A/N: I have come to realize that somehow I end up making fun of Kiba or putting him down in some way in this story even though I actually like the character. Don't worry though; good things will come to him eventually.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 12: The Next Step and Bad Habits
It was the day of the ceremony and Naruko could not be more nervous if she tried. The red head had been stressing about the ceremony since she had gotten up that morning and had been pacing around Hinata's bedroom for the last twenty minutes. Hinata had tried her best to calm her love down, but nothing she did seemed to work. Finally she got fed up and decided to use her trump card. She came at the red head from behind so she could grab the girl's shoulders without being noticed and spun Naruko around. Before Naruko could say anything Hinata pressed her lips against her fox girl's. Naruko tried to pull away but froze when Hinata forced her tongue into the red head's mouth. It was their first proper kiss so it was a bit awkward, but neither girl cared. All thoughts of the ceremony left Naruko's head and instead were replaced by a blissful haze. The two teens continued to kiss each other passionately with their arms wrapped around each other. They finally parted after a few minutes, both breathing heavily. Naruko had a stupid grin on her face.
"Where did that come from? Not that I'm complaining." Despite what she had just done Hinata still managed to get embarrassed by the question and blushed.
"Ino told me that's how boyfriends and girlfriends kiss and I've wanted to try it ever since she told me about it." Naruko blinked a few times before her whole face lit up.
"Girlfriends?" Hinata could not find her voice so instead she nodded. Naruko walked up the Hyuga heir and wrapped her arms around her. "We really are girlfriends, aren't we?" Again Hinata could only nod. "I don't know why I didn't realize that sooner. I love you Princess." Hinata felt her chin raised and she locked eyes with Naruko for a moment before the two shared another kiss. This one was much tamer than their previous one, but it was no less loving. Their lips finally part, but they stayed in each other's arms to enjoy the moment. Naruko rubbed her cheek against Hinata's in a sign of affection. She was quite pleased with the new turn in their relationship. The two had never bothered to put a label on it before, but something just felt right about the word. It felt so natural to say the word. Hinata hummed happily before she placed a peck on her girlfriend's cheek. It was not new girlfriend, just girlfriend. The two had already been together so long that the word new did not apply to them. They were each other's girlfriend and they could not be happier at the moment. Hinata pulled away to look into her red head's eyes once again.
"I love you too Naru." The fox girl smiled brightly before she stepped out of her girlfriend's arms. As she turned she grabbed the girl with one of her tails and led her to the closet. Naruko used her tail to pull her girl close to her and took her hand.
"Can you help me pick out what to wear?" Hinata smiled as she nodded.
-Senju Hall-
The hall at the Academy had high ceilings and tall windows. The floor was raised under the back windows making a small stage. There were enough seats for roughly thirty people and plenty of space in the back. All in all it was a nice place for a ceremony. Hinata and Naruko arrived early and found the place to mostly be empty. The only people there so far were the Hokage, a man with blond hair, and a woman with spikey brown hair. Obito took notice of the girls and waved them over. He smiled at the girls.
"Naruko, Hinata, it's good to see you both. Let me introduce you to Inoichi Yamanaka and Tsume Inuzuka. They are both clan heads so they will be acting as the witnesses along with Hiashi when he gets here." Naruko and Hinata bowed to the two clan heads. Tsume nodded at them and Inoichi chuckled.
"Such well-behaved and lovely girls, you remind me of my daughter." Naruko smiled at the man and Hinata blushed. They had taken their time that morning to get ready and were quite happy with the result. They had not gotten as dressed up as they had for the wedding, but they both still looked nice. Naruko wore red skirt with a black button down top and Hinata had on a lavender sundress. The fox girl's shirt was sleeveless so her silver bracelet was visible. Hinata wore her blue crystal necklace out for the occasion. Both girls were silently pleased that the other still wore their gift all the time. Naruko stepped forward and extended her hand. Inoichi took it and they shook.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. You wouldn't happen to be Ino's father would you." The man laughed a bit and nodded. Naruko turned to the woman and shook her hand as well. "And if I'm not mistaken you're Kiba's mother." Tsume nodded and grinned.
