Note(s)
Just a reminder, I have links to pictures of the girls used in the harem in my profile page for those who haven't seen or have trouble remembering the fillers. Just make a separate window for it and I think it'll make the story much more enjoyable to read. Because of this, I won't go too far into detail describing their appearance, seeing as how a picture really is worth a thousand words. I'll probably keep this at the beginning of every chapter as a reminder.

Disclaimer
I don't own Naruto.

An Unexpected Return

Chapter 1 - Star Fish

By Big-Babidi

The girl patiently waited as the woman kept looking through the wide selection.

The woman was inches away from grabbing a blue, only to jerk her hand and continue pondering her decision.

This ongoing scenario has continued for nearly thirty minutes and the girl could easily admit to feeling a level of boredom approaching insanity. So bored, in fact, she'd spent the past ten minutes playing around with the bandages that covered her left arm from the shoulder down to the wrist. She watched the woman almost pick up a purple, but in a last ditch effort she placed her hand by her cheek, which had a strange red paint mark.

The girl sighed. Enough was enough. While she was normally a patient person, she easily felt her tolerance level slipping quickly and knew it was time for mending the crisis.

The girl cleared her throat. "Um…excuse me, but is there anything in particular you are looking for? If so, I'm sure I can help you find it."

The woman looked at the girl, then back at the blue and purple…flowers, then quickly looked up at the girl in recognition. While the girl wasn't a village celebrity by any means, the numerous bandages she constantly wore, as well as their arrangement, give her an easily identifiable appearance belonging to one person. Sea Country's former pariah, Isaribi.

"Well, actually, yes. My mother's birthday is coming up and I'd like to give her something special. While I've already bought her a present, I'd like to get her a nice flower with a note added telling her what I'd purchased for her."

Isaribi smiled at her. "Hmm, I think I've got an idea. So what present did you buy her, if you don't mind me asking?"

Lounging in a nearby chair, Yamanaka Ino was pretending to read a magazine, sharing Isaribi's earlier boredom. Not only was a slow day like this bad for business, but also started getting on the blond girl's nerves. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ino glanced towards Isaribi. A small smile appeared on her face as she remembered just how much the former fish girl's life had improved since arriving in Konoha.

Once Anko, as well as Naruto, Ino, and Shino gave their mission report to Tsunade, the Godaime took Isaribi to the Hidden Leaf's medical facility for treatment. What she saw astounded her. It turned out that the areas consisting of green scaly skin on Isaribi's body were also responsible for the strange fish-like transformation the girl's capable of.

With the kind of rarity such a condition warranted, especially since Yamato was the only similar case, despite being a completely different scenario, even Tsunade was hard-pressed at finding a satisfactory conclusion. After several failed attempts at fixing the problem, the only solution became the removal of the scaly skin from her body, regardless of its location. For the next couple months of Isaribi's hospital stay, she underwent countless operations to cure her condition.

Unfortunately, not everything turned out fine and dandy, as good news and bad news was presented to her following the final operation. The good news was that the operations were a success. Isaribi could no longer transform into the strange fish looking monster and the green skin has been completely removed. To top it off, due to her body's adaptation to changes made from her experimental status, she was able to retain her ability to breathe underwater.

Even with such positive results, the bad news still hit hard. To remove that monster-like skin that ruined her childhood, the medic-nin had to use special equipment that simply carved it out. While it did the job, the equipment also caused every inch of her green skin to be covered in scars, forcing Isaribi to continue wearing her bandages even after leaving the hospital.

Ino was brought out of her musings as she watched the woman, who looked strangely familiar for some reason, answer Isaribi's question.

"No, it's okay, I don't mind. My mother is the head of our clan, as well as a single parent with two children. That, of course, makes her very busy, so I decided to give her a break. I bought her an all expenses paid trip to the Hidden Village of Sand for two months. She always told me how she'd like to lounge around there sometime, so I decided to make it now. Kiba and I are old enough to take care of ourselves for awhile anyway, and I could temporarily fill in as clan head during her stay."

'Kiba? Of course! That's his sister, Inuzuka Hana!' Ino couldn't help but feel like an idiot for hardly recognizing a sibling from one of the rookie nine.

"So, you'd like a flower that tells your mother you love her with a note attached telling her about her gift?" Isaribi walked over and picked up a flower while Hana nodded. "While I'm sure you wanted to buy something flashy, I think a single rose of love would be your best bet. It may be the most common, but she'll definitely know what it means, and that'll probably mean more to her than a strange looking flower with a foreign name."

Hana simply smiled and agreed, while sending Ino a look which clearly said "where did you get this girl? She's good". The Yamanaka girl smirked.

