"Hikari-chan! HIKARI-CHAN!" Hikari looked up sharply from where she was setting a bowl of rice on the table.
"Naruto?"
"Hikari-chan... Jiji..." She wiped her hands on a dry cloth and walked around the table, meeting the over-excited Naruto in front. It had been nearly three weeks since Hikari had taken Naruto in. Hikari had gone shopping with naruto and had dressed him in her own style, thankfully the shop owner wasnt too upset with Naruto being there as long as she was with him. Naruto himself dressed in a simple black pants, a white dress shirt, and an orange tux-like vest. Hikari bought him his own dark jacket with orange stripes down the sleeves and an orange lining. Soon the two were quickly settling into a routine. Each day Hikari would go to work or a mission, leaving Naruto to his own for the day. She would come home and the two would have dinner if it wasnt a mission day, and she usually read a book from a bookstore across the street to Naruto to help him learn better. She wondered idly when she was going to give into the urge to look at the Icha Icha series on display, if only out of morbid curiosity since Kakashi seemed to love it.
"What's wrong, Otouto?" Hikari asked, squating down at the panting blonde in front of her. "What about the Hiruzen-kun?"
"Jiji..." Naruto let out a gasping breath, then beamed up at her with a blinding grin. "I saw Jiji when I was getting the groceries and he came up to me and said I'm gonna be a ninja!" Hikari knew this day was coming, when Hiruzen would finally enroll Naruto in the academy. And that meant...
"Really?"
"Yeah! He told me to meet him at the Hokage Tower at three!" Hikari glanced up at the clock on the light blue walls. It was 2:55.
"The Hokage Tower is near the other side of town."
"Yeah, why?" Hikari glanced again at the clock and shrugged with a small grin.
"No reason. What do you think he wants?" Naruto shrugged, grinning broadly.
"I dunno, but he told me he'd tell me some good news when I got there! I had to tell you first! After putting away all your yucky vegetables for stir fry, of course!" Hikari's lips twitched in a smirk.
"Thank you, Naruto. You'll be a great ninja someday right?" Naruto nodded.
"I'll be the greatest ninja of all time! I'll... I'll become the savior of the world!" Hikari blinked down at him, but Naruto was looking away and towards the Hokage Mountain. "The Hokage's are the greatest, aren't they? People like that, giving their lives for Konoha and the good in the world... And everyone sees them that way, as heroes! As saviors!" Naruto turned to Hikari with a grin. "If I'm Hokage, then people will see me as a savior, right?" Hikari could easily see this as a key development for Naruto. The moment where he decides the dream that steers all his actions into becoming nodded.
"You'll be the greatest savior of all time, Naruto. I can guarantee it. If this is something you really want I can train you to be a great ninja." Then Hikari smirked. "But you'd better get going, little savior. It's almost three." Naruto gazed at the clock and his eyes widened comically.
"AIYA! WHAT?" Hikari smirked even wider as he was about to bolt, she caught his arm and shishined to the Hokages room. Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork and wa surprised at the sight.
"Hello Hikari-sama."
"Hello, Hiruzen-kun." Hikari smirked when Naruto looked at her wide eyed. "I will be training Naruto from now on. Expect him to be gone some days at the academy if they ever decide to tell you."
"Very well." Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe with a smile.
"Thats right Jiji! Hikari's gonna teach me!" Naruto yelled with a bright smile.
"You have a good teacher. Hikari-sama is one of the strongest in the village. And she is also the strictest." Naruto gulped but grinned anyway.
"I can do it! And I'm going to take that hat from you Jiji!"
"I'll wait for that day Naruto-kun."
Sarutobi Hiruzen eyed the clock on the wall of his office with something akin to disbelief, puffing away on his pipe. Really, when he had met Naruto in the market (buying vegetables of all things) and told him he had something to tell him. It would take a fool to not notice the new clothes and the fact that he was not nearly as thin as he used to be. Not to mention how careful he was about choosing the vegetables with a grimace on his face, as though the last thing he wished to be buying was the stuff. A normal reaction for any child, but highly unusual one since he had no one to tell him what he should and shouldn't eat.
When he'd made his usual rounds to the orphanage for the month, it was with something a seething rage on his face as the old woman stuttered out how she'd kicked the boy out almost a month ago and keeping the usual monthly payment that the Hokage usually sent to the boy. There was never such a day as when the man had so enjoyed filling out certain paperwork for the woman's arrest. Still, he'd nearly gone white (his hair was still gray, thank you very much) with worry as he realized the boy had likely been on his own the entire time, and had quickly decided on a new course of action in the boy's life. He'd been on his way to finish his little surprise when he'd run into the boy himself.
