The Promise of Tomorrow
A/N: Well, here we go!
"Come on! Come on! Come the fuck on!"
Tayuya was bouncing on the balls of her feet in front of the metallic cell door. The excitement rolled in waves of her. It was their final morning in prison. An ABNU was scheduled to bring them before the Hokage any minute now.
Naruto stuffed tidbits and clothes into a bag they had been given and smiled to himself as he watched her bounce, her impossibly long hair waving around her and-
"Wait," he suddenly said as he looked at her a little more closely, "Why are you naked?"
Tayuya stopped bouncing and turned around. She blinked. "Shit, I am!" she exclaimed but made no move to change her state of undress. Not that Naruto minded. Then again, he would mind a great deal if Kakashi waltzed in here and got to see his girl naked. Stupid pervert scarecrow...
"Yeah," he says, "naked and beautiful." He grins as she blushes, but smiles just as smugly, and pulls his hoodie over his head. In two long strides he stand in front of her and pulls the hoodie over her red head. Tayuya's head pops up again and she immediately jumps a bit to kiss him.
The smile on her face is radiant. "I am happy!" She says it like she can't believe it. Naruto's hate for Orochimaru only grows with every moment he spends with Tayuya. "And I'll be fucking free! For the first time since... since forever!"
And so she returns to bouncing. The black hoodie is long enough to cover her backside - most of it anyways - and Naruto returns to stuff the bag with their surprisingly large amount of personal possessions (for prisoners, that is).
There is of course Tayuya's flute, a small book of drawings, the flute Naruto once carved, a few books Tayuya actually wrote (they were ungodly fluffy and sappy, so much unlike her general behavior towards anyone but Naruto), a stuffed plush fox (a joke from Kakashi that turned out to be the perfect gift to Tayuya), a set of lingerie (courtesy of Ero-sennin. They would never tell him she actually wore them), training weights from Lee (along with a gift card that red the word youth over three hundred times in total) and a bottle of yet unopened sake from Tsunade.
That and a lot of other tidbits had accumulated over the years they had spent in "solitary" confinement. Solitary being the solitary cell they were in. And of course, they weren't allowed outside of it, which really sucked at some point but discovering just how good of a stress relive sex is negated that problem and basically voided their need to move out of the room.
It literally got steamy in there. Often. Loudly. Good thing there was a silencing seal on the door and the walls.
Finally, after two more minutes of bouncing, the door was pulled open and a head of silver, gravity defying hair leaned inside.
"Well hello there," he said nonchalantly, but his lone eye gleamed with mirth. "I've heard you're to be released today so I took it upon my humble self to escort you to Lord Hokage personally."
Tayuya's smile turned evil. "Does that mean we are three hours late already?"
The menacing note in the red heads voice had Kakashi shiver. Geez, so much like Kushina... He shook his head. "No, actually not. I was persuaded, none too gently might I add, and decided it was better for my manhood to arrive on time."
Naruto laughed. "So it took me going into prison for you to arrive on time. Why didn't I think of that before?"
"Ha Ha," Kakashi deadpanned and stalked out into the hallway. "Now, follow me."
The walk out of the prison is uneventful, though Kakashi advises Tayuya to wear at least two pieces of clothing before they get outside. After Naruto sacrifices a pair of dark blue shorts they stride out into the sunlight. Tayuya with a victorious grin and Naruto with his eyes fixed on her swaying form. Damn, he even missed when the sun and the fresh air hit him for the first time in years!
The guards at the tower say nothing. If anything, they appear ashamed of themselves at the sight of him.
"Serves them right, bastards," he hears Tayuya growl and he takes her hand to calm her down. And it does. It always did, just as skin contact with her calmed him down, no matter how angry he got.
Naruto remembered the secretary and she, too, looked absolutely ashamed of herself at the sight of him. "Gor right ahead," she tells them without looking up.
Still, Kakashi knocks on the door thrice before opening it.
They enter the office and stand in front of the wooden desk, the same one that the old man used. In fact, the whole office seemed to not have changed at all. Aside from the Hokage, that is. Tsunade was sitting behind the desk, hands folded in front of her. She didn't wear the hat, it was on the desk in front of her. In between two big stacks of paper that wobbled dangerously. She smiled gently at him and Naruto found that he smiled as well. It made it all real. He was free again.
He was about to say something, a lazy "Hi!" or "Still a granny, I see!" or just jump and hug her but Tayuya beat him to it.
"Holy shit!" she gasped, "Her tits are HUGE!"
And Naruto broke down laughing.
They were brought before the council in a matter of minute. It could have gone faster if Tsunade hadn't blown a gasket at Tayuya's comment and tried to instil some respect in the girl. Of course, it didn't work.
"So, cow tits, how's this gonna work out?" Tayuya asked the Hokage and Naruto had to hide his laughter behind his hand.
Tsunade growled as she kicked open the door. "You will go straight back to prison of you say that one more time!"
In the circular room stood an equally circular desk, the symbol for "fire" was etched into the middel and inlaid with gold. Sitting at the table was just about every clan head and jonin in the village. Tsunade took her place in the biggest chair that was closest to the door and sighed.
"Okay," she said, "Let's go over this farce one more time."
Curiously enough, Naruto noted the the civilian council was no longer in the room. The jonin now filled their seats and Kakashi left their side to take their place among them.
"Naruto Uzumaki has been imprisoned for the attempt of genocide on the Uchiha clan three years ago. Due to circumstances and a probably manipulated vote, he was sent to prison within an hour of his return. The mater of vote manipulation is still not resolved and I swear to kami if I find out who did it I'll buts your genitals with my pinky finger!" She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Tayuya has been a prisoner of war and I will her nothing besides that!" she shouted over the rising protest of some jonin at the other side of the room. "Within her sentence she has given us incredibly valuable information on Orochimaru and thus her sentence has been reduced to the three years that are no over!