A year and a half after arriving to Konoha, Isaribi was finally released from the medical facility. Sure enough, she was assigned to live with a guardian while adjusting to life in the Hidden Leaf, or so Tsunade claimed. In a move nobody expected, the Godaime assigned Mitarashi Anko custody of the former fish girl.

Put a little thought into the situation and it wouldn't have sounded so far fetched. The both of them shared a connection to a certain snake traitor, as well as understanding the feelings of loneliness better than most. While Naruto himself would've been an alternative choice, the demon vessel had already left with Jiraiya long over a year prior, effectively kicking him out of the running. There was another reason why Naruto's apartment wouldn't have made the greatest living quarters for her, but Tsunade never put it into account.

In a different village with the completed operation, Isaribi wanted to begin a new life, one far away from violence and death. Although Tsunade and Anko wondered if she'd become a shinobi, she quickly refused any offer without leaving any room for arguments. Unluckily for her, this decision didn't have a good start. Due to her appearance, any job she attempted to apply for was easily dismissed. No matter where she tried, whether it was a restaurant, a shop, or something in between, she simply couldn't get hired. Some would say they had enough people, while others didn't sugar-coat their words and simply denied her the chance because of her appearance.

When the familiar sadness from before started settling in and she was almost ready to finally give up, she came across Yamanaka Ino, one of the very few people she recognized in the village. After a few minutes of small talk, Isaribi asked her about any job opportunities, as well as her extraordinary luck in their pursuit. Without saying a word, Ino grabbed her hand and took the black haired girl to her families flower shop. Once inside, she gave her parents a brief overview of the situation and bingo! Isaribi entered the work force.

Watching her conversing with Hana, Ino felt extra proud of Isaribi's achievements. During her initial days working in the flower shop, she didn't have an inkling of the necessary communication skills necessary to sell a flower to even the most die-hard plant lovers, let alone someone who didn't even want to be there and was only considering buying their special person a flower because someone told them to. It wasn't the bandaged girl's fault. Sea Country as a whole actively shunned her at every given opportunity, never allowing the girl a chance at learning from a teacher.

Truth be told, she couldn't read or write, or correctly perform many other academic subjects people her age should've mastered years ago. When the Yamanakas realized this, the family decided to be the teachers Isaribi never had. Ino and her father Inoichi would help her communication skills for the shop, while Ino's mother, who luckily had some experience in teaching, instructed Isaribi in academics.

During time away from the shop, Anko would usually assist in the teaching as well. Or to be more precise, dragged academy teachers out of their homes and threa-…persuaded them to help Isaribi with her long overdue learning sessions. They never refused.

Ino stood up and walked towards Isaribi when she noticed the black haired girl preparing to write the note addressed to Hana's mother. Even with her progress in literature, one of the Yamanakas always worked alongside Isaribi during any of her shifts. Looking over her work, as well as checking her reading and writing in the case of any notes such as this one. As much as they've grown to like her, the flower shop was still a business. A misspelled word or meaning in a note on one of their flowers could ruin someone's special occasion.

Just as Isaribi finished the note with Ino's help, the door swung open revealing two teenage girls who ran towards the Yamanaka girl, breathing heavily. Isaribi had to refrain from shaking her head. These two belonged to a small gossip organization led by Ino that was always intent with staying up to date with Konoha's juiciest information. They most likely came as quickly as they could to report something stupid.

"Ino! Ino! We've got some hot news!"

"Yeah! You're not gonna believe it!"

Tilting her head in a questioning manner, Ino asked, "What is it?" Though she was somewhat curious, the two phrases those girls just used always came before gossip, whether good or bad. She wouldn't anticipate too much out of this one.

"The guy who defeated Hyuuga Neji in the Chuunin Exam finals, Uzumaki Naruto came back!"

"Yeah! He just came here through the northern entrance moments ago!"

Isaribi couldn't believe her ears. Did she just hear what she thought she heard? Naruto finally came back? The boy who understood her pain, who prevented her from becoming a monster, and gave her the chance at living the life she could only imagine, has returned?

She clearly remembered their time spent together in Sea Country like it was yesterday. When they first met, he saved her from Kabuto's old teammates, Yoroi and Misumi, and was kind to her even then, as he offered to help the girl with her groceries. The first time in Isaribi's life anyone tried to help her, and the girl brushed him off once she noticed the forehead protector stating his profession as a shinobi.

