A/N: Hello again. I hope you all are well and are looking forward to reading this chapter. There are quite a few tender moments in this one. You have been warned. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and as always please review. It makes this even more worthwhile to get some feedback.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Text examples:
"Hello." Biju or jinchuriki using biju's powers speaking
'Hi.' Person thinking
'Hi there.' Person speaking through mental link
'Howdy.' Biju speaking through mental link
Chapter 4: Good Days Come
The young red head made her way down the street, double checking her map to make sure that she was going the right way. She had already gotten lost once and was not planning on doing so again if she could help it. Naruko had made a wrong turn and collided with a ninja that was wearing a pair of black glasses and had the cloth of this forehead protector covering his hair. The red head managed to stay on her feet and was off like a shot. The ninja had landed on his ass and was yelling after the girl about watching where she was going. Naruko ran full force towards the Hyuga Compound and reached the gates with ten minutes to spar. The little girl was huffing and puffing when she finally stopped. After a moment's rest she knocked on the gates. A big man opened the gates and looked down at the girl.
"State your name and business here." Naruko put on her best smile as she bowed to the man.
"Naruko Uzumaki. I am here to have lunch with Lady Hinata Hyuga." Naruko was grateful for all the lessons Aika had given her on proper etiquette for such situations even if they were a bore at the time. The man looked at the girl. She was wearing a white sun dress with a floral pattern and matching shoes. The red head did not seem to be dressed well enough to be seeing the heir, but he knew better to then assume so pulled out the list of names that he had been given that morning. Half way down the list was the name Naruko Namikaze. The man looked at the girl.
"Your name isn't on my list." Naruko looked confused. She did not think that the Hyuga women would have forgotten about her, but Kurama had a notion in mind as to why her name was not on the list.
'Kit. I told Lady Himeko who your parents were. She might have thought that you used your father's family name.' Naruko decided to give it a try.
"What about Naruko Namikaze. That was my father's family name. Uzumaki was my mother's and that is the one I usually go by." The man looked at the girl for a moment before he nodded and allowed her to pass.
"Wait at the entrance. Someone will be along to see you inside." Naruko bowed to the man again and made her way inside.
'Thanks Dad.' The girl was smiling to herself.
'You're welcome kit.' He was always glad to help.
Naruko waited by the entrance for a few moments before a woman in a traditional kimono came to collect the girl and escorted her inside. The red head was amazed by how rich the Hyugas seem to be. She had not really paid attention the night before since she had been too focused on trying to find Hinata. Every wall seemed to have a painting on it and everything seemed to be polished and clean. They reached a door and the woman opened it for Naruko. The red head stepped inside and looked around. The room was fairly big with a low square table that had two pillows on either side. Naruko walked to the left and kneeled down on the pillow there as the door was closed behind her. After a few moments the door opposite her opened. She smiled at the person standing there.
"Hello Aunt Himeko." The Hyuga woman smiled as she saw Naruko give a little bow from where she was kneeling. Himeko walked over to the girl.
"Hello Naruko. I'm glad you could make it. Hinata's lesson should just be ending so she should be along shortly. I just wanted to say hello and see if you had any preferences about lunch." Naruko was grateful for the woman's consideration. Himeko could have just as easily had a servant come in to ask, but the woman had taken the time to do it herself. The gesture was not lost on the red head.
"Thank you Aunt Himeko. I'll eat anything with meat in it, as long as it isn't fox." Himko became grim for a moment as she thought about what she just heard. She realized that since Naruko was half fox demon if she ate anything with fox in it, it would be a form of cannibalism. The woman came out of her thoughts to see Naruko looking up at her.
"Of course Naruko. No need to worry about that. I think we have some chicken that is already being prepared by the chefs. I'll make sure you and Hinata get some." Naruko bowed to the woman to show thanks. Himeko smiled and leaned over to rub Naruko's head. The girl let out a cute fox like noise as she felt her head rubbed. Himeko pulled her hand back in surprise. Naruko had a little blush on her face when she looked at the woman.
