelf.
Matsukaze also spoke up, offering insight into Yukie's personality. "She was always alone, so there was never anyone else to share the secret with!" said the horse.
Yamato looked away, sad tears rolling down his face. Mayuzumi-san... As Yamato recovered, he held up one hand. "Every friday," he started, "We all gather here. We call it the 'Friday meeting." he said.
Naruto gave him a blank look. How original…
Yamato ignored the look and kept on explaining. "Our part time job is to actually monitor this building, but the owner is never around, and after we brought a lot of stuff over, it just became like this." Yamato rubbed his nose, a smile on his face. "Don't misunderstand, we are personnel after all."
Momoyo, who had stayed silent up to that point, looked around with a curious gaze in her eyes. "So, where's Capt?" she asked, looking for their so called leader/friend.
Yamato turned to give her a light smile. "He's probably at his job, so that means he'll be bringing over some leftover sushi." stated Yamato as Wanko's head snapped to attention at the word 'sushi.'
"Sushi!" she whispered, her imaginary dog features coming to life as her eyes turned into stars.
Everyone ignored her as Yamato started to point out different parts of the room. "So, the manga is over there," he said, pointing to one bookshelf, "And the games are over here." He said, pointing to a small chest that held all of the games they owned. "Naturally," started Yamato, "They're everyone's favorites, so they're all really fun!"
Miyako, who was leaning up against the back of one couch, added in her own monotone voice. "We also call it 'The Moro Zone." she said, her eyes blank as she inched closer to Yamato.
Wanko held up two different Manga's, each sport related. "Have you read 'Joe' or 'Ace'? They're pretty awesome." she said, her eyes bright as Momoyo placed her hands on her hips, a smile on her face as she watched her younger sister.
"Wanko pretty much loves anything sports related." said Momoyo, clarifying why Kazuko was so happy.
Gakuto smiled, a training device in his hand as he squeezed it over and over, each time getting harder in difficulty. "The dumbbells over there are mine, but feel free to use them." he said, pointing over to the workout corner.
Yamato sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Gakuto and Wanko train with them all the time, though. So good luck if you wanted to use them." he said, making his way over to a nearby couch.
Naruto, and a few others, watched as Chris gazed around the room, a lost expression on her face. Yamato was the one to step forward, a hesitant look on his face. "What's wrong Chris?" he asked.
Chris gave them a weird look, one that was half confused and half defeated. " I don't like this." She admitted, stopping everyone as they paid attention to her. "What's the point of having this place?" she asked, fully getting into her rant mode. "If you wanna play, just do it at the dorm. There's no point in us all just gathering here." she said, pointing out what she thought to be crucial flaw.
"..."
Everybody was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. Said silence was broken as Naruto, who at some point had pulled out his orange colored book, gave her a look like she was stupid before going back to reading.
"Excuse me!?" she said, offended at Naruto's blatant disrespect.
Yamato scratched his cheek. "Uh, not really Chris." He started. "This is different from the Dorm. This is playtime too." he said, trying to play peacemaker. "You'll get used to this eventually, so just make yourself at home." he finished, trying to be hospitable to one of their new members.
Chris adamantly refused. "Not going to happen, Naoe Yamato." she said, putting her foot down. "This accomplishes nothing constructive," she said, reaching her end. "It's dangerous."
Yamato started to sweat as Miyako, who was sitting right next to him, was giving Chris a very cold look. He held up his hand in defeat. "Chris, we get that you're honest." he started, "But let's drop this for now. After all, it's you very first Friday Meeting."
Naruto smiled behind his book, already knowing how this was going to play out. A girl like Chris won't listen to you so easily, Yamato. You'll have to do better than that…
Chris placed her left hand over her heart, her right hand held out before her like she was giving a speech. "No! I'm just pointing out that his is wrong!" she said. "If you want me to be more direct, Then I think that this abandoned building…" she said, pausing for effect.
"Should be demolished immediately!"
Everyone but Naruto was stunned as he lowered his book enough so his eyes could peek over its top, watching the drama unfold before. Someone slammed their fist down, creating a 'BANG,' as mostly everyone jumped, Chris included, as they all turned their attention to Miyako.
Her head was facing downwards as her bangs fell, casting a shadow over her face, covering her eyes from everyone's view.
Chris looked a bit worried. "What?" she asked Miyako.
Miyako took a shaky step forward. "Why don't you…" she started before suddenly lunging at Chris, her hands clenched into fists as she went straight for face.
"JUST DIE!"
...
-End-
…
Well, that's all folks.
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Before I post any more chapters, I'm going to go back through and clean up my old ones.
It shouldn't take me too long, but It needs to be done.
With that, I'm out of here!
Ja Ne!