Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto verse or any character therein in this story. Only the idea for this is mine. Hope you are enjoying it so far. Reviews are appreciated. I know it's a short chapter but there's only so much that can happen right now.

The Honeymoon Mission

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Five:

When they had walked into the village Naruto, as Natsu, looked at everything. At first she kept up with the others but her head was in constant left to right motion as she tried to see everything the small town had to show her. Konoha was bigger but this was new and she wanted to see it all. She slowed and slower until finally she was barely moving at all. She stopped at every booth looking carefully at what she saw but made no attempt to touch any of it. Every crossroads she stopped and looked both ways before crossing the intersection. Sometimes she turned and took a few steps in one direction or another before one of the others would call her attention back to where they were headed. Wonder and curiosity were clear in her face as she took in the sights.

"Will you come on?" Sakura shouted at her. "You're slowing us up."

"It's so different," Natsu murmured.

"Well of course it is, Baka. You didn't expect it to be just like home, did you? Hi no Sato isn't and our class went there plenty of times," said Sakura.

"It isn't? We did? But I . . . I just . . . . assumed. . . ." Her voice trailed off as the sound of playing children caught her ears and her feet automatically turned in their direction.

"Natsu?" asked Kakashi, drawing her attention back to him. "Haven't you ever left Konoha before?" She looked back to where she thought the park was, shaking her head silently.

"Nani! Of course you have. We took field trips all the time at the academy," Sakura said.

"Naruto was never on them," said Sasuke. "I know. I looked for him to be sure he'd have a tent and supplies."

All of a sudden everything clicked into place for Kakashi. No wonder she'd been so quiet all the way here. It wasn't only being in a girl form and needing to concentrate on what she was doing. It was also being outside the village for the first time in her life. All the sights and sounds of the world were now being heard for the first time and she needed the silence to separate them into known reference samples. Her headache that first day also made perfect sense now. He hadn't allowed time for someone with her senses to adjust to a world full of new sounds in their dash to get here. He stepped back to her side and took a hold of her arm.

"Come on. I'll bring you out later to explore but for now let's go drop our bags off," he told her quietly. He led her down the street to the hotel they would be staying at. Sasuke and Sakura were arguing ahead of them with Sakura insisting that Naruto had to have attended at least one camp-out in order to be allowed to graduate and Sasuke insisting Naruto hadn't attended any. Sasuke told Sakura Naruto had a special pass for that requirement because he had no guardians to sign the waiver for him to go camping and therefore could not gain the permissions slip every child had to have for the camp-outs.

Kakashi asked Natsu about it and she wrinkled her nose. "He's sort of right. Jijii could have signed for me but he didn't think I'd be safe so he wouldn't. Neither would Koharu-Obasan. So they did give Iruka-nii a special pass for me to skip that requirement but only because they're the reason I wasn't allowed to go in the first place. They thought it was too dangerous for me since the academy teachers would be trying to keep an eye on active kids that outnumbered them four or five to one." She sighed. "I didn't really want to go once they explained they wouldn't be able to get to me if anything happened anyway. So the pass for the graduation was better."

When they checked in, the manager showed them to their rooms. Sakura and Sasuke had a single bedroom with an attached bathroom while Kakashi and Natsu got a suite of rooms. Sakura was tickled pink with the coziness of her and Sasuke's room thinking and remarking out loud how it would make a wonderful tale to tell their friends in later years when they were asked where their first son came from. She didn't see the shudder Sasuke could not repress or the horrified look on the manager as he took in the color of her hair. The manager quickly ran through a list of amenties directing Sasuke and Sakura's attention to the hours the diningroom was open for the customers use. and left the young couple to their own devices to show Natsu and Kakashi to their rooms instead.