"That's right kid. My boy has talked quite a bit about you two actually, seems he has a crush on Hinata here." The quiet girl blushed and looked at the floor. Tsume chuckled at the reaction. "I can see why now, you're adorable." The comment got a laugh from the adults and Naruko smiled a bit. Tsume calmed down. "I don't suppose he has any chance with you does he?" Hinata looked over at Naruko and the two locked eyes. The red head took Hinata's hand and gave it a squeeze before they both looked at the woman. Hinata just smiled at Tsume.
"Not in the slightest." Tsume blinked a few times before she burst out laughing, the gesture clearly not lost on her.
"Well damn, I did not see that one coming, though now that I think about it, it makes sense. The pup did mention that you two were pretty much inseparable." Naruko was happy that her relationship with Hinata was accepted so quickly by the woman. Naruko smiled as she scratched the back of her head.
"Yeah, we've been together for a long time now, we just didn't know it back then." Naruko turned to her girlfriend and Hinata nodded in agreement. The adults all had different thoughts on the matter. Tsume was curious as to how long the girls had been together. Obito was glad that Naruko had found someone to love. Inoichi was curious if Hiashi knew about his daughter's relationship. He did not have anything against it, but he wondered in the Hyuga head did. All their thoughts were interrupted though when there was a loud bang near the entrance. Everyone turned and saw smoke slowly dissipate to reveal someone standing in front of a large banner. The banner said, 'The Magnificent Anko Congratulates Naruko on becoming The Uzumaki Clan Head!' Anko was standing proudly with a huge grin on her face as if she just accomplished something great. Her grin disappeared as Kurenai came up behind her and flicked her ear. Anko let out a small hiss as she turned towards her friend.
"What was that for?" Kurenai put her hand on the woman's shoulder and gestured to the room.
"We're early. Just like I said we would be." Anko seemed embarrassed as she realized that the genjutsu user was right. Kurenai gave Anko's shoulder a squeeze and the younger woman looked at her. They exchanged smiles before they walked to where the others were standing. They all exchanged greetings and engaged in conversation. While Kurenai was talking to the other adults Anko glanced to her left and caught Naruko looking at her. When their eyes met Naruko pointed to the young woman, then to Kurenai, and finally crossed her fingers with a questioning look on her face. Anko was still annoyed at the girl from the last time she had seen her so she just ignored her and turned her attention back to the conversation. Naruko just shook her head, those two needed to hurry up and get together already. The fox girl's ears twitched when she heard the doors open. She turned and saw Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino enter the hall. Ino saw Naruko first and waved.
"Hey Naruko." The red head grinned. The five friends met in the middle of the room. The girls all hugged each other and Ino started to complement Hinata and Naruko on how well they were dressed. Choji and Shikamaru tuned most of the conversation out. The door opened once again and Naruko excused herself to go greet the new comer.
"Rika!" The blond woman shrieked as she was tackled to the ground by Naruko. Rika glared at the teen.
"Naruko, get off of me." The red head smiled sheepishly as she got up and extended a hand for Rika to take. She helped the woman up and then threw her arms around her.
"I haven't seen you in forever! How are you Sis?" Rika laughed as she shook her head, some things never changed. She glanced around and was not surprised to see Anko and Kurenai sitting together talking quietly. That's how those two always were, off in their own little world. Rika raised her hand to get their attention and waved as her old friends turned to look at her. Kurenai raised her hand and Anko waved dramatically. The blond had to chuckle at how familiar the sight was. She shook her head before she turned back to Naruko.
"I'm good Naruko, just glad that I got time off for this, can't miss my little sister's big day." The two smiled warmly at each other. Naruko was touched that the woman thought of her as a sister. It was true that they did not see much of each other, but the times they had spent together were fond memories for both of them. Naruko's family was growing already and she did not even realize it. The two walked to the front of the hall and sat down to catch up. Hinata turned to make her way over to the pair, but changed direction when the doors open. She looked up and smiled as she saw her family walk in. Hiashi held Hanabi's hand as they walked up to Hinata. Hanabi raced ahead and took Hinata's hand. The blue haired teen smiled at her sister as she crouched down and hugged the little girl.
"Hello Hanabi. How are you today?" The brunette stepped out of the hug as Hinata stood again.
"It is going well sister. How are you?" Hinata looked over her shoulder and saw her girlfriend walking up to her. When the red head reached her they held hands and exchanged a caring look before Hinata turned back to her sister.
