Shizune, apprentice, secretary, and virtual slave to the Godaime Hokage, a normally plain looking woman unless you asked three(AN: four) men, growled. What in the WORLD was THIS thing before her? A new bingo book? But they had JUST released a new one! Seriously the amount of paperwork that had been put into that book, HER paperwork, and for what? Her master to just up and put up a new one! Ridiculous! She flipped it open, okay it looked like most of it was the same… hell it WAS the same. Wait! Here was a new page. Oh. Oh my.

"UNCLE 'RUTO's NAKED!" Her son, Keiichi, only two years of age, announced to the entire office that served under Lady Hokage. The normal hubbub that carried throughout the day ground to a halt as most of the ladies peered at her and her son at the main desk. Like a bunch of owls. Shizune thought darkly.

"No he's not honey." Most of the women dropped back to their work, disappointed. "Almost though." [SCRAAAP] a hundred chairs being pushed back and the owls appeared again. "BACK TO WORK!" The horde of women scrambled back to their places. Shizune blushed as she looked back to Naruto's picture. What in the world was HE doing in their bingo book! And that PHOTO! It was… It was… hot…. NO! INDECENT! BAD SHIZUNE! "Now I know what that was all about."

"Um. What was momma?" Her little boy smiled up to her and she laughed, loving him all the more.

"Your grandma made uncle 'Ruto pose like this."

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Fakers!

Chapter Seven: His firefly.

By

Hibiki

"Knock knock, who's there? Right's. Right's to who? Right's to whom only Kishimoto has." ~Hibiki

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The Day Earlier:

"Baa-chan! This is embarrassing! Please let me put my pants on!" Shizune blushed as she and the other women in the office leaned up against the door into the Hokage's office. A door only minutes before Naruto, The Stud, had walked into. The the most bizarre conversation had eked out of the chamber had caused most of the staff to get in close and find out the dirt.

"No! You haven't gotten your info docket picture changed since you became Genin! This is your punishment!"

"But why do I have to wear these things, it's not right!"

"When were you going to tell me you and Ino had hooked up?"

"but but…"

"But nothing! In fact strip! You better get down to Butt Nothing this instant!"

"BAA-CHAN!"

"If you don't do as I command now I'll strip you of your status as my heir instead!" There was a quiet reply, then a shift of clothing. "Oh hohoho! So the rumors were TRUE!" Shizune, while blushing up a storm, remembered having heard those same rumors herself. While she whole heartedly loved her husband Iruka (Naruto had set them up) she was just as prone to looking at pretty men as he was to women. And her talk with the younger version of the man who was naked in the other room was something she thought of from time to time.

Angry and in tears she had confronted him, more upset that he thought her ugly, hated her for being pregnant and fat. What she hadn't expected was him, almost in tears himself, admit to finding her attractive, utterly hate himself for it, think himself some sort of freak for finding her swollen belly arousing, for betraying Iruka in even daring to feel those things for her. At the time, she had been unbelievably flattered, the young man had gained a special place in her heart. Now, having seen him grow as she helped him accept those feelings for what they were in the three years that had turned him into this regular panty soaking stud, she was hard pressed not to rub her legs together any time their eyes met. Was it wrong to think 'uncle Naruto' as sexy? Apparently not. Iruka had laughed when she had finally told him. 'No, honey I would think you naive if you didn't think men other than me were handsome. Though it worries me, the only man I know capable of loving you more than me happens to be Naruto." So moved by his words she proved to him that night that though no matter what, whom she had married and loved most dearly.

"Oh don't bother trying, your hand's can't cover it all. Besides your ruining the shot!" Oh. Oh my.

"Baa-chan, please." His voice was so… dejected that Shizune made for the handle of the door, ready to help one of her precious boys. That voice reminded her of that day.

"Oh all right, fine! If your going to be so moody at least put something on that fits. Put these on." Shizune paused, it sounded like Naruto had won over the drunk Hokage, or maybe in that haze of drunkenness she remembered that day as well. There were a few snaps, a quick rustle of clothing and Naruto, in his normal garb, opened the door on her as she eavesdropped. Like clockwork he had caught her in his arms as she fell into the office and looked to her stunned.

"Um, hi." They looked at each other then blushed as he sat her down his hand resting on her stomach to steady her. Knowing what it did to him only made her blush further.