Natsu blushed a fiery red which only got deeper the manager pulled the door of that room shut while opening the door to the suite of rooms Natsu and Kakashi would use. All ready his eyes had noted the differences between the two girls. This little one was gently bred and sheltered in ways that other girl only thought she was. Natsu couldn't hide the blush as she saw the single double wide bed in the room the manager showed to her and Kakashi. It had a deep red velvet cover printed with cranes, tortoises and plum blossoms; the traditional symbols for good luck and many blessings on a marriage. Behind the manager came serving maids who laid out a traditional wedding spread on the table in the room for Kakashi and Natsu. Lobster and a platter of fish, arranged to lay in a complete and unbroken circle, accompanied opened and prepared clams still on the shell. The shells were unbroken with the clam meat divided equally onto each half of the shell.

Sakura went into such squeals of joy over the accommodations that had been given to Sasuke and her, Natsu shudderred and quickly shut the door to their rooms on the noise. Kakashi chuckled as she did so since she was bracing the door with her hands as if that would be enough to stop the noise from reaching her. Luckily he was already in the room, and the serving girls weren't, as she did so. Otherwise, he might not have gotten in and they might not have gotten out. She might be only a few months younger than Sakura was but there was definitely a world of difference between the two girls.

Kakashi had also already swept the room for any devices they needed to know of and came up empty. Now he leaned against the window sill watching the small blond he was mock married to and was, surprisingly enough, wishing it wasn't a mock marriage at all. The girl was adorable. She turned once the door was closed and surveyed the room for every exit, identifying and cataloguing every single door and window in the place. Then they both heard the click and her eyes went wide. He raised a brow but as Natsu turned back to the door to test the knob he was moving to her side. It was locked. She frowned as she glared and muttered, "Jijii, you are sooo getting your butt kicked when I get back there."

Kakashi was directly behind her and clearly heard what she muttered. "And why is that?"

She jumped but turned her face up to him. Anger smoldered in the depth of her eyes as she growled, "None of your business, Sensei."

"Hm. I think it is if you think you can threaten to kick the Hokage's butt over a wrinkle in a mission, Natsu."

"I don't think I can. I know I can because this isn't any little unplanned wrinkle. That old goat is playing games. Games I don't appreciate." She kicked the door once before she moved around him to stand in the center of the room.

He turned to face her leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her with a lazy seeming eye. "And what game is he playing now? He's not even here. There's no way he knows someone locked us in our room."

"Don't bet on it. Senile old goat. Where are you sleeping? I'll pick my spot after you name yours."

"With you, of course," he said, watching her carefully. "For now, you are my wife. That means, whoever comes to make up that bed will expect to see we both slept in it. So we will." She gave him a suspicious look and he grinned. "It's still a mission, Natsu. Tent in the wild on the road or fancy room in a hotel. It's still a mission. I didn't molest you in the tent and I won't now. Relax. Besides, you aren't Sakura or Ino." As if I could ever even bring myself to think of touching either of them. Ewww. But the final comment did the trick as her wariness vanished.

"You . . .Ino? But isn't she. . . .And Sakura?. . .I thought you didn't like Sakura-chan. You always shudder when she's around."

He decided to change the subject, moving from the door to the table as he did so. He hadn't known Naruto had seen him shudderring when Sakura was screeching or called him Kaka as if he'd be ok with a nickname like that. heck he hadn't known Naruto paid that much attention to him to notice his small movements like that one. "Well, maybe Sasuke and Sakura are still free to move about and will get our door unlocked for us." Without thinking about it he picked up a clam from the tray and ate it, watching as she joined him and picked at the fish.

"Uh. . .ok. Sure they will. . .Not." He raised a brow. "Sakura will be doing everything in her power to get Sasuke to bed her now that we have arrived. She knows she only has until you open that scroll Jijii gave you in the morning. So she won't give him a chance to get away from her now. And since they really are married he can't really tell her no and that's only if they aren't locked in as well though I suspect they are. Given Jijii knows how reluctant Sasuke is to do his duty in this way. At least, he is with her."

"So you think when we checked in the manager had orders to lock us in our rooms for the night?"

"It would be logical for their door to be locked," she nodded.