"Sorry about that. I like getting my head rubbed and scratched. Same goes for my tail. Momma Aika says I act just like a fox kit does when it happens." Himeko took a moment to think. She did not know who Aika was, but she figured the woman must be one of Naruko's caretakers. The Hyuga woman was glad that someone looked out for the girl.
"It's alright Naruko. I was just surprised." The two smiled at each other and then heard a door open and close. They looked over at the door to see Hinata standing there. The girl was wearing a dark blue formal looking kimono that appeared to be made out of silk. Naruko could not help but notices how nicely the other girl was dressed.
"Hinata! That kimono looks great on you! It's like you're a princess." Hinata's face turned as red as Naruko's hair and her mother chuckled a little.
"Well Hinata is the heir to the Hyuga clan so she is kind of like a princess." Naruko was shocked. She figured that the two Hyugas were high up there in the ranks of the clan, but she never realized that they were that high. The red head felt excitement well up inside her.
"That's so cool! Now I know another heir just like me. I'm so glad I met you Princess!" The red head bounced on her knees a little. Himeko smiled at the new nickname for her daughter. Hinata really did fit the role of a princess. Then a thought occurred to the Hyuga woman.
"I didn't realize that the Fourth Hokage had made the Namikaze an official clan." Naruko shook her head. By this time Hinata had kneeled down on the open cushion and looked at the two in front of her. The red head waved at her friend before she turned back to Himeko.
"My father was born a civilian and never received clan status. I was talking about the Uzumaki clan." It dawned on Himeko that the girl was in fact the last of the Uzumaki and rightful head of her clan, even if she was the last one.
"I see. Well I'll leave you two alone. I'll make sure you get some of that chicken Naruko." The Hyuga woman and Naruko bowed slightly to each other before the woman turned and made her way out of the room. Naruko looked at Hinata with a mischievous grin on her face. Hinata was about to say something, but was silenced when the red head leapt over the table and tackled her to the ground. The red head's grin turned evil as she began to tickle the poor Hyuga girl. Hinata was yelping and laughing all at the same time while she squirmed around under the red head.
"Naruko! Stop!" The fox girl instantly stopped and looked at Hinata. Naruko had never heard the shy girl shout before. Hinata took a moment to catch her breath before sitting up and facing the red head. Naruko bit her lip. The Hyuga girl looked angry and Naruko did not want her new friend to be angry with her so she took the other girl into her arms and squeezed her tight.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think you would hate it that much." Naruko rubbed her cheek against Hinata's in a form of apology. A pleasant scent filled her nose. Lilacs. Hinata smelled like lilacs. How had she not noticed before? The blue haired girl raised her arms and hugged Naruko back. Naruko smiled brightly. Hinata gave better hugs than her Momma. Hinata's hug felt warm, comforting, caring, and most of all right. The red head felt right being in Hinata's arms. The Hyuga girl let out a sigh of contentment.
"I didn't hate it at all. It's just that no one has ever done that to me before. I was surprised." Hinata was red by this point. It had actually been kind of fun, but she had no idea what was happening so she was a little scared too. Naruko pulled back and looked at Hinata with big eyes.
"No one's ever tickled you before?" The thought alone seemed impossible to Naruko. Hinata was still blushing as she nodded her head. "Well it's a lot of fun to be tickled and to tickle someone too. Here give it a try." Naruko took one of Hinata's hands in her own and brought it to her side. "Just wiggle your fingers a bit." Hinata nodded again and began to wiggle her fingers against Naruko's ribs. The red head let out a very fox like yelp and began to laugh uncontrollably. Hinata started to smile and brought her remaining hand to Naruko's other side and began to tickle the girl there as well. Naruko fell to the floor unable to keep herself upright as she laughed. Hinata was having a good time. It really was fun to tickle someone. Her smile faded a bit as she felt hands on her sides. The Hyuga girl paused for a moment and looked at Naruko.
"Don't think you can win that easily." Naruko grinned evilly as she began to tickle Hinata again. The two eventually ended up in an all-out tickle fight. Both were laughing and had on smiles that seemed to never want to leave their faces. Himeko waited outside the door with the girls' lunch. She had heard the laughing and peeked inside to see the two girls rolling about on the floor. A smile graced the woman's lips. She was glad her daughter had found such a good friend. Once she the laughter died down she opened the door and walked in.
