The next morning Iruka awoke first to find his new wife sound asleep on his sofa in the living room when he could of sworn she was in her bedroom and since she didn't have much of her own clothing she was wearing one of his shirts and a pair of his pants to sleep in while her cloak among other things were in the wash. Not wanting to wake her since she looked more at peace in her sleep than he had seen in her being awake, he just placed a blanket over top of her and set about making breakfast as quietly as he could.
What good it done him to try to be quiet, when Naruto Uzumaki came marching into the apartment being his normally loud self;
"GOOD MORNING IRUKA SENSEI!"
His yelling woke up Faith with a fright, she jumped up off the sofa and ended up falling face first into the coffee table in front of her. Naruto ran to her trying to help her up but Faith just slapped his hands away and just sat there on the carpeted floor rubbing her sore cheek staring at him.
"Sorry Faith, I thought you were up already like Iruka Sensei."
"Geez Naruto, You're already getting into trouble this early in the morning...I thought I taught you better than that." That came from Kakashi Hatake who just appeared out of nowhere and seated himself at the Breakfast table.
"Kakashi Sensei what brings you by this early?"
"Oh nothing really, I was walking by and smelled that bacon Iruka is frying up and before I knew it...Well, Here I am...So what do you say Uminos, Care if I join you for some breakfast?"
Iruka who had almost everything done in the kitchen for their breakfast of Bacon, Ham, Eggs and French Toast, turned off the stove before answering Kakashi:
"No I don't mind but you and Naruto can't keep coming in here whenever you please...We are going to need our privacy at some point."
Both Kakashi and Naruto broke out laughing at that last remark much to Iruka and Faith's confusion that was until Naruto said:
"Oh Iruka Sensei, I think you been around Pervy Sage to long...Only one day of marriage and you are already wanting 'Privacy' time with your woman."
Iruka throw the oven-mitt he just took off at Naruto's head before telling him he didn't mean it like that.
Faith didn't say anything about that as she got to her feet moving closer to the table where Iruka was already placing large portions of food upon. She stood there staring at Iruka in his apron serving the meal that he cooked and she couldn't believe it was real.
"You cooked...But you're a man."
"Yes, I'm a man and I cooked, So what...I was also a very single man for a very long time, It was ether learn to cook for myself or not eat...Do you have a problem with me cooking?"
"Don't know...It's...Very strange...It's woman's job...Along with cleaning...At least, that is what me was told... Growing up was forced to do."
"Yeah maybe back in the old days Faith...You go tell that to any of the girls in this village and they will punch your lights out, Trust me I know from personal experience."
Naruto said that and then shuddered as he remembered telling Sakura that once and had to sport a black-eye for about a week.
"That may of been the way you had to live before Faith but not here and not with me being your husband...I am not going to force you to do anything...If you want to cook and clean then do it but not because you feel like you have too...I am perfectly capable of doing both...Now take a seat and let the man serve the woman for once."
Iruka pulled out her chair and waited for her to set down, Only she wasn't sitting.
"What now, Are you afraid Iruka Sensei is gonna pull the chair out from under you or something?" asked Naruto who was already seated himself next to Kakashi Hatake on the other side of the table.
"No Naruto...It's just that...Me never sat at a table before... Father always say floor was best for someone like me."
Iruka and Kakashi stared at each other in a knowing manner as Naruto for once couldn't believe it.
"What the hell was wrong with your old man...Making you eat off the floor like you're some kind of dog, Hell I know actual dogs that get treated better than that...Kiba doesn't even make Akamaru eat that way...No offence Faith but your dad was seriously fucked in the head...You were his only daughter and you deserved to be treated a hell of allot better than that."
Faith didn't respond to Naruto's outburst, she just had a sadden look on her face before she walked over and sat down in the chair Iruka still had pulled out for her. Iruka stood behind her moving his arms up and down trying to decide if he should risk hugging her again but in the end decided not to and instead placed a plate full of food in front of her and took his seat next to hers.
No one said anything for a long time after that, They just sat there eating until Faith was reaching for her cup of orange juice and her hand happened to be visible to Naruto and without thinking it through he asked her:
"How did you get those symbols?"
He went to touch her skin but she quickly jerked it back from him. Normally in a situation like this Iruka would try to scold Naruto but he and Kakashi both wanted to ask Faith that very same question and they were secretly hoping she would answer him.
Faith took up a knife off the table and the way she held it, It looked as if she was about to stab Naruto with it. Kakashi stood up and was reaching out to take it from her when she rammed it into the wooden table instead of Naruto Uzumaki, So Kakashi just sat back down and watched her along with Iruka and Naruto.
Faith then began carving out the same symbol Naruto had asked her about, The biggest one on her hand. She put the knife down and summoned up fire in the palm of her hand and pressed it into the symbol letting it burn for a minute before flipping her hand over, Now letting water rain down putting out the small fire.
Last she wiped away the ashes and said to Naruto: "That's how."
"Wait but you have hundreds of those symbols all over your body...Are you saying that was how all of them were done, by craving into your very flesh and then burning it." asked Kakashi who was having trouble containing his emotions like he normally does.
Faith couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud but she did manage to nod her head yes but she wanted to tell someone because she was tried of always holding it inside.
What she did end up saying though was: " Me deserved them."
