And here's Chapter 20. Slightly shorter than my norm, but not by much. Setting up for something I hope you all enjoy. Readers, Reviewers, Thank You...Meltdown by ACDC.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Temari groaned as the light filtered in through the curtains. She threw her arm over her eyes to block out the offending sunbeams but it was to no avail. She had to admit to herself that sleep was no longer possible.
That didn't mean she had to get out of bed though and leave Naruto's warmth.
The blonde rolled over to her side and wrapped her arms around Naruto, sighing happily into his back. This is what she had always wanted in a relationship. Total happiness, total comfortability, and most importantly, unconditional love. The only thing she wanted more than this was a family of her own…but that was all in good time.
Being that close to someone so warm was making her sleepy again and it didn't take long for her to yawn and her eyes to begin to droop. Still, she held on, fighting to stay awake. Her thoughts became more and more sporadic the longer she fought off sleep.
For some reason, lying there with Naruto like that brought her back to days when she was younger and her mother was still alive. Her mother had been so kind, so caring. She had doted on Temari and then Kankurou when he was born, calling them her two precious little angels. She began to think then of how her mother had changed when she was pregnant with Gaara and turned her thoughts away from the woman.
In all reality, she didn't have many loving thoughts of her except for the first two years of her life. When they implanted Shukaku into Gaara while he was still in the womb, her whole demeanor had changed.
Perhaps the Shukaku had been speaking to her as well…
Temari shuddered at the thoughts and squeaked when Naruto suddenly rolled over and latched onto her, pulling her close. She rubbed her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes again.
She could envision herself having a life with this man. She could be happy, truly happy. She would be loved and doted on. She would want for nothing. And of course…she'd get the occasional dessert.
As her eyes grew too heavy to stay open, she sighed happily and kissed Naruto before drifting off again.
What more could a girl want?
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Naruto had been awake from the time that Temari had wrapped her hands around his waist from behind. He simply didn't want to disturb such a peaceful moment and when he rolled over and embraced her, it was simply because he had to have her in his arms.
Sappy? Yes. But such is love.
As Temari's breathing became more rhythmic, his thoughts wandered to what had happened while they'd been here. He had denied his heritage, basically spit in the face of a governing body several times, and listened as his former best friend was sentenced to death. There was just one thing bothering him.
That one month reprieve.
He frowned and rubbed his chin on Temari's soft, frizzled hair. She twitched her nose and squeezed him tighter. He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head.
Tender moments like these never lasted in the ninja world.
That one month reprieve bothered him mightily though. It simply wasn't good business. Sasuke was too dangerous and too valuable to too many people. What if the Sound heard about it? Surely they'd come running…and what would Itachi think? He had to have left Sasuke alive for some reason…
Naruto shook his head and lay back against the pillow again, letting Temari lie on top of him. He had never thought it possible to be so comfortable with someone, yet here he lay with someone who loved him.
He chuckled into the cool morning air. Love. It had at one time seemed so far away from him. Now he had love in his arms and he didn't intend to ever let go.
He looked out the window, the curtains slightly apart so he could see Konoha. He'd never imagined that he would ever see his birthplace in such a light. It wasn't home anymore. Home is where the heart is…and his heart lay with Sunagakure.
And most importantly, with Temari.
A yawn from below made him look down and into the teal eyes of his blonde goddess.
"You're thinking too hard again, Naruto. Your face is all scrunched up with concentration."
She giggled when he glared at her and leaned up to plant a kiss on his lips. What she had meant to be the first kiss of the day ended up being a marathon of who could hold their breath the longest.
Both won…and came up for air at the same time.
She sighed happily and watched as he sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard. Her head found it's way to his lap and she looked up at him.
"I don't suppose there's a way we could just stay here forever?"
He shook his head sadly.
"Nope, sorry. But I'll tell you what. I'll promise to make every morning like this if I can. How about that?"
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, smirking as she pinched his side and made him jump.
"I think we need to get up. I don't want to, but I'm getting hungry and I don't think Hinata's coming over to cook. So that leaves you. I want an omelet, with bacon on the side."
Naruto sighed and stood up pulling on his pants and searching around for his shirt.
"Anything else, your majesty?"
"Yeah, fresh squeezed orange juice."
He frowned and turned to face her while buttoning up his pants.
"And where am I going to get it? I'm not walking to the market."
"…you can make orange trees, you dummy."
Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh…yeah. I forgot about that."
He strode over to the window and opened it. Temari watched him curiously while she tied her hair back into the ponytails. Naruto stretched his hand out and a gardenia bush grew up the side of the house. He smiled and plucked four blooms and commanded it to shrink back again.
