Cyclamen

Disclaimer: Though some of the ideas are mine, I do not own the characters or main plot of Naruto.

/Kyuubi speak/

'Thought'

Flashback

"Ruka-kun? Well don't you look like something the cat dragged in, crazy son of a bitch. I don't suppose you've come to rescue me, sweep me off my feet and elope with me have you?"

"Akiro? What are you doing here?"

Iruka was stunned, he hadn't thought he'd be running into Akiro today.

"I live here, you know, parents don't love me anymore and all that. What are you doing here?"

"Where's the blonde kid?!"

Akiro looked at Iruka again, it had been, well, a while. How long? A year? Yes that was right, his Ruka-kun had become a chuunin and hadn't been around much. Not that Akiro blamed him, the place wasn't exactly the type you wanted to visit again and again. Instead of commenting though, he asked again, "So we aren't eloping?"

Iruka's eyes widened for a second, before chuckling, then sputtering. "This is no time to be joking! I've got to find somebody!"

"Really?" Akiro perked up a little. "You've misplaced some blonde kid right? Do I know him?"

Iruka blushed a little. Iruka had always been slightly spontaneous, slightly loud, slightly head strong, but Akiro was calm… at least most of the time, and the way he leaned against the door way like there wasn't anything better to do, made Iruka realize he was panicking. "You tell me. He's like, oh god I don't know, maybe five years old! Big blue eyes, with whisker like scars, and- Akiro, what's wrong?!"

Akiro was slightly surprised that Iruka noticed the change in his facial expressions, but he figured a ninja had to notice those things. His mood darkened from surprise though, when he remembered why he was upset. "Oh… it's just… you don't mean…

"The demon do you…?"

Kushina looked to the flowers on the window sill beside her hospital bed. It was white, and she narrowed her eyes at it, not in anger but in confusion. She decided it was most likely a tulip, since it didn't really 

look like anything else and tulips were common enough. She eyed the simple clear vase with an orange ribbon tied around the skinniest part of it. It had to have come from that flower shop run by ninjas, whatever it was called, and it had to have been ordered by "Blondie." Nobody else would have thought to send her a get well gift. She was well known as a ninja and strong willed tomboy, but when had anyone bothered to send her gifts? Romantic or otherwise?

Not that she thought the man was trying to be… romantic, or anything. She blushed furiously at the thought. About ready to smack herself she turned to the door as she sensed someone approach. She tried not to let her face fall as the senior nurse bustled in, smiling and pointing out the flowers.

"The man that brought those flowers for you was such a sweetheart, he couldn't stay though. He told me to tell you that he hopes you get better soon."

She stared at the woman. Sweetheart? Had Blondie tried to flirt his way in to see her? She wouldn't put it past him, he always tried to be there for a wounded comrade, they were generally more pleased to wake up to him than white hospital walls. That and it seemed he always wanted to make sure that everybody, didn't matter how well or how little he knew them, was okay at the end of the day. 'Must have a mission he needed to go on…' The thought was rather painful, and she wondered how his team was doing without him.

'They wouldn't have sent him out on a mission so soon if anybody could do it, so they needed him, and they wouldn't have needed kids there.' She frowned.

The face he had when he mentioned them, she wondered idly if he loved them, but of course he would. He cared for and loved everybody, though some more than others. She had watched as he'd whispered profiles of his students while they were bored taking watch on their mission. His face had looked slightly put out when he mentioned his chuunin, and all she could do was imagine what it felt like to be the last and most important person to genius at such a young age.

She couldn't really imagine it though, she was still young and slightly naive at the time, so she distracted him with a punch to the shoulder and told him to pay attention so she could take a nap.

Hinata rushed forward, not enough that it made her seem imperfect or jostled in anyway, just enough so that she wouldn't be late meeting up with Kiba and Shino. She had a feeling Shino wouldn't say anything, but would be annoyed or worried as to why she was late when it was so unusual for her. Kiba, well he'd probably laugh and tease her about taking too long doing her hair.

She hadn't been doing her hair though, she'd been taking a nap, but she thought using that as a better excuse was probably moot. The only reason she'd been taking a nap though, was because she'd been kept up all night trying to-

"Oof!" Hinata was knocked back as a figure rounded the corner and slammed into her. Hinata was lighter than the figure, and fell easily.

"What the?! Hinata?"

Hinata lifted herself from the ground gingerly, trying to decide whether she should apologize even though it wasn't she who ran into the other… girl? It had been the other girl who had ran into her.

"Ah, I'm sor- Temari?" Hinata blinked, her pale eyes taking in the strong girl in front of her. It wasn't too unusual to see Team Sand in Konoha, they frequently took the diplomatic missus to and from sound. Hinata suspected it was because they missed the rookie nine, and in some instances liked the free sake that came complimentary with being the Kaze-kage's siblings. Kankuro had confided in her when she was assigned to escort them that Konoha's sake was the best.

Hinata had desperately wanted Shikamaru there. The sand siblings were much too… bold for her.

"Yeah, that's me! Hey," Temari seemed to give a questioning gaze before leering. "You still got the hots for Naruto right?"

Naruto is roughly 5 at the flashback, Iruka is 17. Not a lot to say, just bear with me until the next chapter, 'kay? ;) Thank you to all those who read, review, watch, and/or fav this!

Oh, and at my deviantART profile I drew a picture of a teenage Kushina, check it out if you're interested!

-Alika613