"Very well thank you." The sisters exchanged smiles. Hiashi had made it over to the three girls and placed his hand on top of Hanabi's head. He had a small smile on his face as he looked at the two teen girls.
"Naruko. Hinata. I trust you both are well." Both girls nodded and Hinata walked up and hugged her father. Hiashi's smile got just a little bit bigger as he wrapped his free arm around Hinata's back. She looked up at him fondly. Hiashi had mellowed over the years and began to act as the father he always wished to be, caring and supportive. After a moment they separated and began talking about the ceremony. More people arrived as Sakura walked in followed shortly by Shino, who had held the door open for her. The pink haired teen said her hellos and took a seat next to Ino saying that the rest of her team should be there shortly. Shino acknowledged his teammates with a nod and sat behind the other genin. Once Naruko was finished discussing the ceremony with Hiashi she and Hinata went and sat by their friends. They were all pretty engaged in conversation and would not have noticed the group approach them if Naruko had not smelled the scent of wet dog in the air. The red head turned and smiled.
"Hey Kiba." The brown haired teen raised his hand in greeting as he approached and would have been unhappy to learn that Naruko thought he smelled like a wet dog. He was accompanied by Akamaru, Sasuke, and a younger girl with long straight black hair that had a purple streak in it. The girl was definitely an Uchiha. She had the same black eyes and wore the usual blue shirt with a high collar that most Uchiha ninja wore. What was different about her was that her left arm was covered in bandages and she wore a leather glove on that hand. Naruko looked at the girl curiously. Sasuke saw the question on her face and decided to speak up.
"Naruko this is my cousin Sora, she's been living with my mom and I since the…" The teen trailed off and no one needed him to continue, they all knew he was referring to the Massacre. There was some tension in the air, but that never stopped Naruko before.
"If she's been staying with you for that long then why haven't I met her before?" Sasuke just chuckled.
"Because you've only ever been to my house once and that was for five seconds before you dragged me off to go spar." Naruko opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she realized that he was right. Sasuke smirked at her lack of response. Sora stepped forward and extended her hand for Naruko to take, which the red head did.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. As my cousin has said my name is Sora Uchiha and I take it that you are Naruko Uzumaki?" The red head grinned and nodded her head.
"It's good to meet you too Sora. I hope that we can get to know each other better." The black haired girl nodded and let go of Naruko's hand. Sasuke reached out to clasp arms with Naruko in their usual greeting. As they turned to go sit with everyone else Naruko patted Kiba on the back in greeting and scratched Akamaru's head. Kiba sat down between Hinata and Shino and the Uchiha filled in the rest of that row. Conversation once again picked up between everyone until Naruko was called over by the Hokage. She got up and walked to the front of the room. Obito smiled at her.
"We're all ready to go on our end. Once everyone arrives we can begin." Naruko nodded and turned around to take account of everyone in the room. Just about everyone she had invited was present. The only one who had replied to the invitation with a no was Jiraiya and that was because he was in the Land of Lightning, which was too far away for him to make it in time. The only other people missing were probably already ready and waiting to arrive. Naruko turned back to the Hokage.
"We're only missing a few more people and I can get them here right now." Before Obito could ask Naruko bit her thumb and preformed a jutsu. Five clouds of smoke appeared and as they dissipated they revealed Kurama, Aika, Isamu, and Chitose. Luckily they were all in human form with the exception of Isamu. Naruko smiled at her parents as she walked up to them and the three shared a group hug. "I'm so glad you could make it." Kurama chuckled.
"Of course kit." Aika leaned forward and placed a kiss on Naruko's forehead.
"We wouldn't miss this for the world." The fox girl smiled up at her parents brightly and then turned to greet Isamu and Chitose. She then looked over at the crowd and everyone was staring at the fox demons in surprise. Naruko grinned sheepishly as she realized that, with the exception of Hinata, no one had ever met her fox family before.
"Everybody this is my Dad, Kurama, and my Momma, Aika. And these are my friends Chitose and Isamu." Each individual nodded as their name was said. Chitose got a few strange looks when both her halves nodded at the same time. There were mixed reactions from the group at the news. Some seemed to accept it right away like Choji, Rika, and Sasuke. Shino and Shikamaru did not even seem to care. A few were even in complete disbelief like Ino and Sakura. The residence of the demon realm got a laugh from everyone's faces. The fox demons sat in the front row on the opposite side of the majority of the guests. Since everyone had arrived Naruko gave the Hokage the go ahead. Obito stood at the front of the room and waited a moment for everyone to quiet down.