Her next encounter with the blond boy came totally unexpected. The regret she felt from refusing Naruto's aid was gnawing at her conscience, making her feel even worse than usual. Needing a break from the village, she took a swim in the ocean, one of the few benefits her experimental state provided. Being allowed to relax freely in the massive body of water was like a second home to Isaribi, away from the hateful glares and insults. While she was underwater, the bandaged girl noticed Naruto, who was under as well, moments away from drowning.

Without hesitation, she rushed to his side, and with a little mouth to mouth she succeeded in giving him the air he desperately required. After bringing him to her home, Naruto was extremely grateful and constantly commended her for the chivalrous act. Once again, she tried to separate herself from the boy, yelling at him to be left alone.

Their next meeting had the girl believing her life couldn't get any worse. Naruto, the only person who treated her better than dirt, saw the monster-like transformation that totally demolished her life. Although the shame Isaribi felt at the time was enormous, she was surprised to discover that Naruto didn't hate her at all. If anything, his care for her grew, and his desire to prevent her from becoming a real monster only increased. In the end, Naruto's words and actions bypassed her psychological defenses, especially after Anko flat out told the bandaged girl about the Kyuubi vessel's secret.

At that moment, Isaribi knew. Uzumaki Naruto had stolen her heart before the girl realized she even had one.

Her behavior during the time in the medical facility served as a testament to her feelings. No matter how painful, how hopeless she became during the operations, thinking about Naruto always gave her the strength to continue. The dream of being in his arms, telling him how she felt, as well as reciprocating the kindness and warmth she'd already received never failed to fill her heart with joy. Knowing that he would always accept her, regardless of the operations outcome, constantly restored any lost hope during her recovery.

Obviously, it came as a great disappointment once Isaribi's release from the medical facility arrived to find that Naruto had left the village for years. Even so, she wasn't about to let the life he'd given her go to waste. As much as she wanted him now, Isaribi would gladly wait for years, even decades for the boy, as long as they got their happy ending, healing their shared pain together.

Clearing her thoughts on the love of her life, Isaribi shot a look towards Ino that clearly stated "I am searching for him NOW".

Hearing about Naruto's return was definitely not what Ino had anticipated. She glanced towards Isaribi wondering how she'd handle the news. She immediately understood the girl's gesture and nodded with a smile on her features. She'd take care of the order, no problem.

From their extensive time as co-workers, not to mention the time spent during the dark haired girl's lessons, the two girls became close friends, and the Yamanaka could easily tell that Isaribi wanted the Naruto bad. If it was anyone else, Ino wouldn't understand how they could be interested in someone like Naruto; but with the bond they formed in Sea Country, Ino would've only been surprised if Isaribi didn't feel anything towards him. Being the bandaged girl's best friend, the blond girl felt obligated to ensure that Isaribi ended up with her beloved. A welcome home party for Naruto should do the trick. She began rubbing her hands together while scheming the perfect way to make that work.

Hana smiled at the news. "I know him! He's one of my brother's friends." She was also slightly surprised towards the gossiping girls. The Yamanaka Flower Shop was near the southern border of the village. If Naruto truly returned from the northern gate so recently, how could they know? Apparently, Ino's lackeys had been skillfully arranged all over the village to deliver the latest gossip at a moment's notice. She put that useful bit of knowledge to the back of her mind, with a non-existent chance of future retrieval.

As Isaribi walked towards the door, Hana's next words forced her to pick up the pace.

Thinking nothing of it, the Inuzuka added. "He was pretty cute too."

"There's no way you can refuse this time! Your flames of youth's desire to burn brighter will notallow it!"

"Once you put that on, your youthfulness will achieve a whole new level!"

"My adorable student is right! With this, the youthful passion within you will never be surpassed!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

A female's voice hastily interrupted before the duo began their youthful hug-fest. "For the last time, Gai-sensei, Lee-san, will you please stop offering these to me?"

The two directed their focus to the side and met the annoyed gaze of a certain freckled girl. The former kuniochi of the Hidden Village of Star, Hokuto. In her hands was an outfit of green spandex that's an impeccable facsimile to the ensemble that gave the bowl-cut duo a fraction of their notoriety.

Shortly after Naruto defeated the corrupted Akahoshi to save the village's youth, the Hidden Star never remained the same. What should've been a change for the better took a turn for the worst.

With the village's star destroyed coupled with the loss of their leader, regardless of his evil intent, the village fell into a state of anarchy. Nearly every adult was attempting to become Hoshikage by whatever means necessary, and because of Akahoshi's treachery, any balance of trust within the village was at an all time low.