"Hello girls. I've got your lunch." The two girls shot straight up from where they were lying together on the floor. Naruko had a 'hand caught in the cookie jar' kind of look on her face while Hinata had her head down to keep her mother from seeing her blush. She could feel the heat on her face rising even higher. Naruko was about to speak when she noticed the shy girl begin to sway. Hinata fell to the floor.
"Hinata!" Naruko was at her friend's side in an instant as Himeko made her way over to the two, placing the lunch down on the table as she passed it. Naruko looked at the woman and Himeko could see the panic in the girl's eyes. "What happened to her?" Himeko lifted Hinata's back with an arm as she placed the other on Naruko's shoulder.
"She's alright. She just fainted. She does that sometimes when she gets too flushed. She'll wake up in a few minutes." Naruko let out a sigh of relief as she looked back at her friend. Watching Hinata fall like that scared her more than anything else she had ever experienced before. She brought her hand up and rubbed Hinata cheek.
"Thank goodness." Himeko smiled at how much the girl cared for her daughter. She looked down as she felt Hinata stir. She leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
"Rise and shine sunflower. You gave Naruko quite the scare." Hinata sat up and looked between her mother and Naruko. The Hyuga girl started to blush again.
"I'm sorry Naruko." The red head leaned forward and hugged the girl.
"It's okay. I just didn't know what was going on. Now I know, so I won't panic if it happens again." Himeko had an image running through her head of Naruko picking up a fainted Hinata and carrying her away. The image put a smile on the woman's face.
"Alright you two get to eating before your lunch gets cold." The girls nodded and got up off the ground and headed to the table to eat. Himeko made it to the door before she stopped for minute and turned back around to look at the girls. They were already eating and Naruko was commenting how good the food was. "Naruko?" The red head made a noise of acknowledgement since her mouth was full. "How about you come by tomorrow as well? Maybe the two of you could go get dinner and then come back here for a sleep over?" Naruko's smile could light up a room.
"That sounds great Aunt Himeko! Does it sound okay to you Princess?" Hinata smiled a little with a blush on her face as she nodded. She liked her new nickname even if it was a bit embarrassing. Himeko was pleased.
"Okay. Be here by six tomorrow to pick up Hinata and be sure to be back by eight. I don't want you two being out too late." Both the girls nodded before Himeko turned to leave. Naruko and Hinata continued their meal after the woman left and they talked about all sorts of things. They both had a really good time.
-The Jolly Toad-
Jiraiya had walked into his favorite bar a few hours ago and was still nursing his first drink. Despite what people thought, the man did not go to bars to get drunk. Mostly he went to bars to think. That and to do research of course, but that was not is reason today. Something about the atmosphere always made him feel relaxed and calm. He could always clear his head at a bar and think things through. And he definitely needed to do some thinking that day. He was a failure. He had been neglecting his goddaughter and he had not even realized it. No. He had realized it. He just ignored it. He would not admit it, but he had not stopped mourning Minato's death. The man was like a son to him and the pain that Jiraiya had felt at the loss of the man had not lessened over the years. That pain made him blind to what was in front of him, a small girl who needed his help. Jiraiya's thoughts were interrupted when someone sat down across the table from him. The white haired man looked up.
"I need to do better sensei." Hiruzen nodded. It seemed that he did not need to talk to the man about Naruko after all. Maybe just give him a push in the right direction.
"I'm glad you realized that Jiraiya. Maybe you could use this as a wakeup call, to get up and move on with your life. Minato is dead and nothing you can do will change that. So why don't you do right by him by taking care of his daughter?" Jiraiya took the words to heart. He needed to move on, for Naruko's sake if not his own. He could not just keep leaving her in hotel rooms and letting her wander by herself, even if she could hold her own in a fight. He needed to shape up.
"Thank you sensei." Hiruzen smiled at his former student. He had a feeling things would work out. The Hokage pulled out a fresh bottle of sake to pour a glass for himself and refill Jiraiya's cup. The two spent the next few hours drinking and enjoying each other's company.