"But why ours?" As she shrugged, choosing not to tell him, he answered for himself. "Because this way we can truthfully say there was nothing we could do that would not cause damages to the hotel. I see. Sneaky Sandaime."

"Sneaky isn't my word for him right now," she growled fixing a plate of food for herself.

After eating her fill Natsu went to get a shower. Not being used to sharing her living space, she forgot to grab a change of clothes before she did though. Deciding to be helpful, he went to her bag to find something for her to wear for sleeping. Besides he was curious as to what was in it. So far she hadn't opened it at all. He knew the bag would be full of honeymoon type clothing but hoped the Hokage had specified to whomever had done the shopping it was only for show. Natsu would kill if she had to wear something like Sakura had been wearing that first night on the road. He wasn't too sure he wouldn't kill someone over it if he had to see the little blonde in it. Even if he did know, to everyone else in the world, that same little blond was a boy. Or supposed to be a boy anyway. Even if all he ever had with that little blond was a student teacher relationship he still might just kill someone if he ever saw her in clothes like Sakura had been wearing. At that moment he decided if her bag was full of the same type of crap he was going out tomorrow and buying her new clothes. No way was he going to see her wearing that garbage for one minute longer than necessary.

So it was with relief he found a sky blue full length nightgown made of the finest silk with a matching robe, slippers and underwear and decided it would do. The plain looking gown had spaghetti straps and a modest cleavage in a form fitting bodice but flared under the breast to flow gently down to the ankles. When he put his hand under the silk to test it's transparency he was pleased to note the weave was not so fine or thin as to make the gown risque. It was just beautiful or it would be on Natsu.

His decision made he took the clothes to the bathroom and knocked briefly before opening the door and setting the clothes on the toilet seat lid. His eye had automatically gone to the shower and he stood there transfixed by her form as she washed her hair. Her body might be small, all of maybe four feet and eight or nine inches now, but it was absolutely perfect. The growth spurt of the last year had pushed her height up some but she was still tiny compared to other girls her age and definitely a midget compared to the boys. But each measurement was perfectly matched to the others making an overall picture of true undeniable beauty and grace. He snapped out of his shock as she moved to rinse the soap out of her hair by throwing her head up and into the spray. Quietly he stepped out and pulled the door closed behind him.

Meanwhile Natsu was just being informed of her bathroom visitor. "Your mate brought you his choice of clothing for tonight. I think he liked what he saw when he looked at you, Kit."

Natsu flushed beet red the color going from her brow to her chest before fading to invisibility. "KYU! Don't say things like that. And.. . .And next time warn me when someone knocks on the door."

"I can't help it you were deep in thought and didn't hear him knock."

"What did he come in for again? And why does he like Ino? I know he doesn't like Sakura. But why Ino?"

"I don't think he does Kit. I know he liked what he saw here in this shower. And I know you were tense and nervous and not believing him. So I think he said whatever name he thought you'd recognize and relax. But as for why he came in, he brought you clothes to wear. So the first step in the tradition is met."

"Tradition?"

"Hai. Don't worry about it. Only demons have to observe this ritual. Not their vessels. But you will wear the clothes he brought you, Kit.

"Oh....kay....."

"It's not bad. You know I can't do anything to hurt you. We've been over this before. Many times, Kit. That monkey man hardwired the seal to make damn sure whatever I do to hurt you gets repaid in kind ten fold. So relax already. Your man wants you to also. Just finish your shower and let's see what his taste are."

Kakashi paced the bedroom while she finished her shower. He had a sneaky suspicion that ceremony Sarutobi had put them through wasn't nearly as fake as he had assumed it was. Earlier he had been wishing his marriage wasn't so much a mock one after all but now. . .Somehow right now he had a feeling Sasuke wasn't the only guy on team seven to find himself saddled with a real wife he hadn't asked for and somehow he just bet Natsu knew it also. That's why the kid was so mad at the Hokage. She knew or at least suspected what he had done. One thing for sure though. If she did suspect or know he was her husband she wasn't any too happy about it. Damn it, Sarutobi, he growled mentally. Why the hell couldn't you just tell me and let me do my own courting? Sheesh.