"The same goes for Naruto Uzumaki! His attempt of genocide was never proven and his mission was fulfilled. While attempted genocide is indeed a capital crime, it was never in the clear if he truly did so. Inoichi Yamanaka could not enter his mind, given the seal he bears. In light of his assistance in gathering the information from Tayuya and the general haziness of the case he is to be released after three years as well, meaning today!"
Voices were rising again but Tsunade stood from her chair and shouted, "This concludes the meeting!" and turned to leave.
"What?" Tayuya asked in confusion, "That is all? I thought we had to fucking testify or some shit!"
Naruto nodded. "So did I but I'm fine with this."
"Hell if I'm not!" Tayuya chirped. "Let's get the fuck out of here before they change their mind!"
The confused and angered shouts of some council members ring after them as they walk though the door.
"What about the vote!?"
"We need to seal her!"
"He can't be pardoned like that!"
"What the hell is this!?"
Tayuya snickered. "You just pulled one over them, didn't you?"
Tsunade smirked. "If they think I'd let them get away with what they did to Naruto here, they're not straight in the head anymore."
"By the way," Naruto spoke up, "What happened to the civilians?"
"You saw the windows in the council room?" Tsunade asked and Naruto nodded, remembering the big, circular windows at the back of the room. "That's how we covered up the holes were I smashed them out of the village."
Tayuya snorted. "Oh, you are fucking cool, cow tits!"
"I said don't call me that, brat!" Tsunade fumed at the girl.
"Oh I don't have the ass to be a fucking brat or some shit," Tayuya shot back. "Ask Naruto!"
As Tsunade's gaze zeroed in on him, he coughed nervously. "Anyways, what will happen now?"
They reentered the office and Tayuya hopped over to one of the leather couches and slumped down on it. "Oh how I missed this! Whatever happens, we have to get us a fucking couch alongside the bed!"
Naruto smirked. "That I'll second. Then again, a couch alone could be enough."
"I ain't not shagging you on a piece of leather! Only if I'm on top!" Tayuya quipped, grinning like a loon.
Tsunade looked only the slightest bit scandalized by their talk and shook her head. "Yeah..., happening next is reinstating you as civilians. For now, that is. You are on probation for two months before I can let you rejoin the ranks."
Naruto grinned but Tayuya frowned. "Why would you assume I want to join your puny ass forces?"
"Because were Naruto goes, you follow," Tsunade deadpanned.
Tayuya opened her mouth only to close it again. "Fuck you," she muttered under her breath. Tsunade decided to ignore it.
"Anyways," the Hokage continued, "you will be given housing here in Konoha. During your probation it is required that you stay within the borders of the Land of Fire and don't break any laws. Aside from that, you are free to do whatever you want."
"Awesome!" Naruto cheered. He hadn't expected to be let outside of the walls of Konoha. And being given housing, however shabby it might turn out to be, was so much more than he could have wished for. And he would even be able to become a ninja again! He could grown strong again, strong enough to become Hokage. But more importantly, strong enough to protect Tayuya- no, strong enough to stand at her side no matter what.
His gaze sought her eyes and Tayuya's breath hitched. Naruto's eyes were alight with such passion, she feared she'd melt right there on the couch. Even after all the time they had spent together, this pure adoration he held for her always seemed so unreal and Tayuya had feared that it would just stop once they got out. But his gaze alone reinforced her beliefs.
She returned the, heat, returned the passion. Without him, oh the thought alone made her frown. She wouldn't be here without him, she wouldn't be free, wouldn't be happy! Their time in prison had brought them closer than she had ever imagined being to anyone. She didn't think there was something Naruto didn't know about her, they had a lot of time to talk after all. And in return, she knew all about him. About his gardening habit, which he would definitely continue she just knew it, his fear of lightning, that only worsened after being stabbed by a chidori though the chest, and the fact that he was nervous about his own body (which was a reason for him to wear those hideous orange clothes). Though Tayuya was quite sure she had cured that shyness out of him, there hadn't been any solid reason anyways. After all he was soooo bi-
"So leave my office already! Here!" Tsunade threw a scroll at her, which Tayuya failed to catch and it hit her square in the face, "The address is written inside, the keys are inside it."
The Hokage ushered them outside and before she slammed the door shut, she yelled after them "And don't you dare to not invite me to the housewarming party!"
And just like that, they had their freedom and a house.
Tayuya grinned. "Now for the bed!"
"You have no idea were the address is, do you?"
Naruto smiled sheepishly at her. "Nope, not at all!"
"You're hopeless!" Tayuya laughed. It didn't matter to her what happened today, she was finally free! "Good shit we got the bed already. We can just crash in some park!" She waved the scroll around in which they had sealed the bed inside.
Kakashi had followed them outside and offered to be the first to help them with furniture. The bed they had bought from one of the fine carpenters close to the tower. The scroll had also been provided by the silver haired jonin.
"You'd sleep in a park when we have a house?" Naruto laughed, "Not as long as I have these keys, lady!" He waved the silver key around in front of her.
"That a challenge?" Tayuya said, hands at her hips, "It's on, lover boy! Now-"
"NARUTO!?"
Naruto cringed instantly as Tayuya winced at the volume of the voice.
The red head whirled around to the voice. "Fuck, what the hell was that!"
Naruto groaned. "Oh kami, that is like... destined to happen or something!"
Strutting down the paved walkway of the park was none other than Sakura Haruno, going full tilt in Naruto's direction.
Turning to Tayuya he smiled weakly at her. "Can we still go back to prison?"