-Konoha Hotel-
Naruko had spent the rest of her day after leaving the Hyuga Compound exploring the village. She had gotten dinner at Ichiraku's again and then returned to the hotel to turn in early. Rika must have had the night off because she was not behind the counter and a middle aged man was standing in her place. Naruko figured that the man was Rika's father. The red head woke up in the morning looking forward to the day. She was glad she got to see Hinata for a third day in a row. All she had to do was figure out something to do until she had to go pick up the shy girl. Naruko got ready for the day and decided it was time for breakfast so she made her way to the door. She opened it and saw Jiraiya against the opposite wall. It looked like the man had spent the night there. Naruko found it kind of funny that the man had still yet to sleep in his room. The red head smiled a little and walked up to her gramps before soundly kicking him in the shin. Jiraiya let out a yelp and clutched his leg. He angrily looked around to see who had hit him. When his eyes landed on Naruko he seemed to calm down.
"Can we talk?" Naruko did not know what to say. The man looked serious, far more serious than she had ever seen him before. She wondered if it was because of what she said yesterday. After a few moments Naruko nodded her head and gestured for him to follow her as they went into her room. Jiraiya looked around. The suite seemed nice. Naruko took a seat on her bed and Jiraiya stayed standing. They locked eyes for a moment and Naruko sighed.
"What did you want to talk about?" Jiraiya took in a deep breath and lowered his head.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I've been a horrible godfather to you. I let your father's death affect me far more than it should have. I should have been there for you instead of just leaving you by yourself, but I couldn't bear being around you for too long. It just brought all my pain back. I was selfish. I should have worked though my pain to take care of you. I realize now that what I did was wrong. I wanted to ask if you could forgive me, if you could give me another chance. I'll change if I have to. I'm sorry." Jiraiya stopped and he heard the sound of someone crying. He looked up and saw Naruko nodding her head as she wiped tears from her eyes. The big man walked over to her and took her into a hug. Naruko wrapped her arms around the man's neck and cried into his shoulder.
"I forgive you. I forgive you." Naruko repeated those words over and over again. She was happy. Her Gramps had finally started to come around. A few tears ran down the man's face as he held is goddaughter, a smile on his lips.
"Thank you." Naruko stopped crying and nodded.
"You're welcome. And you don't even really need to change. Just spend some more time with me. That's all I really want." Jiraiya felt happy. For the first time in the last four years he felt truly happy.
"I can do that. Tell you what. Once we get back on the road again I'll start teaching how to be a proper ninja. I guarantee that by the time I'm finished with you you'll be a hundred times better than any of the academy graduates." Naruko had a huge grin on her face. She liked the sound of that. Then the red head heard a loud growl come from her Gramp's stomach. That set the two off laughing. Naruko shook her head as she looked at Jiraiya.
"Come on let's get some breakfast." The small girl took the big man's hand and they headed downstairs. The two had their breakfast together as they told jokes and Naruko talked about how she met Hinata. When they had finished Jiraiya took her on a tour of the village. He took her to his old training ground, his favorite hot spring, and even the Hokage Monument. It was almost five when Naruko finally realized that she still needed to get ready for the sleep over with Hinata.
"Gramps! I need to get back to the hotel! I'm sleeping over at Hinata's tonight and I'm supposed to be there by six. I'll see you tomorrow." Once the words were out of her mouth Naruko ran to the end of the Monument and leapt off the side. Jiraiya was stunned for a moment before he ran to the edge and looked over. His jaw dropped. The girl was sliding down the side of the Monument. He realized that she was using her chakra as a buffer between her shoes and the rock surface allowing her to just slide down the Monument with ease. If this was any indication of what she would be able to do once she was a trained ninja, her future looked very promising.
-Hyuga Compound-
Himeko was standing at the gates with Hinata's hand in her own and a worried look on her face. It was already six-thirty and she did not think Naruko would be late, especially when it involved her daughter. After just a few days the two already seemed like they grew up together by how attached they were to each other. The Hyuga woman was worried that something might have happened to the girl. What if someone found out she was a half-demon and they hurt her? She could not stand to think about that type of thing so she banished the thought from her head. Just as she was about to take Hinata back inside she saw someone round the corner down the street and run towards them. Himeko smiled as Naruko stopped a few feet in front of her and bent over breathing heavily. It was clear the girl had run all the way to the compound.