"It's uh, nice running into you Shi-chan but I need to get out of here before Baa-chan finds something even more embarrassing to do to me. I'll see you later okay? Daisuki." He kissed her cheek, as he always did since they had talked and ran for it as the Hokage approached, ruining her talk with one of her boys.

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Present Day:

Shizune knew this must have been a drunken plan on the Hokage's part, something that shouldn't even go past her. But after what she did to Naruto made the married woman feel a little vindictive. Besides, the Hokage was missing like half of the good stuff. Shizune got out her pen and began making corrections.

"That one says pony!" Keiichi pointed to the word as his mother wrote it.

"Right!" Her boy was so smart.

"That's a chicken!"

"Close enough."

"What's that one mean?"

"You'll know when you grow up."

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Naruto let himself into Ino's apartment with all the rush of a man walking death row. As he closed the door behind him, letting himself in like he had the last few times he had been over, he slipped off his boots and into a cheap pair of slippers Ino had gotten him just in case he came over. Hearing meat sizzle from the right he headed into little kitchen trying to figure out how to tell her the news.

"Good morning, Naruto-baka." She smiled to him as she cooked.

"Morning Hime. Would you like some help?" he always asked, and it made her smile widen at his offer but she shook her head, like she always did.

"No thank you, would you like some?" She liked to cook, he had learned, and it easily made her day when she got to cook for others so if she was cooking and offered he made it a point to accept.

"Sure I would love some, you know I enjoy your cooking too much to refuse." And it was true, too. Yamanaka Ino was not someone people would think as a Susie homemaker. Or whatever the Konohian equivalent was. But Naruto had been pleasantly surprised. In fact since his confession to her that night, things had been getting better for him, as if some of that weight had been lifted from his shoulders. And he liked the fact Ino had been smiling more as well. It made him feel good to make such a friend happy.

'Ino thank you again about that night." He smiled warmly when she kissed his cheek, she had been doing that more often lately, of course it was getting rather comfortable as they played… what was it she called it? Oh right, grown up 'playing house' over this last week and a half.

"For the millionth time, thank YOU." She meant it, he knew that smile too well. "It makes me happy that you can trust me! I know we weren't good friends before all this but I'd like to think of you as a dear one now."

"I'd like to think that too, hime." She had become one of his most precious people in such a short time, he was glad she felt that way too. But he steeled his resolve. "I have some good news and some bad news."

"I don't want to hear any bad news on such a nice day like this so just lemme hear the good bit." That was so Ino.

"The village has stopped talking about us dating."

"Wow, you mean they gave up that quickly? I'm shocked!" She wouldn't tell him also rather disappointed too.

"Not… exactly."

"Naruto, what do you mean by not exactly?" Though it was a question the command was clear, quit beating around the bush and just say it. "This is the bad news isn't it." he nodded before swallowing his fear then steeled himself once more.

"Well, when does my iinazuke want to set the date?" The room was quiet except for the sizzle of the fish in the pan.

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Tsunade awoke from a drunken slumber by a voice breaking the sound barrier.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN SET THE DATE!"

Tsunade pulled herself back into the room from the window and clutched at her 'special' paperwork.

"Damn those Yamanakas have lungs on them." hic. "heheehee I bet she's a screamer."

[lick lick lick]

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"My what a wonderful breakfast." Naruto muttered as he peeled the boiling fish away from his hair and threw it into the sink. "What do you think I mean, They UPPED the freaking rumors! Someone saw me kneeling to you in the hall when I asked to stay the night and now the whole freaking town has congratulated me on proposing to you!"

"What the hell are we suppose to do now? How the hell will we 'break it off' if the rumors keep growing as they are? I mean by next month I'll be married to you with a baby on the way!" He reddened as that oh so appealing thought burst from her mouth.

Coming home, tired from work, he opened the door to finding her angelic form walking from cleaning some dishes, a beautiful smile appearing on her face as he walked to her. Enthralled by her, he reached down, pulling her close and kissed her tenderly, softly, lovingly. She brought his hand up to her swollen belly, letting him feel their child, his love for her ever growing 'Welcome home, 'daddy'.' she'd say, her blue eyes so full of love he couldn't resist kissing her again.

NO! NO NO NO! Bad Naruto, ignore that! Oh god, that was his greatest hidden desire. To be married and have that special someone there with him. So what if it was cliché, so what if it was so normal that people would never expect he, Uzumaki Naruto, was more interested in being a father and husband than even Hokage. It was true, and since his appointment to Tsunade's heir to the title, his fantasy had plagued his dreams with increasing frequency, and the featureless woman was starting to resemble a certain blonde haired lady too, but never had it been so strong. Why'd she hafta up and say it! "Seriously Naruto-baka, could you imagine if that were really true?" well shit.