Naruto and Iruka sat silently becoming angrier the more she said, Only Kakashi dared ask more questions even though he really didn't want to hear the answers, however he knew he needed to know for his own piece of mind and looking at the other two guys around the table they needed to hear it as well.
"How the hell could that sort of treatment been something you deserved?"
"They me punishment...if me disobeyed father...Or... me left me cage without permission..."
Kakashi stopped her after that cage part by talking over her saying:
"I knew it, It makes so much sense now...Why you only requested not be placed in a cage and even sleeping on the sofa instead of the bedroom here...Faith, Naruto was right you didn't deserve any of that and there is nothing you could of done that warranted that kind of punishment...Your father and whoever else helped him were just insanely twisted men and if anything they were the ones who deserved to be treated like that."
Suddenly Iruka slammed his glass of orange juice up against the nearest wall splattering O.J. dripping glass shards everywhere and scaring Faith right out of her seat. She fell backwards going down with her chair and smacking into the pans and other things still out on the counter that Iruka was using to cook with causing a rather large mess around her.
"Me so sorry... Me clean it, right away." said a very frighten Faith Umino to her angry husband Iruka.
However Faith was finding it more difficult then she thought to clean up the mess because she keep slipping on the broken egg shells and grease from the meats and still being in Iruka's pants wasn't helping with them being to long on her since he was so much taller then she was.
All of this would of been comical in any other setting but right here and now it wasn't the least bit funny to any of them.
"Faith stop, Just leave it alone...No sense in you hurting yourself over a something as petty as this mess!" said Iruka in a much more angrier voice then he wanted to use with her.
So it was not that big of a surprise to him when he want to try and help her stand up and she dropped down quickly backing away with her with her arms over her face like she was trying to protect herself from his punch. Something that Iruka had a sinking supposition that she has had to do too many times over the years in order to lessen the blow by the men who actually did strike her.
Iruka was not that type of man and instead he stumped off leaving the apartment because he badly needed some fresh air. He didn't go far, only outside his door where he rammed his fist into the wall of his new apartment and yelled out nonsense releasing some of his anger just as Kakashi Hatake came out to join him.
"Feel better now Iruka...You know you can't keep showing this side of yourself to her, Right?" asked Kakashi while making hand signs warning off the hidden ANBU who showed up to check out the ruckus since they were assigned to keep track of all of Faith Umino's movements.
"Yes I know that Kakashi and it is not Faith that I am angry with but her damn father...How can someone do something so cruel to their own child...I swear if he wasn't already dead, I would wring his neck myself for all he's done to her." Iruka hulled off and punched his wall again before resting his head up against it in defeat.
"I don't believe it was just her father involved...Those Knights that came here, I suspect they had a hand in everything and is the real reason behind why they are so hellbent on getting her back to their Kingdom as soon as possible...The longer she is away the more of a chance she has to expose their evil deeds to the outside world and something tells me they are not going to let her go without a fight especially their so called leader Christian whatever."
"Over my dead body...There is no way in hell, I will ever let them take her away from here and back into their little torture chamber even if that means I have to take them all out myself or die trying, then so be it!"
"My sentiments exactly Iruka...I'm giving you my word right here and now, That I will do everything in my power to make sure she stays safe but in the meantime you need to focus more on being her husband even if it is a sham of a marriage, You can still take advantage of this opportunity and help her to help herself by doing what it is you do best and teaching her there are other ways to live life...Did you really think I only suggested you to the Hokage because I wanted to mess with you or something...That is true to a certain degree but I also truly believe you have what it takes to reach her, After all you done it with Naruto."
"Well, I suppose we should head back inside now and try to savage what we can, I hated that look of fear she had when she thought she done something wrong by knocking over the stuff on the counter and I don't want her thinking she was the reason why I was so angry...So I'm going to try and explain to her as best I can."
Kakashi walked up and patted Iruka on his back before they walked back inside and what they saw they were not expecting at all. Faith was no longer the afraid woman they left and the floor was completely cleaned up not even a spot of dirt. She was doing dishes as Naruto sat on the countertop next to her dangling his legs while drying the dishes she handed him and talking her ear off about the Nine Tails.
"So his real name is Kurama and he talks to you in through your thoughts...That's so cool, Wish he would talk to me like that...Damn Fox just doesn't like me, I guess...Oh well, maybe one of these days we can be friends."
Kakashi cleared his throat making both Faith and Naruto stop their little chat and pay attention to him and Iruka.
"Oh hey Kakashi Sensei and Iruka Sensei welcome back."
Naruto waved at his Senseis before drying the last dish Faith handed him and hopping down off the countertop.
"Yeah, Anyways let's get out of here Naruto and go do some training."
Kakashi Hatake didn't give Naruto a choice because he grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him out of the Umino's apartment leaving Iruka alone with Faith.
Iruka rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous manner as he watched Faith finish up her cleaning. She came over to where he was standing and said:
"Naruto explain... Me, Sorry."
"Wait why are you sorry, I should be the one apologizing here...I never should of lost my temper like that, It just upset me listening to you talk about your horrible past and I want to make it very clear, It wasn't you that I was angry at...I don't ever want to hurt you, Faith...You have had way to many people do that to you already and I couldn't live with myself if I was added to that list."
Faith did something pleasantly unexpected in responds to his words, She actually smiled something Faith was not used to which is why she stood there touching the corners of her lips while Iruka found himself smiling back at her as he tried to explain to her what was happening and just like that peace was restored back into the Umino household.