"I'm sorry I'm late. Gramps and I ended up spending the day together and I lost track of time. I was half way here when I realized that I didn't have anything ready for the sleep over so I had to run back to the hotel and then I ran all the way here." The girl was still trying to catch her breath and Himeko had to smile. Naruko was such an honest child.
"It's alright Naruko. All that matters is that you're here now. Isn't that right Hinata?" The shy girl nodded her head as she smiled at the other girl. Hinata let go of her mother's hand and walked up the other girl and wrapped her arms around the red head. Naruko was happy that she was forgiven and hugged Hinata back. Himeko was a bit surprised, she never saw her daughter be so bold before. Naruko really did seem to be good for her daughter. Hinata pulled away a little so she could look at Naruko.
"Hello Naruko." Naruko chuckled a little.
"Hi Hinata." The girls were beaming at each other and Himeko was beaming right along with them.
"So where are you two going to go eat?" Naruko turned to the Hyuga woman and grinned.
-Ichiraku Ramen-
Naruko had taken Hinata to the best place to eat in the entire world, as far as the red head was concerned anyway. They had walked hand in hand the entire way to the ramen shop while Naruko told Hinata about her day. The shy girl did not say much but that did not bother Naruko at all. The red head knew that Hinata may be quiet, but she was a good listener and Naruko could tell that the Hyuga girl liked her stories. Hinata always seemed to smile when Naruko told stories. The two reached the shop and saw Teuchi behind the counter.
"Hey Uncle Teuchi!" The man turned and smiled as he saw his favorite new customer.
"Hey there Naruko. Back again I see. Who's your friend?" The man was curious. He had never seen the blue haired girl around before.
"This is Hinata. She's my best friend!" Teuchi smiled as he saw the blush form on Hinata face.
"Well any friend of my best new customer is a friend of mine. Come have a seat. What do you want to try tonight?" Naruko looked up at the menu hanging above the counter. She had already tried Ichiraku's pork ramen last night and had the shio ramen the night before. She had a very serious look on her face as she turned to Hinata.
"I can't pick. What do you want Hinata?" The Hyuga girl looked away and down at the counter.
"I d-don't know. I've ne-never had ramen before." Naruko fell off of her stool.
"You've never had RAMEN before?!" What kind of sheltered life did Hinata live to never have had ramen before? It must have been a nightmare. Hinata was bright red as she shook her head. Teuchi took pity on the girl.
"Naruko a lot of kids your age haven't had ramen before. I didn't try ramen for the first time till I was five and my family owns this shop." Naruko looked at the man stunned. She took a moment to recover before she looked back at Hinata.
"I'm sorry for shouting Hinata. I guess I always just assumed that everyone had tried ramen before." Hinata looked at the red head and saw her scratching the back of her head with an apologetic look on her face. Hinata smiled.
"It's okay Naruko. I understand." Naruko smiled back at Hinata and took her seat again. Teuchi was happy that the girls bounced back so quickly. Sometimes little girls could let the smallest things ruin a friendship.
"Alright Naruko, since you don't know what to order and Hinata has never had ramen before how about I cook up the house special?" The two girls nodded and he went to work on making two orders of the house special. As he worked he heard Naruko chatting away. The other girl did not seem to be talking much so he wondered if she was not having a good time, but every time he looked over his shoulder the blue haired girl was smiling. He guessed that that was just how they were. Naruko did the talking and Hinata did the listening. Whatever worked, right? As he handed the order to the two girls he noticed his daughter approaching.
"Hey Ayame. Did you get those eggs I wanted?" The girls at the counter stopped eating and turned to look behind them. Ayame was walking towards them with some bags in her hands. Ayame looked to be a few years older than the girls. She reached the counter and put the bags down.
"Yeah dad I did. I also got the pork from the butcher you like." Teuchi smiled. His favorite butcher had the best pork available.
"Thanks Ayame. Oh these are two are Naruko and Hinata. Naruko is the girl I was telling you about." Naruko waved at the girl while Hinata bowed her head. Ayame waved back.