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"N-no. I ah can't." She never credited him with the ability to lie through his teeth but that was bad even for him. So he COULD! Did that mean he HAD? Should she risk upsetting him to find out? Now it was making her SO curious!

"W-was it…" He looked to her and she stumbled over her words. Rallying her resolve she forced the words out. "Did I, uh. make a good wife?" His eyes widened before he looked away at anything but her, his face a blaze. When she finally thought she had gone too far and made to apologize profusely a whisper so quiet she almost missed it broke the silence.

"The best." She swore to heaven and hell if he didn't stop saying all those absolutely adorable and perfect things, then his wishes, her wishes, the towns wishes, all of them be dammed she was going to take him and have her way with him. And she knew damn well if she did, she was starting to like him too much to let go.

What would being married to Naruto be like? Despite his excitable and childish nature she knew of his more serious and mature side that was a part of him too. He wanted to be Hokage, he was well on his way, his position in the village was secure, but what did he want in his personal life? Oh lord he would drown her in love.

'I have hurt, or killed, not by my own hands but the hands of my enemies, every girl I DARED love and let love me. I don't ever want you to even JOKE about something so… PRECIOUS to me ever again, Ino. I'd NEVER dare do something like that unless I was madly in love with her and right now I am having a hard time not HATING you!'

Only he was terrified to love, and it physically hurt her to say it, he may have been right to do so. They had talked about it after he broke down that night after her father left. His mother and father, killed not ten minutes after he was born by Madara and Kyuubi's rage. His caretaker had been crippled protecting him when he was a child, the Sandaime moving him to his own apartment soon after. Sakura and the scar still present on her arm to this day. Hinata was clinically dead for a minute five during the Pein attack for merely standing up to protect the man she loved. She would ignore his remark having lost control he had put his whole village in danger for letting the fox get to eight tails afterwards. She had pushed down a surge of jealousy as Naruto remarked he loved Shizune and Sasuke, using his brother's eyes, read it in his head. In a urge to either incapacitate Naruto or force him to use the fox (so he could use it to finish what the Uchiha and Kyuubi had started 19 years prior at the time.) Shizune nearly lost Keiichi and her own life by the last Uchiha and his sword into her gut. And then there was… Hotaru.

Hotaru was a secret she learned only Shizune, Iruka, Gaara, and Tsunade knew about. A civilian girl only six at the time was brought into the hospital tent after her family died in the Pein attack, for their bodies were too far gone for their souls to return to. When she was bought back to life with Nagato's power her body had been flung from his Shinra Tensei with such force almost all her bones had been broken and her shattered form lay under the remains of her family and her home. She had cried out in both the pain of her body and the pain of staring at her dead family's remains for two days, till she had screamed herself raw and bloody. On the third day, the searchers, that is to say Naruto found her. It had broken his heart to find her in that state. As gently as he could, which still made the girl gurgle up blood in a raspy scream he had taken her to Shizune. With Sakura and many others busy on the shinobi forces only a select few medic nin could afford to work on the dozens of civilians that came in. Shizune had been set to keep watch of the down Hokage at the time so her reserves were higher than all the others and her skills second to none. Naruto's pleading so desperate forced the Hokage's assistant into trying to mend the shattered girl. All she managed was to heal her enough to live. The damage to her small frame was probably the most extensive she had ever seen, it was a miracle she had lived and continued to do so.

When the hospital was finished she was one of the first patients emitted into their long term ward. And Naruto went and saw her every chance he could. When she was awake she was a bright happy child, full of love to give and a smile on her face. So long as she was kept under an slow but ever increasing anesthetic to keep the pain from her shattered limbs at bay. Tsunade and Shizune both struggled to adapt Lee's surgery to her body, over two years they had tried to get the chances of a higher than her 21% chance of survival with no avail. Lee's body was hardier, stronger than a six year old civilian's. So for two years, Naruto came and went to visit a little girl that lovingly called him Papa or Naruto-daddy as she slowly deteriorated from her wounds sustained in a battle he had caused.

Naruto was shaking so hard that night when he got to this point she could do nothing but wrap her arms around him. His words still brought tears to her eyes.