Buying vegetables, with those new clothes and that genuine grin even as the stall owner eyed him with distaste. Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork and was surprised at the sight of Hikari shushining into the room with Naruto.
"Hello Hikari-sama." Hiruzen greeted her good heartedly.
"Hello, Hiruzen-kun." Hikari smirked when Naruto looked at her wide eyed. "I will be training Naruto from now on. Expect him to be gone some days at the academy if they ever decide to tell you."
"Very well." Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe with a smile. It was rare that Hikari was willing to teach anyone her jutsu's.
"Thats right old man! Hikari is gonna teach me!" Naruto yelled with a bright smile.
"You have a good teacher. Hikari-sama is one of the strongest in the village. And she is also the strictest." Naruto gulped but grinned anyway. Hiruzen wanted to laugh at his expression.
"I can do it! And I'm going to take that hat from you old man!"
"I'll wait for that day Naruto-kun." Hiruzen smiled knowing that Naruto was in good hands.
"Naruto..." He allowed his features to become puzzled. "Why exactly were you late?" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Well, see... I got... lost... on the road to life?" He said as almost a question. Halfway across Hi no Kuni, a certain silver haired ANBU Captain shivered violently to hold in his sneeze, nearly giving himself away to the target he was stalking. After rubbing his bare arms and looking around thoughtfully, he shrugged and continued his work. (Hikari was probably talking about him again.) The Hokage raised an eyebrow at the sad excuse, but let the matter go.
"Naruto, what happened at the orphanage?" He asked kindly, looking the boy in the eye. Hikari also looked down at him with a small frown on her face. Naruto fiddled with the edge of his jacket, looking down and back up at him for a few moments.
"They... they told me that I shouldn't come back..." He muttered to the ground. "Or they'd break my legs and kill me so i couldn't get up again."
Crack!
Sarutobi and Naruto blinked at the broken pipe sitting on his desk, snapped in half by his clenched teeth. He coughed awkwardly as Hikari emitted a dark aura.
"... I see." Hikari swept the remains of the pipe into a small bin. Hiruzen reatched into his desk and grabbed a new pipe. "I was quite worried about you when I heard that you were kicked out. How have you been?"
"I..." Naruto looked up with a beaming face. "I met this nice old man at a ramen stand! He gave me ramen and was really nice to me! Ichiraku's is my new favorite place in the world, and ramen is amazing, Dattebayo!" For a moment, Hiruzen had a passing vision of a fiery red-head with a mischievous glint in her eye and an absolute love for ramen. He'd have to reimburse the man for his kindness. "Interesting." He murmured, looking at Naruto casually. "And where were you staying?"
Naruto smiling face didn't faulter. "Hikari-chan said I could live with her until we find an apartment 'to her standards'!" Hiruzen chuckeled and nodded at a smiling Hikari.
Naruto had immediately run up to Hikari as she closed up shop with Teuchi and told her about his most recent visit Jiji and that he was paying his half of Hikari's rent and he could start buying ninja items and—what was with that glint in Hikari's eye? Hikari nelt down to his eye level and said that she'd like to help him pick out his new items, and Naruto was so excited that he practically dragged her all the way to the store that Jiji had recommended.
"Come on, Hikari-chan! It's orange!" Hikari shivered when Naruto tried to convince her to buy him a pure orange jumpsuit like the one in her visions.
"Exactly. Otouto," She sighed and rubbed the back of her head in annoyance. "Do you know why ninjas wear dark colors?" Naruto made a face.
"Because they're boring?" Hikari scowled.
"No otouto, it's because they don't want to be seen." She said patiently. "What will you do if you're trying to stay hidden from someone that could easily kill you? And your wearing something that makes it easier for them to see you and kill you the second they see you?" Naruto's eyes widened at her logic before he looked thoughtfully at the orange suit again.
"I think I'd like try to blend in." He finally said. Hikari nodded in approval.
"Exactly," She said again. "You are not going to go and make yourself a target for others, do you hear me?" She said firmly. "There's nothing wrong with a little orange, but wearing something like this is like walking around with a 'kill me now' sign on your back. Come," Hikari said, dragging Naruto away from a horrible future of discusting orange jumpsuits. "Let's find something a little better and get some ninja supplise."