"Hello everyone, I am glad you all could make it here today for the ceremony. As most you know Naruko Uzumaki is now thirteen and is old enough to be declared head of her clan. Normally this ceremony would have occurred on her thirteenth birthday, but she was not in the village at the time so we are having it now. So to begin, Naruko Uzumaki, are you of sound mind and sound body?" Naruko nodded.
"I am." Obito could not help but smile.
"Are you of a rightful age to take the title of clan head and all the responsibilities with it?" Again the red head nodded.
"I am." Most everyone was watching the scene intently. The only exception seemed to be Kiba who was staring at the ground like he was trying to decide on something.
"Do you promise to uphold the integrity of your clan and see to it that your clan prospers in the future?" Naruko smiled brightly.
"I do." Obito returned the smile and pulled out a small seal and held it out to the red head.
"As Hokage I hereby declare you head of the Uzumaki and present to you the official seal of the clan." Naruko bowed slightly as she took the seal. Obito placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Naruko Uzumaki, stand now as the head of the Uzumaki clan with all rights and privileges of that title bestowed upon you." Naruko turned and beamed at the crowd as they started clapping. Her smile slipped though when she noticed that Kiba had his arm draped across Hinata's shoulders and was trying to pull her closer to him despite the fact that Hinata was trying to pull away. Naruko got annoyed.
"Kiba! Get your hands off my girlfriend!" The entire room went silent and everyone turned to look at the Inuzuka teen. Kiba glanced around nervously before he took his arm off of the Hyuga teen's shoulders. Hinata let out a sigh of relief as she looked up at her love and smiled. Naruko smiled back and the entire room erupted in cheers and laughter. Many congratulations could be heard from the audience. Kurenai pulled out some money and handed it over to Anko. The younger woman took it and held up the victory sign towards Naruko. Ino had turned around to congratulate Hinata and Sakura nodded her head in agreement. Isamu smiled, pleased that the red head had found a mate. Choji stood up saying that he won the bet, but Shikamaru reminded him that the bet was for when they had their first date not when they became girlfriends. Chiaki looked at Naruko and smiled while Chiharu did the same as she looked at Hinata, it came in handy having two halves when you wanted to look in two directions at once. Rika smiled looking between the two teens, happy that their relationship was finally out in the open and she could stop pretending to be ignorant of it. Shino looked over at Kiba sympathetically, he was happy for Naruko and Hinata, but he was sad that his friend had lost out on the girl he liked. Kurama and Aika held hands as her looked fondly between their daughter and her girlfriend. Sasuke just smiled as he locked eyes with Naruko and nodded. With the ceremony over and everyone calmed down after the unexpected reveal the party began. Food was brought out and put on tables. People slowly began to make their way to the tables and congratulated the red head as they passed her. It did not take long for Naruko to find her girlfriend in the crowd and the two linked hands as they went to get food. They ended up in line behind Chitose who was behind Sora and Sasuke. The black haired girl kept glancing over her shoulder at the twins. Chitose just smiled at the girl. Naruko and Sasuke could tell that the girls wanted to talk to each other and decided to help things along. Naruko bent over so she could whisper in both halves' ear.
"Her name's Sora." Both halves of Chitose turned and smiled at Naruko before facing Sora once again. Chiharu reached out and tapped the Uchiha girl's shoulder and Sora turned.
"Hello Sora." "My proper name is Chitose." "But this half is known as Chiaki." "And this half is Chiharu." "It is a pleasure to meet you." The last sentence was spoken in perfect unison and Sora spent a moment just looking back and forth between the twins before a bright smile appeared on her face.
"That is so cool! You two are identical twins aren't you?" Chitose nodded. "I knew it! It must be so interesting having two bodies. I can't imagine what that would be like. The coordination it takes just to move must be incredible. Is it true that you feel the pain from both halves? What about your memories? Is there a distinction between the memories of each half, like do you know what memories came from what half? I would think that there would be some distinction as things would get rather confusing if there was not. And I'm rambling aren't I? I do that sometimes when I'm excited. My name is Sora Uchiha." Sora finally stopped talking and offered her hand to Chitose. The twins just smiled brightly at the girl, no one had ever accepted her so quickly and easily before. Chitose ignored the hand and quickly wrapped the girl in a hug from both sides. Sora froze for a second before she giggled and hugged the twins back. Naruko just blinked at the Uchiha girl.
