Heyla! New chapter!
I've decided that if i just keep updating i'll somehow get into a rhythm and that will make it easier, the regular update times and such.
-Twister walks in-
DL: You just realized that?
Me:...and your point is? No, i knew it, i just avoided the fact. -sticks tongue out-
Anywhoo, as you know, Gaara just came to pick her up. Here's the review:(Oh, and have you noticed that there's only one letter different from review and preview? I just thought it was kinda funny.)
"Though the fact that I have fans, and the same marks as Kiba, though not necessarily in the same spot as Kiba, should tell you guys something..."
"Like it's your stop?" Korochi asked.
"Huh? oh yeah, sure." She looked around. "Though I could have sworn today was my day that we'd go and visit uncle..." She trailed off, looking around.
Spotting what she wanted to see, she let off a glad yelp, like a pup, and glomped the person standing in the shade of a leafy tree.
"Well, my ride's here! Later guys!" She held onto Gaara as he dissolved into sand.
Korochi grinned and looked expectantly at the chibis. And when no outburst was forthcoming, sighed and spoke, interrupting Nuken almost instinctively.
"She's going with him because Gaara's her Uncle, and since Kiba and Temari are from some fairly high ranking families, it wasn't really decided what village they'd live in, or what village their kid would go to." Korochi explained to the remaining Chibis.
"So they spend every third night or so at Gaara's, he's gotten so powerful with his sand that he can traverse the distance between the two villages virtually undetected instantly. The only ones that can detect him without too much effort are Naruto and Nuken here, and that's because they can detect his demonic signature." She cocked her head as if to listen to something, and just as Nuken was about to start, cut him off with a grin and a glance directly at him.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. They also have her learning both of the village's secrets; cause if she does well, Gaara wants her to be the next Kazekage. He's really got a soft spot for her, if you didn't notice that he kept the sand down when she hugged him. But that's not the point. The point is, it was a secret relationship for a while, then Kiba and Temari went public, after they were found in the middle of the forest of death in a secluded area." She smirked wickedly, as if sharing some dark little gossip with a room full of girls, which made most of the males uncomfortable, and one Hinata very uncomfortable. (Lee and Gai were, obviously, not very affected, and simply hanging on her words.)
"He already had his shirt off, and she, well, she had hers halfway off, her hair out, her skirt on one ankle, though her garter belt was still on, and was currently trying to shove her tongue down his throat while she undid his pants. Let's just day it took a lot for Gaara--the one who found them, along with Kankuro and Kiba's own team--and for Shukaku even to not kill Kiba on sight. Though I do have to admit, Temari was one heck of a fighter that day(As if there was a time she wasn't!)." She paused briefly to breathe before beginning again.
"She was so pissed that they had found them while she was half naked, and that Gaara tried to kill her boyfriend, that she about killed Gaara herself, demon and all. And I have to admit, the Shukaku has every right to be afraid of that girl and her anger. She's spent so much time with him that she knows not only his weaknesses, but he knew her deadly strengths, anger included."
Nuken pointed to the wall of Konoha on their left through the buildings. "She demolished that entire section, all the way from training ground seventy-nine. It was a very, very, very sandy area, which is why Gaara had gone there, so he had more chance of making it out alive, and had a lot of trees for windbreaks, but she just turned it into the clearest training grounds yet!" He grinned. "Makes me glad I didn't have to be born anywhere near that day. Though Korochi only heard the story from Hinata when she was older, she wasn't even born yet when it happened, and it was a much more toned down one, since it was mom that told her, so you can only imagine what really happened." He looked around as if suddenly realizing something, and was seemingly extremely puzzled by it.
"Korochi, isn't your house that way?" He asked. Pointing behind them.
"Huh?" She looked back, "oh yeah, guess it is. Well then, I think I'll just walk with you till we get to your house. Your mom makes the best snacks, and Dad's not going to get me for staying with her for a bit." Korochi turned and kept walking, a little ways ahead of Nuken so she couldn't see him behind her without turning her head, which she didn't.