"You're just saying that 'cuz you like dark colors." He grumbled. Hikari grinned down at him and bundled up the pile she'd made.
"Exactly. And that's why I've always come back from a mission alive. Now try this." She shoved the bundle into Naruto's arms and directed him to the changing room.
"Hikari-chaaan!" Naruto whined, but closed the door to the dressing room with a huff. She waited patiently until he emerged, then looked him up and down with a raised eyebrow.
"Hmm. Well?" Hikari had brought him some dark, typical shinobi pants, an orange dress shirt and a black vest to go with it.
(I added other clothes styles like Lolita and all that good stuff since i love the style. I also really see Naruto wearing stuff like that)
Naruto shifted and tugged at the collar for a second, then grinned.
"It's actually not that bad!" He chirped, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "You were right, Hikari-chan! Too much orange is bad, but this is just right!" Hikari felt as though she had just accomplished something amazing. They got a few scrolls full of begginer sealing jutsu's since Hikari hadn't used them in a few centeries and needed to get back on the ball. Naruto was an Uzumaki so she figured that he would have a great time learning it.
"Wake up, Otouto. its time for your first day of the ninja academy." Naruto only twitched in his sleep and rolled over, mumbling to himself.
"Don' wanna..." Hikari sighed.
"Do you really want to be late to your first day at the ninja academy, otouto?" She asked again.
"Am I late!?" He yelped, falling out of his bed and tangling himself in the sheets. He finally untangled himself and stared at her.
"Iie."
Naruto rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. "Hikari-chan, will I really not be late?" She smirked.
"Iie. You have an hour to get ready and be there on time." Naruto whimpered, then blinked.
"Don't you have to work?" He asked. Hikari shook her head.
"I have the day off." She said, motioning to the table as she cleaned up the pan she had been cooking on and put it away. Naruto beamed, then sat at the table and began eating.
"Mu men mu amamami phu?" Naruto asked through a mouth full of eggs. Hikari shot him an dark blank stare, making him swallow reflexively. "Did you go to the academy too?" He asked excitedly. Hikari blinked and nodded her head.
"Yes I did. I graduated with a class of 24 students." She said flatly. "The ninja academy isn't something that you should worry about. Please try to learn as much as you can there. I will also be teaching you. but the academy does things different than I do, and there are certain things that you need to remember how to do there to graduate." Naruto watched as Hikari adjusted his orange outfiit after he finished his food.
"So..." He trailed off, rubbing his arms. "Hikari-chan..." Hikari raised a brow. "Are you going to take me then?" Hikari nodded.
"I figured you might like me to." She said, shrugging. "My Haha-ue did for me." Naruto blinked, then stared hard at her. "Nervous?" She asked. Naruto shook his head.
"No way!" He exclaimed. "I'm gonna be Hokage someday, so the academy doesn't scare me at all! Dattebayo!" He trailed off. "But..." Hikari watched as he looked up at her rather pitifully. "What if they don't like me?" He said meekly. Hikari hesitated. It was a rather common question, and she could easily realize what he wanted to hear. She couldn't lie to him however.
"If that happens," She finally said. "Then you'll just have to show them how idiotic they are." Naruto grinned, laughing.
"Right! Because I'm..." He trailed off as he saw the clock on his stand. "I'm gonna be late if we don't leave soon!" He dragged Hikari out the door and they rushed to the academy with a smile on his face.
Hikari set the bowl of pork ramen in front of the brown haired man, watching in amusement as he gave a start from where he was staring thoughtfully out towards the street.
"Oh, thank you Hikari-senpai."
"No problem, Umino-kun." Iruka smiled warmly, snapping apart his chopsticks and digging into the meal. When the man had first arrived nearly two weeks ago, Hikari had stopped in surprise, then inwardly scolded herself. Hadn't she remembered that the man was a ramen fan? Inwardly she wondered if she should mention to either Iruka or Naruto about the other, seeing how while both were regular customers,they had never been there at the same time.
"So how was class today?" Hikari asked. Iruka leaned back and rubbed his face.
"One week into another year, and I can't keep up with the paperwork. Luckily Mizuki-kun is pretty good with helping me with that...there's one student in particular." He said, carefully watching Hikari's reaction. "Uzumaki Naruto." Hikari's eyes narrowed before smiling darkly.
"Something wrong?" She asked sharply. Hikari had never considered that Iruka might be a Naruto-hater.
"Nothing's wrong..." Iruka said slowly. "He's just... confusing." Hikari relaxed somewhat.