Humanity's darkest vices were clearly displayed each passing day in the Star, as betrayal became an everyday occurrence. Even the children had to sleep with one eye open as yesterday's friends became today's enemies. Murders were committed without punishment and riots started at the drop of a hat. During one of these incidents, Hokuto was severely injured by an idiotic chuunin who figured an easy win would be a nice way to flaunt his skills. While some got wiser in the pursuit of power, others took the alternate route and attempted any idea to achieve their goal, no matter how stupid since the girl was only a genin and such a victory proved nothing in the eyes of the adults.

Although it only took a few days to recover, that time allowed Hokuto, as well as her friends Sumaru and Mizura the realization that their beloved village was on the verge of collapse. Knowing a better life lied elsewhere; Hokuto's friends assisted in her escape the day following her convalescence. As much as she wanted their accompaniment, Hokuto knew better. Becoming Hoshikage was Sumaru's dream, and he was far too stubborn to allow something like total anarchy to get in the way. He'll remain in the village 'til the day he dies, and Mizura would stay by his side as the voice of reason when his attitude begins swaying into dangerous territory.

"Nonsense! Unlike the others, Lee and I know true fashion when we see it!"

"Gai-sensei's right, Hokuto-san! The flames of youth take appearances very seriously!"

Hokuto giggled at their antics. If there's one thing she loved about Konoha, it's the overload of unique personalities nearly every individual in the village seemed to possess.

When she arrived in the Leaf, she was quickly escorted by the ANBU to the Hokage, where the former Star kunoichi informed Tsunade of her situation. After taking a brief moment of thought, the Godaime asked her if she'd like to remain in Konoha. Hokuto nodded happily and asked if she could become a shinobi. Unfortunately, there was one slight obstacle in the way of her request.

In the Hidden Star village, their shinobi used a meteorite that fell from the sky which had its own powerful chakra as the main method for training. Harnessing such power, however, came at a price. Training near the star forcibly strengthened one's chakra, but it also had a significant drawback of causing negative side effects to the body. An overload of chakra in the body is the most common, being lethal enough to kill. While it was true that shinobi who were able to master this form of training became very powerful, the large number of deaths in exchange for the minuscule number of such fighters was a tradeoff far too great to grant the Star village the kind of power they desired.

Hokuto herself was one of the many Star shinobi who participated in such a practice. Luckily, she had never gotten ill or injured from the training, but after a diagnostic Tsunade ran after hearing her story, the brunette was getting near the point of exceeding the amount of chakra her body can sustain. The Hokage informed her that if she continued using chakra in the staggering amount that an average shinobi would, she'd probably die in less than a year.

With this in mind, Tsunade allowed her a couple days in the village to think it over.

In a village full of strangers, Hokuto found herself bored out of her mind, simply thinking over everything that happened. Her musings were cut short, however, when she was approached by Tenten, one of the very few people she actually recognized. After a bit of small talk, the two girls went off to the training ground of Team Gai where Hokuto finally met the man with the gigantic eyebrows, Maito Gai.

-FLASHBACK-

"And that is why I can't be a shinobi anymore." Although she spent the first twenty minutes with the members of Team Gai in light conversation with Tenten and Neji and learning about the flames of youth from Gai and Lee, Hokuto eventually told them about her situation.

The group spent the next couple of minutes in silence. Who would've guessed the Star village was under such perilous turmoil? Or that Hokuto's chances at continuing her career as a shinobi were practically slim to none? Following what seemed like an eternity, Gai spoke to the former kunoichi, putting his youthfulness on a temporary hold as he used a more serious tone reserved for rare occasions such as this one.

"Hokuto-san, how good is your taijutsu? Please answer honestly."

The girl had a small smile on her face and answered sheepishly, "Well, to be honest, I was the best taijutsu user in our entire age group." Hokuto didn't like to brag, so she can only hope her answer seemed humble enough.

Whether her answer satisfied the man or not, Gai's expression didn't change. "If there is a way to continue being a shinobi, how hard are you willing to work for it?"

Off to the sides, Lee and Tenten had to restrain from smiling at the scene, knowing exactly how this would end. Even Neji was slightly enjoying it, although he kept any happy expressions well hidden. All three could tell they'd have another good friend in the very near future.

The former Star kunoichi stared him in the face, her determination never faltering, "As long as it isn't achieved through negative means, I will do whatever I can."

Gai smirked, pleased with the girl's answer. "Tell me, Hokuto-san. Would you be interested in becoming a taijutsu specialist like Lee?"

-END FLASHBACK-

Once the idea was presented to Tsunade, she agreed instantly, saying that Hokuto's situation had turned out for the best. As the unoffical member of Team Gai, Hokuto spent nearly all her time under the rigorous training that Maito Gai was famous for. Said training only increased a few months after, once Lee, Tenten, and Neji passed the Chuunin Exams on their second try, giving the youthful jounin extra time to focus on her taijutsu.

