I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any money off of this.
"talking"
'thinking'
Chapter 23:
"What's wrong?" Shukaku asked. Shukaku and Naruto were up late, hanging out in Shukaku's room.
"I think Temari and I are drifting away," Naruto said. "We don't talk on the phone as often as we did before."
"Do you love her?" Shukaku asked.
"I'm not sure," Naruto answered. "I thought I was, but part of me is saying that she isn't the one."
"You need to tell her," Shukaku said. "If this continues and it turns out you don't love her, both of you will get hurt." Naruto nodded. He knew Shukaku was right, he'd have to tell Temari.
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A scream came from Kohaku's room causing Sasuke to wake up. He quickly ran to his sons room to find him on the floor in Naruto's arms. The boy was crying as Naruto held him tight. Sasuke relaxed a little, knowing Kohaku was safe with Naruto. Kurama and Shukaku stood behind him and he told them it was alright. Everyone was glad that Matatabi was sound asleep since sometimes it was hard to get her back to bed. Kurama and Shukaku went back to their rooms, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.
"Are you alright now?" Naruto asked.
"M-mommy?" Kohaku asked.
A look of surprise appeared on Naruto's face, and he wasn't the only one. Sasuke had never heard Kohaku call for his mother. Guilt shook his body as he knew that Kohaku would never meet his mother again.
"Yes?" Naruto said, deciding to let the boy call him whatever he wanted.
"I love you," Kohaku said, hugging Naruto.
"I love you too," Naruto said, lift the boy up. He placed him back in his bed. "Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?"
"With Daddy?" Kohaku asked. Naruto turned, noticing Sasuke for the first time. He gave the other a look, forcing Sasuke to nod.
Naruto smiled and turned back to Kohaku. "With Daddy." Once more, he lifted Kohaku up. Sasuke lead the two into his room since he had the biggest of the three beds. Naruto and Kohaku got on the bed first. Sasuke wondered if this was a good idea before he too climbed into bed. Kohaku pulled on Sasuke's arm, making the man move even closer towards him. With this new position, one of Sasuke's arms had to lay on top of one of Naruto's. Naruto smiled before he closed his eyes, letting sleep take him. Sasuke watched Kohaku and Naruto sleep for a few minutes as his mind filled with various thoughts. He soon came to one realization: he needed to keep Naruto in his like no matter what.
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"So you're breaking up with me then," Temari said. Her and Naruto were sitting on the couch in the game room. Everyone else was out for the day.
"That's not…" Naruto began but Temari held up a hand stopping him.
"It is alright," Temari said. "I understand." She stood up. "Part of me knew this was going to happen. I'm glad it did now than later." She began walking towards the door. Naruto didn't know what to say to her as she stopped with her hand on the doorknob. Temari turned back towards Naruto. "In all honesty, I knew we wouldn't last. We may have a lot of likes and dislikes in common, but that doesn't make two people perfect for each other. It is the differences that do." She looked right into Naruto's eyes. "One day, you will fall in love and I know that whomever manages to win your heart will be the luckiest person alive." She turned back around and once more put her hand on the doorknob. "And one more thing." She glance over her shoulder and smiled. "We can still be friends." With that, Temari walked out of the Uchiha mansion.
Naruto sat in silence for a few minutes taking in Temari's words. He let out a sigh of relief that they'd still be friends since Temari was a good person. He hoped she'd find someone that cherished her soon. Gaara suddenly popped in his mind. Standing up, Naruto headed to his room. He a phone call to make.
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Days went by and Temari called Naruto to inform him that she had asked Shikamaru out. Naruto was glad to hear that the lazy man had said yes. She also informed him that Gaara wasn't really mad and that he was dating Neji. Naruto was a bit surprised at this since he had no idea that Gaara was gay. Temari told him that it didn't matter that Neji was a man as long as he made Gaara happy. She even threw in that if she ever found out that Neji hurt Gaara, she beat him up. Naruto promised that he'd help. The two laughed until Kankuro made a comment that Naruto luckily, wasn't able to hear. He did however, hear Temari get up and smack him before a yelling match began. Naruto shook his head and hung up before sending test that read: Good luck on the first date!
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"I heard you broke up with Temari," Kakashi said.
"Yeah," Naruto said, looking down in embarrassment. "I didn't want to lead her on."
"You weren't in love with her," Kakashi stated. "Then does that mean there is someone you are in love with?"
"I don't know," Naruto said. "It just didn't feel right. Part of me knew from the beginning that what we had was just friendship. Luckily, we still are friends."
"Did she tell you how she felt?" Kakashi asked.
"She told me she knew we wouldn't last," Naruto said. "She also said that it isn't the similarities that make a good couple but the differences." He frowned. "I don't get it. Wouldn't it be better to have more similarities? That way the dates are fun for both people. I mean, it was easy to plan everything since I knew that we'd both like the same movie. Even our lunch date went well since we both like ramen!"
"Do you think you liked dating her because it was so easy?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Relationships should not be so easy," Kakashi said. "It is the difficulties you go through that bring you together." When Naruto just tilted his head to the side, Kakashi knew that Naruto wasn't getting it. "Let's put it this way. As you know, Iruka and I are dating." Naruto nodded. "A lot of people don't understand why we are together because as you would say, we are very different. Because we are so different, we appreciate the few similarities that we do have. It is also because we are different that Iruka has what I need just as I have what he needs. We make each other better people, and we complete each other."
"I think I understand," Naruto said. "But how will I know that I love someone?"
"If you how to think about whether you love someone, then you simply don't," Kakashi said. "When you love someone, you will just know. Tell me, have you ever asked Kurama about Itachi?" Naruto shook his head. "Ask her."
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Kurama reached up and grabbed a can of pineapple juice before putting it in the cart. She was with Naruto at the shopping center, picking up some things for the week. Normally a maid would have done the shopping but Kurama wanted to get out of the house. She also knew that Naruto wanted to talk to her. The way he kept looking at her gave it away. She had hoped that being alone with him would get him to open up. Another look caused her to stop suddenly. Naruto was quick enough to keep the cart from hitting Kurama. "You know," she began. "If there is ever anything you want to talk about, you need only ask."
Naruto opened his mouth then closed it. He appeared to be thinking. Then he opened his mouth again. "I was just wondering. How did you know that you were in love with Itachi?"
Kurama looked a bit shocked at the question and Naruto was about to say never mind when Kurama smiled. "I think I loved Itachi the moment I met him, but I didn't know until I realized that I didn't want to live without him. I pictured a life with him and knew right away that I'd never be happier." She paused as a memory of Itachi popped in her head. "I could be myself around him and I believe he could be himself around me. Neither of us had to hide anything from the other." She brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "You know, it is different for everyone. Sometimes you know right away and sometimes it take years to know. Especially since there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. You may love a friend but your soulmate is the one you're in love with. Sometimes your friend is your soulmate, but your soulmate is never just a friend. It may be hard to see the difference but think about it like this. If your friend was to die, you'd grieve over their lose, but know that your other friends would be there to help you move on. If you lost your soulmate, a piece of you would die with them and it would never come back. Not even after you move on."
"What about if your first love wasn't really your soulmate?" Naruto asked. "What if you fell in love with more than one person?"
"If you are asking if it is possible for someone to have more than one soulmate, then yes," Kurama said. "Although a piece of you may never come back, a new love can be found to help keep the rest of the pieces together."
Naruto nodded. "I think I understand."
Kurama smiled and smacked Naruto's back. "I'm glad you do! Now, let's pick up some tomatoes. You know how Uchihas love their tomatoes." She turned and skipped ahead. Naruto smiled as he followed after Kurama.