"How so?" She asked casually. Iruka watched her through interested eyes.
"What do you think of the Uzumaki?" He asked suddenly. Hikari glared at him.
"That depends," She said slowly. "On what you think about my answer." The chunin held up his hands as that dark smile came back.
"I'm just curious about why you're so interested." He said disarmingly. "You seemed almost worried."
"I'm raising him at the moment and he is my apprentice." She finally said. "Not many people look out for his well being." Iruka blinked in astonishment.
"Huh," He let out a long breath. "So you're the one he always talks about." She blinked.
"Nani?" She asked. Iruka chuckled, rubbing his nose.
"He always goes on about how he's going to be a savior some day." He said in bemusement. "And how he'll be the greatest Hokage of all time and protect his friends. A student once asked him what friends." Hikari scowled darkly, but Iruka ignored this. "And he stands and shouts to the entire class about a girl that told him that he would show everyone what a great savior he could be. He didn't mention any names, but I'm guessing that was you." He said. Hikari sighed, nodding.
"Always the little loudmouth," She muttered, though not unkindly. "Noisy brat. He's been okay in class though?" She demanded. Iruka rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Well, there was one incident with the chalkboard..."
"I heard you called Hiruzen-kun a closet pervert in the middle of class and wrote down some...unsavory things on the chalkboard, Otouto." Naruto nearly spat out his seventh bowl of ramen, instead choking on it. Hikari waited patiently for him to swallow, before asking him with a raised eyebrow "Where did you even learn those words?" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Some of the students were talking about one of the jonin-instructors being a pervert." He said sheepishly. "So I asked them why, and he said it was because of the book he was reading. I remembered Jiji has a book like the one they described, but he always keeps it hidden! So that makes him a closet pervert, right?" Naruto asked brightly, proud of his logic. Hikari only closed her eyes.
"That's right, Naruto." She finally managed. Naruto grinned, then looked at her carefully.
"You know, Hikari-chan..." He said slowly. "Jiji's book looks a lot like the orange one you keep in your pocket all the time, the one you won't let me read..."
"Because it is." Hikari stuffed a helping of noodles into Naruto's mouth, her face a fiery crimson. Her morbid curiosity of late had developed into an unhealthy obsession with the Icha Icha series. Despite the degrading acts of the women and the smut, it was actually a good read. The plot was quite good to have been written by Jiriya-boy, the scenarios were simply hilarious, and the scenes were... excitingly vivid...
"Hikari-chan,your nose is bleeding." Naruto looked worried. "I've seen people pass out from doing that! Are you okay?"
"Come, otouto." She finally said after Naruto finished his ramen. "Let's head over to the bookstore. I want to get something. And then we can start your training." Walking in the store, she greeted the woman behind the counter.
"Sasame-san." She greeted. Sasame nodded at Hikari.
"Hikari-sama. Have you come for the latest Icha Icha? Or are you not finished with the last one?" Hikari blushed heavily and looked away.
"Not quite but I wanted to get the next one just in case." She managed. Naruto looked between the two before pointing at Hikari accusingly.
"You're a closet pervert too, Hikari-chan!" He exclaimed loudly. Hikari slapped the back of his head and turned to Sasame pleasantly. Sasame handed her the book after she paid and they made their way to the park, where she released him and he pouted.
"I'm not a closet pervert if I admitted it. Today I'll teach you taijutsu. Get ready Otouto, we'll be doing this until midnight." Hikari grinned. Naruto groaned but complied.
Hikari pressed herself further into the wall, nearly crushing the boy behind her as she swore repeatedly in her head.
ShitshitshitSHIT! They just had to attack me the day i cant use my powers or any jutsu! She might have seen this coming. When she had first met Naruto all those months ago he'd been running from two men, after all. It was only natural that they'd come back months later, and that Hikari and Naruto would meet them while walking back from the park where they'd been training. Naruto still couldn't do taijustu well enough yet so she figured he need more practice. It was only natural that she would grab Naruto and run.
"Hikari-chan, are they gone?" Naruto whimpered, clinging tightly to Hikari's pants. She crouched down in front of Naruto as she scanned her surroundings.
"I don't think so." She said finally, just as one of the men shouted that he was going to look in the alley they'd hidden themselves in. Naruto whimpered again and huddled even further into her. Only to be pushed into a corner as she got in front of him, whispering harshly to stay back. She stood just as the man came in the alley, immediately drawing attention from him.