"Sora, how did you know all that?" Sora was still in both sets of Chitose's arms when she looked up at Naruko.
"I read it in a book called Oddities of the Demon Realm." Both halves of Chitose pulled away to look at the girl.
"I am not an oddity." This was said by the twins at the same time. Sora looked a bit panicked.
"That's not what I meant. I don't think you're odd. It's just the name of the book. I actually think you're pretty amazing." Chitose smiled again and practically tackled Sora to the ground in a hug. Hinata smiled at the girls.
"Chitose is quite affectionate isn't she?" Naruko nodded her head in agreement and Sasuke looked at the girlfriends' linked hands as he chuckled.
"Reminds me another pair when they were younger." He looked directly at Naruko and Hinata as he said this and the two turned a bit red when they realized that he was right. They did act like that when they were younger. Even now they still did sometimes. It was finally their turn to get food and they did not skimp on the portion sizes. They found the rest of their friends and they all ate together. Obito came by and had Naruko fill out the remainder of the paperwork that had already been signed by Tsume, Hiashi, and Inoichi. The red head was more than happy to fill it all out. Once Obito left her Dad walked up to her.
"Naruko, could I have a moment to speak with you?" She nodded as she stood up.
"Sure Dad." Kurama turned and lead her to the far side of the room.
"Naruko, do you remember the stories I used to tell you about how you were born?" She nodded. "Well I'm not sure you ever realized this, but I never actually told you what happened to the man that attacked your mother and father." Kurama had Naruko's full attention. The red head had never known her birth parents, but she still loved them. They brought her into the world and from what Kurama had told her they had loved Naruko from the second that they found out that Kushina was pregnant. She grew up to stories about them from her Gramps and Dad. They always seemed like they were incredible people and she always wished that she could have known them longer. The fox girl looked up intently at her adoptive father.
"Go on." That one sentence was enough for Kurama. He could see the look of yearning in her eyes. She wanted to know what he had to tell her.
"As you know once I regained control of my own body I attacked him and drove him away from you all. What I never told you was that when I struck him down he disappeared like a clone. The one that attacked your parents is still alive. I'm sorry I never told you sooner. I didn't want you to spend your entire life looking for the man to take revenge. I hope you can understand." Kurama sighed as he looked down at the ground. It was hard for him to tell her everything, to admit his own failure. He still blamed himself sometimes for Minato's and Kushina's deaths. He was brought out of his own thoughts when Naruko hugged him. It brought relief to him to know that she had forgiven him and she had forgiven him. But there was still something dark in her that grew a little more each passing second now that she knew that the man that was responsible for her parents' death was still alive. But that was neither here nor now so the red head let out a sigh and buried her face deeper into her Dad's kimono.
"It's okay Dad. I understand." Kurama sighed in relief as he brought his arms up to hug his daughter back. She was his daughter, even if they were not related by blood, and that was what mattered most. Aika saw the scene unfold and smiled. She knew what they had been talking about. Kurama had told her years ago that the masked man had escaped and he had told her that he would tell Naruko when she was older. Aika walked up and wrapped her arms around the red head as well.
"Don't worry kit, we'll protect you. And now that you know that he is still alive you can keep an eye out for him." Naruko nodded as she turned to hug her Momma.
"Thanks Momma." The three separated after a moment and Naruko saw that Hinata was looking at them. The red head smiled and waved her girlfriend over. Hinata set her plate down as she stood up. When she reached the small family Naruko stepped forward and placed a light kiss on her Princess's lips. The action earned a pleasant smile from Aika and a chuckle from Kurama.
"Well congratulations on this as well kit. I always knew you two would end up together." Naruko turned and smiled at her Dad.
"Thanks Dad, I'm just glad you both approve." Aika stepped forward and took both teens into her arms.
"Of course we do Naruko. Hinata is a lovely girl and I'm sure she will make an excellent mate." Naruko and Hinata both blushed.
"Momma! We're only thirteen! We're not ready for that yet!" Aika chuckled as she stood up.
"But I bet you've both thought about it before." The two teens looked away from the fox woman as they got even redder. Kurama and Aika both laughed. The Fox clan head walked up to the girls and turned them around to lead them back to their friends.