"It's nice to meet you both. Like my father mentioned I'm Ayame. Naruko, dad tells me you really like our ramen." Naruko grinned and nodded.
"Yeah it's great! You're so lucky this place is going to be yours someday." Naruko thought that Ayame was the luckiest girl in the world. Ayame sigh and had a resigned look on her face.
"I guess. I like cooking, but I don't know if I want to spend the rest of my life making ramen." Naruko looked stricken. How could anyone not want to own a ramen shop? Teuchi let out a sigh.
"I know sweetie and once your older and I have some more help around here you can go travel like you want to." Teuchi knew that his daughter wanted to travel and he would not be the one to hold her back. Naruko looked at Ayame for a moment.
"Ayame if you don't want to run this place you can give it to me. I'll take really good care of it." Ayame and her father laughed at the statement. The girl really did love ramen. The four chatted for a while longer before Ayame went inside with the groceries, after she left Hinata and Naruko finished up there ramen before heading back to the Compound.
-Hyuga Compound-
The girls made it back to the compound just before eight as requested by Himeko and the woman met them at the gate. She led them inside and escorted them to Hinata's room. Himeko also showed Naruko where the closest bathroom was. Naruko thanked the woman and bowed as she left. The girls decided to take turns in the bath and get ready for bed. Naruko got the bath first then Hinata. The red head had some loose fitting clothes on as she looked around the girl's room. There was a big king sized bed centered against a wall facing a big TV that had windows on either side. There were a bunch of cushions laid out in front of the TV along with a VCR on top of some shelves full of movies. There was also a door that led to a walk in closet and a large book shelf that lined the remaining wall. All in all it was a very nice room. Naruko turned to look at the door as she heard it open and saw Hinata walk in.
"Hey Princess. You look really pretty." Hinata stopped and fiddled with her night gown. It was one of her nicer ones that her mother had given her as a gift.
"T-thank you Na-naruko, you l-look pretty t-too." The red head reddened a little and waved her hand back and forth as if to dismiss the notion.
"No I don't I'm just wearing some old clothes. Yours are all nice and fancy." Hinata walked up to the girl and took her hand.
"I think you look pretty in anything." Naruko's got even redder. She was not used to being complimented. It usually embarrassed her but it felt nice hearing it come from Hinata. Naruko looked down at her feet.
"Thanks Hinata." Hinata had a smile on her face. She was surprised that Naruko could get embarrassed like she could. The red head always seemed so self-assured.
"You're welcome Naru." Naruko looked back up at Hinata and smiled brightly at the girl. Hinata had given her a nickname. Hinata had given her a nickname! Naruko was bouncing up and down a little in excitement before hugging the girl.
"You're the best Princess!" The Hyuga girl hugged Naruko back. The two stayed that way for a moment before they separated and Naruko turned towards the TV.
"Want to watch a movie?" Hinata nodded and the two girls went in search of a movie to watch. They picked out a comedy and sat down to watch it. They both laughed a lot and enjoyed the movie immensely. An action movie was put on next and Naruko was excitedly pointing out all the different moves in the fight scenes. Hinata found more entertainment in Naruko's reenactment than the actual movie. The Hyuga girl pulled out her favorite romance movie and the girls snuggled close together as they watched the two lovers overcome adversity. It had gotten late so Himeko decided to check on the girls. She peeked in to find credits rolling on the TV and the two girls asleep cuddled up together on the cushions. The woman smiled at the sight and walked into the room. She shut the TV off before she bent down and picked up the two girls so she could put them to bed. Once she tucked them in she kissed both girls on the top of the head and moved towards the door.
"Good night girls. Pleasant dreams." With that she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Naruko and Hinata cuddled together as sweet dreams played through their heads.
A/N: And that's Chapter 4, I hope you all enjoyed it. I just want to let you all know that from now on I'll be updating every other week on Wednesday. My internship is taking up a bit of my time and I am also looking for a part-time job as well, so to avoid falling behind I'm using the two weeks as a buffer to write so this thing keeps on going. Look forward to the next chapter. Things will get a bit more serious.