Although training under Gai and Lee was by far the most difficult experience of her life, the results from nearly two and half years under the bowl cut jounin's wing were astounding. Sure she could hardly use ninjutsu or genjutsu and she was still a genin, but with taijutsu that's already near jounin level, Hokuto has provided the village populace with yet another concrete example for the undisputable fact that Maito Gai was the epitome of attaining unrivaled taijutsu.

Not only that, but the training had also given her one of the sexiest bodies in the village. With such a rigorous workout, Hokuto kept her slim figure, while gaining a lean, muscular body. The kind that could only be achieved through excessive physical training. The kind of body most dieting women aimed for. Her muscular, trim figure had the average man literally drooling in her direction.

Hokuto gasped while looking at her wrist, pretending there was a watch. She exclaimed in mock disappointment. "Well, look at the time! As much as I hate to refuse yet another offer to wear such fine clothing, I think we should all go and see Tenten-san since her mission just ended a couple hours ago."

It was a game they played. The bowl cut duo would always try to convert her into a lover of green spandex, and she'd find whatever means possible to weasel her way out of it. At first, Hokuto believed they were serious about the change in attire, since she always was considered Maito Gai's second apprentice. Around the fortieth time they asked, however, the former Star kunoichi realized they were only having fun with her so she then decided to play along. As strange as the massive eyebrow pair are, Hokuto considers both of them great friends, and wouldn't change a thing about them. Things simply get entertaining when Gai and Lee are involved.

Not wanting to ruin the fun, Gai didn't miss a beat. "Very well! We'll each go home to clean up and then meet up to find Tenten and Neji! Dismissed!" The chuunin and genin both gave mock salutes, then each headed to their respective homes.

On her way back, Hokuto sighed. As fond as she's grown of the Leaf, the freckled girl always felt as though something was missing. Something in the form of a blond haired, blue eyed shinobi bearing three whiskers on each of his cheeks. Although it sounded silly, but during her escape to Konoha, Hokuto found herself looking forward to the sight of Naruto more and more with every passing moment.

Just when exactly did she gain these kinds of feelings for the blond boy? Was it during their first encounter, when he instantly forgave her when she attacked him and accidentally squashed his food? When the blond immediately rushed to help her friends when they'd gone to retrieve the star themselves? Could it have happened when she noticed how happy Mizura became from using the cane that Naruto made for him? Was it when he defended Sumaru's mother, knowing he was going against orders, all for her sake as well as her friends? Could it have been the time he saved her life, along with the rest of the villagers from Akahoshi? Or was it after they separated, and she had begun to realize just how much she enjoyed his company?

Whatever the answer was, it didn't really matter at this point in time. While she couldn't say she loved him, she can admit to turning down any guy who asked her out, all for the opportunity to have a chance with Naruto upon his return. She'd even learn to cook a mean Amaguriya youkan, since she remembered how much fun the two had while eating it when they first met. In Hokuto's eyes, there was only one guy she saw herself dating, and that was Uzumaki Naruto.

While Lee and, to a lesser extent, Neji were both close friends of hers, any chance of going further with either is akin to the probability of Uchiha Sasuke giving his brother nothing more than a slap on the wrist whenever their next meeting occured. In other words, it would never happen, in this lifetime or the next.

Arriving at her destination, she shook off her thoughts and went inside. 'I guess I'll just take a shower, and have some instant ramen. The guy who owns this place has enough in here to last an eternity.'

Little did Hokuto know, that she would be on the receiving end of the surprise of her life much sooner than she'd ever imagined.

A/N

As I'm sure you've noticed, I'll be trying to give each filler girl some connection to at least one person from the main plot, and with a plausible reason for them to be in Konoha (It is a harem fic, so it obviously can't be completely realistic).

I'll also admit that Hokuto doesn't go perfectly along with the filler, since Tsunade could probably heal any damage she might have, and making her into a taijutsu specialist might not make a whole lot of sense to some people. But I really like the idea so that's how it's gonna be (and there will be an explanation for it later).

I'm sure some people are probably disappointed that Isaribi is still wearing her bandages and for the record, Fuku will be staying fat. Sorry, but this needs to stay. In most harems, I've noticed that every girl in them is simply drop-dead gorgeous. Well, in this story, I'd like some girls to remain beautiful, while some are the exact opposite, and others are somewhere in between. Not trying to start an argument, just stating my opinion.

(EDIT – 6/17/07) – Fixed a good deal of errors, as well as cleaned up some of the AN a little bit and moved it to the Naruto/Matsuri section.

See ya

Big-Babidi