"Alright you two, how about introducing Aika and me to everyone?" Naruko and Hinata were relieved to be spared from their embracement and happily introduced the demons to their friends. Everyone got up to greet Aika and Kurama as Naruko did the introductions. Once that was finished desert was served and everyone had some cake. It was already late so people slowly started to trickle over to say their goodbyes before they left. Kurenai reminded her team that they still had training tomorrow and she expected them all to be there on time. Everyone else left in groups of two or three depending on what directions they had to walk in. Naruko smiled pleasantly when she saw Sora and Chitose share a hug. The smile slipped though when she saw the sad look on the Uchiha girl's face. Naruko would have walked over to see what was wrong but Chitose hugged the girl again and must have said something because Sora smiled when they separated. Sora was half way to the door as she followed her cousin when she stopped and turned to wave goodbye to Chitose. The fox twins smiled and returned the wave. Naruko made her way to the twins and ruffled their hair. This got her a pair of annoyed looks that turned into sad ones as the twins said their goodbye. The rest of the fox demons then said their goodbyes as well and disappeared in five clouds of smoke as the summoning was undone. Soon the only people left in the room were Obito, Hinata, and Naruko. The Hokage smiled at the girls as they exited first so he could lock the door behind him. It had been a good night for all.
-Training Ground 12-
"Alright everyone, I've talked to some other ninja in the village and I found each of you a teacher for your nature type. We discussed it and decided that you should each learn a ninjutsu that will help balance out your skills. Naruko and Hinata, you are both close range fighters so you will each learn a long range ninjutsu and Shino since you rely on your insects, you will learn a close range one. Naruko, you will be learning Great Breakthrough from Asuma. Shino, Yamato will teach you the Earth Fist jutsu. And Hinata, I will be teaching you the Water Dragon Bullet. You all will be doing your normal training in the mornings and switching to learning your ninjutsu in the afternoon. Asuma and Yamato will come by this afternoon and then about once a week to give you pointers. So with that out of the way, let's get to work on our team tactics." The genin all let out words of agreement and followed their sensei into the forest. No one noticed Anko standing nearby, who had heard entire thing. For some reason she seemed annoyed. The team spent the rest of their morning doing exercises in tactics and as promised Asuma and Yamato arrived in the afternoon to teach them the basics of the ninjutsu they were to learn. The jonin left around five and the genin practiced their ninjutsu for the next two hours. At seven Kurenai dismissed her team and the teens walked off. She was pleased with their progress and smiled as she watched them go. Her smile slipped when someone came up behind her and took hold of her hand. She turned to see Anko.
"We're going drinking." Kurenai did not argue with her friend, it had been some time since they last went out together.
-The Black Sakura-
Kurenai just sighed as she watched Anko down another shot. The woman was already way ahead of the genjutsu user and showed no signs of slowing down. Anko had always been a better drinker than Kurenai, but she usually went drink for drink with the black haired woman instead of just pulling ahead and leaving Kurenai no chance to catch up. The only time Anko ever did this was when she was upset about something Kurenai had done. The black haired woman caught Anko's gaze.
"What did I do?" Anko's eyes were glazed over and her cheeks were a bit red, but despite all this she was still far from being drunk. She did yet another shot.
"What do you mean?" Kurenai shook her head before she took her own shot.
"You know what I mean. You only ever do this when I did something without realizing it. So what did I do?" Anko turned her head to avoid her friend's eyes and took a shot.
"Why did you go to Asuma to have Naruko trained instead of coming to me? I know she has fire affinity as well, I could have taught her." Kurenai raised her eyebrow at her friend.
"That's what this is about? I wanted Naruko to learn a wind ninjutsu, because it is rare in this area and thus harder to deal with. It's unexpected." Anko looked back at her longtime friend and locked eyes with her.
"I think it's just because he's your boyfriend." The younger woman took another shot and slammed the glass on the table almost breaking it. Kurenai could not believe the words that had just come out of Anko's mouth.
"He is not my boyfriend! We're just dating. Why does that bother you so much?" The black haired woman let out a sigh. They had had this conversation hundreds of times since she started going out with Asuma and like always Anko gave no answer to her question. The younger woman finished off the rest of the bottle they had with a few chugs before placing it back on the table and letting out a loud belch. She took in a breath and put some money on the table as she stood up.