Natsu came out wearing the clothes he had taken in for her and toweling her hair dry. He growled at her and snapped, "Explain to me exactly what you think Hokage-sama did that has you so ticked off with him, Naruto."

Her eyes opened and she looked at him carefully. He noted the gown was, as he'd thought, a perfect match to her eyes and a hell of a lot sexier on her than it appeared to be. He gulped quietly. Why hadn't he kept looking for a better gown? Maybe something in flannel or gingham. Hell that gown looked as if she'd modeled for it while the seamstress had cut and measured the specially dyed fabric. Damn. This image was going to haunt his dreams for sure now that he'd seen her in it. "Why?" She sat herself at the dressing table and looked at him through the mirror as she picked up her hairbrush and turning her attention to her hair.

"Because certain things are not adding up. Or rather I would say they are adding up but I am not liking how they are adding up."

"Then join the club. Neither do I. Nor does Sasuke. The only one happy with this whole mess is Sakura and that's because she's an immature fan-girl who doesn't know a damn thing about real life." Almost as a whisper, and with tear-filled smokey blue eyes she added, "But soon she will be the most unhappy of all of us. When she finds her husband really does not like her, she will be crushed. It will be made worse when she is impregnated artificially because he will not and probably can not perform with her for her." She looked at Kakashi in the mirror to find him looking seriously back at her.

"Sasuke is gay?" he asked and she nodded, hesitantly before shrugging. He had crossed the room and took the brush from her hand. Unthinkingly he began to pull the tangles from it channeling warm air currents through it to aid it in drying.

"I don't know. Maybe but I don't think he is," Some doubt clouded her voice but she explained what she knew anyhow. "There's an intern at the hospital he has been spending a lot of time with lately. More than he does with anyone else anyway. The guy wears glasses and has white hair but he's young. Not much older than we are. That's why Jijii let the council marry him off to Sakura. Kiku said she would be happy if she was his wife and able to turn a blind eye to his real lover so long as she had his child to love. The council wants his child because then it doesn't matter if Sasuke dies for his revenge. The village will still have an Uchiha. All we have to do is keep him in the village until the child is born healthy and viable. Though I'm sure Jijii was serious about the multiple wives part also."

"I don't think his intern will stand for multiple wives," snickered Kakashi. But then he sobered. "And what was the deal with us?"

Natsu didn't answer him. At least not the question he'd asked her. All she said was, "Go get a shower, Kakashi-Sensei. Body odor removing jutsu may be good enough for the field but real water and soap is always better." She took her brush back before standing up. Then she tiredly removed her robe and slid into bed, too sleepy now to argue with him over anything or care what he was thinking or feeling as he watched her.

He had watched her take off the robe and get into bed in awe. She moved as if being a girl was the most natural thing in the world to her. Maybe Sasuke had been right and this was her true form. She certainly was more graceful in this form than her boy form. He went to get his shower, taking her used towel with him. Never disagree with the female you're going to share sleeping space with, after all. He did want to wake up with all the parts Kami gave him still intact. And if he was right, he'd be spending a lot more nights lying beside her.

Two hours later, he was in bed and trying to stay on his own side so as not to freak out his bed partner. Natsu rolled over in her sleep, unconsciously seeking the warmth she had been feeling the last few nights of their journey here. She snuggled into his side and he found himself wrapping one arm around her to hold her close to him. Small she might be but she fit to his side as perfectly as if she'd been born and formed for just that purpose. Ah hell. Who was he kidding? He wanted to hold her just as much as it seemed she wanted to be held. He sighed as he gave in and wrapped the other arm about her turning to face her in the bed. His lips brushed her forehead as he whispered "Good night, Natsu Sukai. Sweet dreams."