"That's not fair, you always eat more than your share." He pouted, but a small little secret smile played on his lips, morphing into a large lopsided regular grin when she did finally look at him.
One particular plushy, however, caught it.
"What does he think he's doing?!" Neji hissed to Tenten, confident that his status as a plushie kept them from hearing unless they made an extra effort to be heard outside of each other's heads.
"Being awfully cute, that's what." Tenten replied, puzzled. "What's your problem Neji? They're just kids."
"If i'm not mistaken and--"
"--You never are." Tenten supplied with an almost unnoticeable chibi eyeroll.
"Then that is Naruto and Hinata's son." ("Okay, mr. 'states-the-obvious'.") "And that is insulting enough, the fact that he married my cousin, and now his son is going after this girl, who by elimination of people can only be our--" He cut himself off, going slightly red. "I won't stand for it!" Tenten, however, had caught onto his slip-up and wasn't letting it go.
"Our what, Neji?" She asked, puzzled. Then it dawned on her. "...Oh."
Thankfully, their animated tour-guides combined with Gai and Lee meant there was no uncomfortable silence to wade through, and they passed the time in relatively quiet embarrassment. Their 'guides' continued walking, and soon were coming on a vast expanse of a house, though not on the Hyuuga or Uchiha estate. Korochi slammed her fist into her palm and looked at the blond plushy.
"Oh yeah, Naruto, I forgot, your last name's not really Uzumaki, it's Kazuma, as in, son of the third Hokage Kazuma." She sighed a little at something she thought of. "And you're not Hokage yet, but next in line after Tsunade, who says she will resign in a few years(Pft, not if Shizune can help it), so she can get back to her drinks and no paperwork weekends." She laughed at that one.
They continued walking for a while, till they came up to a large mansion like area, with a large green lawn, and a large yellow painted house. It was almost picturesque, if not for the (Again) large red fox and several small kits running rampant. It was clear that the Chibi Naruto Plushie was very, very distressed.
One of the kits noticed them, and bounded towards them. It had set its sights on Korochi, and was now barreling towards her at an inhuman, or even unfoxish speed. To top it all off for our freaked out blonde ninja plushie, he could swear that it was growing bigger and not just because it was getting closer, it was now all the way from a small pup to around their waists in height. (A/n: well, Korochi and Nuken's, definitely NOT the chibi Naruto plushie's waist, or that would be one small little fox kit!) The fox-no longer really-kit did the next best thing to a human glomp. Korochi was on the ground, with its paws on her shoulder and its tongue washing her entire face with slobber.
"H-hey! Cut it out!" She shrieked, trying her best to breathe in between licks. Nuken waited a few seconds with a mischevious smirk, before whistling, effectively calling the other foxes there, upon which they all dog piled onto the hapless girl. "Nuuuukeeeeennnnn!" She raged from under the pile of fur, only the oldest fox had stayed out, preferring to play annoyed parent and pull every last one of the large kits off her by their tails, paws, and any other handy appendages, the kits shrinking back to a normal small size at contact with the older one.
"Naruto?" Korochi spoke, after doing her best to dry herself off with Nuken's bright orange jacket which she so 'oh-so-conveniently' took from him, as he pouted and crossed his arms over his tight black muscle-t that was underneath. "I think you should know, the Kyuubi was a great demon of power and stature, but your family was also, besides being great and powerful on its own, a family that had an affinity for foxes and their summons, well, any animal actually, but foxes were the fave. Something to do with them having so much in common" This was accompanied by an almost wry look at Nuken as she wrung out her hair; somehow she had gotten it as wet as if she had just taken a shower, though much slimier. "The Kyuubi, after it was sealed inside your body, broke free of the jutsu that Orochimaru had used on it--Yes, the snake was dumb enough to try and control a demon, and it worked for a short while--and made it attack Konoha with. So it's been helping you for a long time now, trying its best to make amends, since as the greatest of the demons, it also realized the importance of humans, as well as having a heart, something no normal demon of power's ever had, though the Kyuubi isn't really normal anyways.. And now, you've got an entire set of extremely chakra enhanced foxes, and a couple of ones made from almost pure Kyuubi chakra."