"Let's get out of here." Anko turned and made her way to the door leaving Kurenai to trail after her.
Kurenai had apparently drunk more than she let on. Once they hit the street she stumbled and Anko had to catch her. The younger woman wrapped her arm around Kurenai to keep her from falling and made their way to Anko's apartment. Kurenai seemed groggy so the younger woman led her into her room and laid her on the bed. The black haired woman shifted a bit before she settled down and fell asleep. Anko had to smile at the sight and let out a little laugh. Kurenai seemed so peaceful when she slept. Anko took a moment to just look around her bedroom, it was small. There was only a bed, nightstand, and dresser in the room. The door next to the bed led to a small bathroom. The rest of her apartment was just as small. The entrance led into the small living room that only had a couch and a TV. There was no wall separating the living room form the kitchen. It was cheap too, but she never cared. It was home and that was all that mattered. She turned back to Kurenai and rubbed the woman's back as she slept.
"You know I've always wondered why we come here after drinking even though your place is closer to the bar. I never really cared enough to ask though. I was just happy that you would come home with me. Why do we always come here?" Anko waited for an answer but got none. Kurenai was asleep and Anko had been talking to herself. The younger woman let out a sad laugh before she got up to take Kurenai's shoes off and go change. Anko came out of the bathroom and settled into the bed next to Kurenai and took the black haired woman into her arms. She smiled when Kurenai snuggled closer to her. They always slept like this when they were together. It had become a habit for the two. Anko enjoyed the closeness but hated it at the same time. She knew that no matter how many nights the two spent together like this that they would never actually be together. Anko shook her head and decided that she would enjoy being close to Kurenai while she could, so she put her head on her pillow and went to sleep.
A few hours later Kurenai awoke with a numb arm. She was not surprised to see Anko next to her on top of the limb. Kurenai chuckled at the sight and brushed some of Anko's hair behind the woman's ear. She was pleased to see that Anko was deep in sleep and did not stir at the contact. Kurenai smiled and decided to indulge in her guilty pleasure. She leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Anko's lips. Kurenai froze when Anko shifted at the contact but relaxed when she saw the younger woman smile in her sleep and snuggle closer to her. The genjutsu user always loved these tender moments that she got to have with Anko, even if the younger woman had no idea that they occurred. Her feelings for Anko had always been her biggest secret. She loved the woman, but could never bring herself to tell her. She knew that their friends had thought that they had dated back in their chunin days, but nothing ever happened. Sure they were close, but it was never romantic. They were just very close friends. And that's what scared her. Kurenai had become so close to the younger woman that she was afraid that if she told Anko about her feelings it could ruin their friendship. And if that happened it could mean that Kurenai could lose Anko. She would never let that happen. There was also the fact that Anko was notorious for her string of exes back when they were younger. It was true that Kurenai had not heard of any current relationship but knowing Anko that did not mean she did not have one. It was kind of funny really. All of Anko's exes had only lasted a few weeks at best and Kurenai had been her best friend for years. She had out lasted everyone else and that scared her too. She did not even know if Anko was capable of loving someone very long. Kurenai did not want to be another quick fling for the snake user. So she dated Asuma to try and forget her feelings for her friend, to give her a reason not to kiss the woman when she got too close or breathe in the scent of her hair when they embraced. So far it had not worked. She loved Asuma, she really did, but he was like a brother to her. That was why she never called him her boyfriend. She could not bring herself to see him that way. Kurenai had even given him a key to her place shortly after they started dating in the hopes that it would bring them closer, but it ended up having the opposite effect. She found herself spending less and less time at her apartment and more time at Anko's, she was always afraid that Asuma might walk in on them in a compromising position. Much like the one they were in at the moment. So they went to Anko's apartment after drinking because it was easier for the genjutsu user. It was so easy for her to love the woman next to her and she admitted to herself that all she really wanted to do was spend the rest of her life with her. But that could never happen. Resigning herself once again to her fate Kurenai let out a sigh before she settled down to sleep again.
A/N: And now you know Kurenai's side of things concerning Anko. I made a poll, but I have no idea if it worked so I'll have the question here too.
Should Naruko get the Scorch Release? Yes or No
Feel free to leave your answer in a comment.
Next time: Talks of hatred.