"I was summoned into the hospital after returning from a mission. Tsunade said it was urgent. W-when I got there Shizune, Iruka, with Keiichi, and Tsunade were waiting for me. T-they said s-she was near the e-nd and that the sedatives weren't helping with the pain any more. T-they had to put her o-onto a machine to keep her heart beating and they wanted. Oh god. They wanted me, as her g-guardian, to make the choice." When Hotaru became a ward of the state Naruto had applied to be her guardian, and was accepted on Tsunade's behalf. "She was in so much pain, Ino. My baby hurt so bad and I couldn't help her! B-but she still turned to me, smiled though all that pain, and said 'Hi Naruto-daddy.'" He had clung to her, his pain still as raw as it had been on that day as tears poured from his face, his shoulders trembling with sobs. "I sat with her, talking to her trying to find the c-courage to s-say goodbye and how happy she had m-made me by b-being my l-little girl for as long as she had when she… when she… begged me. 'It hurts so much Daddy, please make it stop.' I nodded. 'O-okay, Hotaru, Daddy will make it s-stop.' I told her how much I loved her, and that where she was going to be going it w-wouldn't hurt anymore, and that her other family would be waiting for her. She asked me 'A-are you g-going to be there d-daddy?' and Dadd-y had to say 'No, honey, he can't go there yet, he has to make sure no other little girl would be hurt like you have.' She couldn't move her head from the pain but I knew she had nodded. 'I'll miss you d-daddy.' 'I'll miss you too baby, so much. I love you. I love you so much.' and then Daddy let her go. He watched his little girl pass away in front of him."

Eight year old Uzumaki Hotaru was placed with her parents on July 14th in the hundred and seventy second year of the shinobi age.

How could you not fall in love with a man who loved so deeply like that… How could you resist the urge try and give that man some piece of your heart to try and fill all those broken parts of his? Part of her wondered about that, that night after he had left, ashamed he had unloaded all of his pain on her, despite her assuring him she was not upset. As she laid in a bed that still had a hint of his scent in it her mind traveled to his words to Sasuke just before he killed him. They had a much deeper meaning now she knew of his daughter.

"You may be my brother, but I can't risk letting you hurt another anymore." At the time of the battle she had thought he meant Shizune, now she wasn't so certain.

She watched him as he cleaned up the mess she had made with a smile, happy to help her in something. It felt so right with him there, so easy to slip into the role she was only suppose to play.

No, she realized, it was getting a little too easy to see herself married to Naruto.

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People had wondered and wondered what it was he said. Now you know. Over the top reaction? Not really, imagine the pain of loosing so many people you love, having so many hurt because they love you. Even the strongest of hearts can break under those. People like me and this Naruto who give out our hearts to anyone, sooner or later you can't keep it in anymore. I at least have people I can talk to my age who wouldn't judge me if I do something stupid or let myself get to attached to the wrong sort of woman and get burned by. Naruto, other than his team and Gaara I don't see him with the chance to let something like this go. Sai and Sakura are close to him, but the way I wrote it before Sai is sorta out there and Sakura and him had the bad version breakup instead of Shikamaru and Ino's. So imagine, you feel like you can't love anyone because something horrible will happen, and you overhear someone casually mention that you and her do something you equate the supreme act of love for some sort of stupid challenge or joke. It'd be like taking all you hold dear, everything you had lost and throwing it into your face and laughing. It didn't matter that the person didn't know that was something special, only that they had hurt YOU.

There was to be a humorous piece added to the end of this to set up the next chapter but Hotaru took a lot out of me. I'll admit I am a method writer, I FEEL what I write. I haven't cried like that in a long time, not since my grandfather passed away. I just can't feel perky enough to finish this on too happy a note at the moment. Sorry guys.

EDIT: I'm sending this out on the same day as chapter 6, because i will not have a chance to upload it tomorrow morning. Chapter 08 is done, needs some spit and polish to fit chapter 7's big emotional rollercoaster and to give me some leneancy for when I can start chapter nine and make sure loose ends meet the best way for maximum effect. Have a good weekend folks.

EDIT 2: Fixed some o the glaring holes I didn't see when writing this thing. I had just JUST finished the Hotaru section when the power failed. I was so distraught about loosing that lone piece because I had put so much of myself into it that when the power came back I only looked to it instead of other areas. That has been since rectified.

Next Chapter: The XXX Class Shinobi