She looked at something in the distance, as if trying to remember some particular boring lesson. "oh yeah, and thanks to the fact that the Kyuubi's lived for so long, he knows almost every language, and if he doesn't know one, he'll just break into someone's mind and memorize it. That's made you the top translator for Konoha for people or animals, and an occasional demon, though you've tried to get out of it as many times as you've been put in it, times ten." She laughed, and handed Nuken back his jacket, all slimy and wet. He grimaced and took it, but didn't put it on, just wrapping it into a little ball and holding it about three inches from his body.
Suffice it to say, the Tenten, Gai, Lee, and Neji chibis were either smirking, grinning, or glaring at this exchange. Their attention was drawn, however, by the sound of the front door opening.
"Oh, Nuken, how was your training? Korochi-chan, I just finished a new recipe for dinner, would you like to stay?" Hinata's voice rang out, no longer stuttering, but it still had a hint of the same shy timidness that was, and would always be, a trademark of Hinata.
"Sure, Ms. Kazuma-chan." Korochi bowed politely. "I'd actually been hoping on that one." She grinned, Nuken rolled his eyes.
Hinata smiled back, motioning for them to follow. The foxes had clumped together behind them and started following them through the door, but stopped when Hinata looked right at them.
"You remember the rules, clean up first." She told them sternly, very unlike the Hinata of old. The foxes whined, but sent a small ripple of chakra over their coats, wiping the dirt away into a pile to the right of the walkway, in a spot that had been clearly used for this same thing many times before. Once clean, she opened the door completely and let them in, smiling as they passed her and headed straight for the kitchen. When they neared it they were assaulted by an array of good smells.
"Wow, Kazuma-chan, you sure made a lot of good stuff, what's the occasion?" Korochi asked, as they followed in the fox's wake.
"Naruto-kun's coming back today from his three week mission." Hinata smiled shyly, "I want him to have a happy welcome."
"Aww mom, as long as you're here, he'd have a happy welcome even if the Ichakaru's closed!" Nuken laughed, though he sobered up extremely fast at the prospect of that thought ever coming true. Korochi and the Chibi's could all clearly hear him under his breath swearing to protect said ramen stand with all his might, and one chibi in particular was swearing right along with him. Korochi sweatdropped, while Hinata just laughed, a sweet trilling note that rang in the air and their heads long after she stopped.
"Well, that's not going to happen anytime soon, now is it?" She giggled at him, rubbing noses affectionately with her son as she ruffled his hair. Nuken de-ruffliezed his hair once free from his affectionate mother's grasp. I mean, really, he was a boy! Not a girl, to be cooed at like that in front of Korochi! It was embarrassing! Especially the way Korochi was laughing and grinning at him right now. On the outside, he scowled back, on the inside, he could have grinned.
He wouldn't trade it for the world.
"Nope! We all know how our two blond-heads love their ramen!" Korochi grinned, and ducked from Nuken's blue-eyed glare. "Eep! Kazuma-chan! I think he's gonna kill me!" She ran behind Hinata, laughing as she went.
Nuken gave off a playful fox like growl and dashed after, it soon became a ring around the Hinata game, till they found their object they were running around was suddenly gone.
Korochi turned her head, and Nuken looked the opposite way, embarrassed and gagging at what he knew would happen next.
Naruto had just walked through the door, silent as ever (A/n: Whoa, silent. That's just too Ooc, but just go with it, he's from the future, or rather, is in the future... or, is the future...gah! Confuzzeling! Just read on!), till he got into the kitchen. His face was alight with a cheery expression, and he and Hinata were just standing there staring at each other, as if they were two people who had just confessed their undying love for one another and couldn't believe the other had liked them that whole time. Also as if they were the only people in the world and no one else existed, which was just fine for their female audience.