"Well, well, well..." The man drawled as he stumbled into the alley. Hikari quickly realized he was intoxicated, and scowled a little harder. "If it ain't the little demon's whore."
Hikari felt her blood run ice-cold as blinding fury rose in her heart as the man leered at her.
"Tell you what, Missy." He said lazily. "Give me the thing, and you can be my girl instea—OOF!" The man was cut off by a very sharp kick from said girl to... a very sensitive area.
"Like hell," Hikari spat. "If you touch Naruto I'll kill you!" She snarled. The man swore as he stumbled to stand up, grimacing in pain. He recovered and charged, fist swinging his meaty hands out for her.
"You bitch!" He roared. Hikari aimed a well placed left hook to a sensitive kidney. When the man exhaled sharply and leaned down to cover the injury, Hikari kneed him in the throat, twisting and turning the upward thrust into a roundhouse kick as her ankle hooked his shoulder.
Crack!
The man was sent back by Hikari's kick into the wall behind him, slamming his head against the wall. The other man came in soon after, and at the sight of his unconscious partner similar yells and blows were traded. Hikari picked up the still-shivering Naruto and carried him home, leaving behind two very broken and shamed men. Hikari hadn't noticed but she had a large gash running down her arm that she had somehow gotten.
"You're a ninja Hikari-chan, how come you didn't use any jutsu!" He cried as he looked at Hikari's large gash.
"Naruto. I have something I need to tell you. Something very important that you cant tell anyone else." She said finally. It was time. "I am not human. I am a goddess, the forgotten goddess to be exact." Hikari checked to make sure the door and all her windows were locked tightly and securely, dark blue curtain drawn and everything.
How could I be so stupid?
Taking Naruto to the park on October tenth was, in retrospect, like walking off a ship and into shark-infested waters. True, she hadn't quite realized such until she had locked them in the apartment and taken a glance at the calender, but it was her fault. If she hadn't been able to take care of the drunkards, what might have happened to him would have been her fault too. Especially since it also the one day that she loses all her powers and can barely protect herself. She blames her mother for that. Naruto looked at her with wide eyes as confusion played in them as tears ran down his face.
"How come you couldn't do anything when they tried to hurt us then?!"
"One day a year I lose all my powers because my Haha-ue cursed me." I said as I sat on the couch and pulled Naruto onto my lap.
"Why...why would she do that?" He asked as I wiped away his tears.
"Haha-ue wasn't the sane-est goddess and she had her occasional bouts of rage where she would curse one of us. She wasn't a bad person but her curses aren't always easy to break and are sometimes cruel."
"How do you break your curse Hikari-chan?"
"Ahh well...it's complicated. I'll explain it more when you graduate from the academy."
"Oh. Okay." Naruto leaned into her chest and she hugged him back as he wrapped his arms around her neck. "Ano, Hikari-chan..." Hikari looked down at Naruto, who was looked close to tears again. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. She blinked owlishly.
"Nani?" She said incredulously. "Iie, I'm sorry, Naruto. I should have realized the date. The park was easily the most idiotic thing I could have done. Not to mention," She grinned sheepishly. "That I forgot to give you your birthday present." Naruto stared at Hikari as though she'd grown two heads and a tail. Or maybe started wearing a pink princess dress, and smile, and be sugar sweet to people.
"He hurt you to get to me. I'm supposed to protect you though! Because I'm your savior!" Naruto buried his face into her neck. "And all I did was hide and cry!"
Hikari blinked down at Naruto. "Naruto," She said slowly. "You hid because you did the right thing." When Naruto looked up at her incredulously, she fixed him with a hard gaze. "What could I have done if I would have had to get you away from them and defeat them at the same time?" She cut off any protests with a stern look. "You're still in the academy. Your taijutsu is your worst subject. I know Iruka-kun, remember? You would have been killed. And then I would have to live with that." She tilted Naruto's chin up so that he was looking at her with wide, terrified eyes. "You would have gotten yourself killed and I would never see you again.."
Naruto burst into tears, clinging to her and sobbing his kind little heart out. Her eyes softened and she ruffled his hair gently.
"Maa, Naruto..." She murmured. "There's always going to be someone stronger than you. That's why you have friends to save you. You can't be the savior all the time. You have to rely on your friends when you're down for the count." Sitting on the edge of the couch with him in her arms she smiled widely." Happy birthday, Otouto." Hikari told him that he could open up his present tomorrow so that he would have enough sleep to make it to class.