In truth, it was very picturesque, if you, like Korochi, Chi-ten, and Chi-nata, cut out the part where Nuken was pretending to gag.
Ooooooh, how she could just punch him right then... but that would ruin the moment, so her and the chibi-ets let it slide, this time. (An: -prepares firehose filled with cottony candy- Sugary Sweet Fluff alert!)
Naruto stepped forwards once. "Hey Hinata-chan, miss me?" There was a hint of a mischievous laugh in his bright sunshine blue eyes at that one, and she smiled at him, walking forwards the rest of the way, closing the distance between them and putting her hands on his shoulders, and resting her head on his chest, near the crook in his neck.
"Of course, Naruto-kun." One of his arms encircled her waist, holding her close, as his other gently held her head to him, running his fingers through her long black silk hair, as he leaned down and buried his nose in it.
There was a long moment, where time just seemed to stand still for the couple, whereas for the other occupants of the room, it seemed like an eternity.
Though for the three girls in their little 'audience', that eternity could have gone on forever as far as they were concerned, they weren't gonna stop it.
Korochi and Tenten were starry-eyed at the romance and love, and the surprising gentleness with which Konoha's mischief held future Hinata (though she was used to this, it always made Korochi want to swoon. Man, how she wanted a man like that! Minus the way older than her factor, and the already married factor. Well, just someone who would treat her like Naruto did Hinata). Chibi Hinata herself was overcome with shock; that was her and her Naruto-kun, so much love and so kind! Her doll-body was blushing a pale pink tint(No one noticed the flicker of the oldest blond's gaze towards the doll, too wrapped up in their own little worlds.), and she was also very surprised at how much braver and stronger she was now, no more stuttering, and she had actually commanded those little foxes! This was heaven! And the best part was, this was the future, as in, it was going to happen.
The guys, however, had a different take on the situation.
As already mentioned, Nuken was pretending to gag behind the L-shaped counter. Chibi Neji was glowering at the sight of Naruto, but was now stupefied after the sudden shift of situations. Chibi Naruto's eyes were about to pop out of his little stuffed head. Was he seeing this? What about Sakura? He had to admit, he liked the shy Hinata a lot more than he did Sakura, but when did she start to like him? He had considered that one as lost a hope as Sakura was, though Sakura wasn't quite as lost, and therefore the one he would have to go for if he wanted to get anyone to love and care for.
Boy, can boys be wrong or what?
Lee and Gai aren't even worth mentioning right about now, their thoughts on Youth, and its power, and the current situation, would numb even my mind to think about. So we'll skip them, for now, and I'll leave you with only the fact that Lee and Gai had Starry eyes that were so big, it's a wonder their little chibi heads didn't pop.
Finally, Naruto and Hinata broke apart from their hold, and Naruto kissed her lovingly on the cheek. "I missed you too." He said, she looked slightly irked about something, and confusion was the only thing that could be found on his entire face.
The thing that happened next was almost too surprising for words; Hinata grabbed and held onto Naruto's jaw with one hand, the back of his neck with the other, pulled him down those few inches he was taller than her, and kissed him long and hard on the mouth.
"That, Naruto-kun," She said, panting slightly as she pulled away and placed her hands on her curved hips, blushing just a bit.
"Is how you greet your wife when you haven't seen her for three weeks."
Don't i know how to end a chapter? Huh? Huh?
It's not a cliff-hanger, but it's deliciously fun to read, and re-read the last part.
And also; go Hinata, go Hinata, Woot! She's still the same shy Hinata, but with a backbone brought out by things that are a part of her life now, like childbirth(Augh! Pain, suffering, birth i fear! -giggle-), Naruto, mischief, ect. So i don't really think she's too OC, after all, this is an AU, and in this AU, the situations change her weak facade into strength. Plus that was just a spontaneous thing, all people do em, (Don't try to deny it) where they just do it and override their brains temporarily, no matter how 'embarrassing' it might be afterwards.
Well, you've read, now please review!