Temari blushed as he sat down beside her and pushed the stems into her ponytails. He leaned back and observed her for a moment before smiling broadly and pecking her on the cheek before walking out the door.
"The final detail on the masterpiece, my dear. You've now gone from drop-dead gorgeous to incomparably beautiful. I'll have breakfast ready soon."
Temari was bright red by the time he left out of the room. She shook her head quickly to rid herself of the blood rush and stood up, stretching out the kinks. Her back popped and she groaned. That felt delicious. The Wind Mistress crossed the room and stood in front of the antique mirror, admiring her body.
She turned this way and that, observing the small scars that littered her. She would never be unmarred like Naruto, but she knew he appreciated the small blemishes. Every one had a story. She smirked to herself. That was one thing Naruto would never have with his natural healing ability. She traced one particular one along her thigh. It was the one she'd gotten when she'd began her resistance training with Naruto.
The smell of bacon wafted up from the kitchen and she took a whiff, letting out a happy sigh. She needed to get dressed now. She usually wore the black battle kimono, but she wasn't looking to battle anyone today and Naruto was going casual as well with his slacks and button down shirt. She wanted comfort above all.
Naruto watched the omellete with care, making sure not to burn it. He didn't really need a grumpy Temari because he'd burned her breakfast. A clone of his was picking oranges off a tree he'd raised and another was churning them into juice. The soft padding of feet alerted him as Hinata walked into the kitchen. Naruto smiled at her and waved.
"Good morning, Hinata-chan. Would you like an omelet?"
The Hyuuga heiress smiled and shook her head.
"No, that's alright. I had a light breakfast before I came over."
"Oh no, I insist. You must taste his cooking, Hinata-san."
Both turned to find Temari standing in the doorway in a blue kimono the color of Naruto's eyes, with trim the color of hers. She'd had it tailor-made back in Suna before they came to Konoha and she was glad she had done it now. It accentuated her beautifully. Hinata smiled at her and bowed slightly.
"Temari-san, good morning. You look lovely with those flowers in your hair. And thank you, but I don't want to be a burden."
Temari smiled and waved her hand dismissively while taking a seat at the table, motioning for Hinata to sit. She did think she looked better with the flowers too. Plus, Naruto liked it…
"Thank you for the compliment. And nonsense. He's more than willing and he's not a bad cook to boot."
The clones walked in from outside, one carrying a pitcher of juice; the other carrying a bowl of oranges.
"All done, boss. Anywhere in particular you want this stuff?"
Naruto shook his head and the clones winked as they sat down their burdens before kissing Temari on her cheeks and dispelling themselves. Hinata covered her mouth with her hand as Temari turned bright red and Naruto chuckled when the memory of what his clones had done popped into his mind. He brought their breakfast over to the table, one in each hand and another balanced on his head. Temari glared at him and stood up, taking the plate off his head.
"Stop showing off and sit down."
Hinata just watched the two with an amused smile as they bickered back and forth. Her dreamy sigh made both blondes look in her direction.
"What's the matter, Hinata-chan?"
Hinata propped her chin on her hand and looked from one to the other.
"I wish I had someone like the two of you. Even when you argue it's apparent how you feel for each other."
Temari grinned and took another sip of orange juice.
"He's not all that great. I'd trade him for a candy bar some days."
Hinata cut her eyes to Temari and smirked. It was so unlike the girl, yet mischief yields for no one.
"Is today one of those days?"
Temari smirked back and latched her arm around Naruto's.
"Not a chance."
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They'd left the house after chatting with Hinata for a little while longer and made their way to Naruto's old training ground. He sniffed the air, taking in the scents of the forest and smiled.
"This is what I want for my property. I want this scent all the time."
Temari took a whiff and scrunched her nose.
"I'd rather have gardenias outside the window for me to smell. Or roses. Something colorful. There's too many shades of green here, not enough variety."
Naruto gave her a funny look and quirked his eyebrow.
"So you can smell them? Why would you want to smell them?"
Temari gave him a hurt look.
"You mean…you don't want me living with you?"
Naruto panicked and went into damage control. Temari smirked in her mind, but kept up her heartbroken façade.
'You're entirely too easy to tease, Naruto.'
"But…but Temari-chan! I just thought…"
Temari cooked up some crocodile tears quickly and turned her head away.
"That's the problem. You think too much!"
It was getting to the point where she almost couldn't hold in her laughter at the lost look on his face. He really was too much sometimes.
"But…but I…you…"
Temari broke out into giggles and took his face in both hands, giving him a loving smile.
"You're too much, Naruto. I'm not angry, so stop pouting. I was just messing with you."
Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was just like Temari to mess with him like that. She seemed to take pleasure from teasing him. His eyes opened slowly and a grin crossed his face that Temari did not like…at all…
"I hope you didn't pay too much for that kimono, Temari-chan. You're about to find it hard to wear in the future."
Her eyes grew wide as he rolled back his sleeves and swiped his hand over his smallest restriction seal. The wind whipped around him and she took a few steps backward, cocking her head to the side.
"Naruto-kun, we shouldn't do this here. It's not our training ground…and it's much harder to fix a forest instead of sand dunes."
He flashed out of view and she shuddered when she felt his breath on her ear.
"I. Don't. Care."
Temari knew she would mourn the loss of the expensive kimono later, but right now, she had to defend herself. She lunged forward just as his foot found the space where her head had been and rolled to a kneeling position, reaching behind her for one of the small iron fans that she carried on her all the time.
"That wasn't fair, Naruto-kun."
She felt the air distort behind her again and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind. It made her feel safe and insecure at the same time. Safe, because she knew he wouldn't really and truly hurt her; insecure, because she knew she'd have a few bruises at the end of this. He whispered into her ear again.
"Life's not fair, Temari. Remember, in the middle of battle, I'm no longer 'Naruto-kun'. I'm just Naruto."
He shoved her forward and she used the momentum to handspring back to her feet and released her own restriction seals. The wind rushed around her and she grinned as she put the fan before her face, obscuring the view of her mouth and batted her eyelashes.
"Aw, you're so cute when you're being aggressive. It's much hotter than when you're being pacifistic. Come on, honey, show me what you got."
Naruto growled playfully and leapt at her as they began to wind around each other. The force of the winds caught the attention of several ninjas and soon the perimeter of the clearing was dotted with ninjas of various degrees.
Temari spun gracefully and twirled her fan in Naruto's direction, sending a funnel of wind his way. Naruto sidestepped and let it fly by him, right toward a group of hidden chuunin. He smirked and held his arm out to his side, his staff erupting from the ground and leaping into his hand. He twirled it about and pointed it at Temari.
"Let's see how this goes. We've never done the 'green' versus your wind manipulation."
Temari grinned and readied herself. She felt so much lighter on her feet without the restriction seals, like she could do anything. She tipped the fan in a 'come hither' motion and snapped it shut. Naruto tilted his chin up and slammed his staff into the ground. A tsunami of plants erupted from the ground, heading straight for Temari at high speed.
Her training with Naruto had given her a greater understanding of her own power over wind and she had become very proficient in using it. A small fan was more than sufficient for countering his deluge of greenery. The metal blades snapped open again and she swiped it forward, infusing it with wind chakra and cutting a swath through the plants headed toward her.
Naruto frowned as she destroyed his small tsunami and raised his staff overhead as four large trees erupted from the ground, blocking the wind headed his way. He slowly stepped around the trunks and clucked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, Temari. I thought you had more 'oomph' than that. I'm disappointed."
Temari growled and charged her fan with wind chakra.
"You're just lucky I left my battle fan at Hinata's house. I'd have already won this by now."
Naruto grinned and wagged his finger at her, as if he was chiding a child, as she rushed forward, the air around the fan distorting. Naruto channeled his own wind chakra around his staff, small chunks coming off of it, and slammed it against Temari's fan. The two wind charkas battled each other for dominance as the two grit their teeth, trying to over power the other.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
Sweet Jesus nipples, do all you blondes have to be so loud?
The two blondes looked to the side at the same time, their weapons sliding past each other and sending vortexes of wind chakra barreling towards the woods behind both of them. The wind slammed into the forest, uprooting trees and sending the hidden ninjas scurrying for cover.
Naruto and Temari stood frozen as they stared at an irate Tsunade, who had a wide-awake-for-once Sanzoku on her shoulders. The older blonde put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, small vibrations rumbling through the ground.
"Well? I'm waiting."
Naruto put his staff on his shoulders, hanging his arms over it like he was carrying a yoke. Temari put her fan back into the folds of her sash and fixed one of the ponytails that had come loose. She frowned when she realized that her flowers had been lost in the fight.
"We were just sparring, Hokage-sama. We can't let our skills get rusty just because we're on vacation."
Tsunade's tapping was getting harder.
"Most spars don't tear up the landscape and attract every ninja in the vicinity. The training ground is a mess, the forest is knocked down, and I'm pretty sure that some of my chuunin have been hurt."
Naruto sighed and took his staff off his shoulders and tapped it on the ground. Trees erupted from the ground, replacing the ones they had knocked down.
"You happy now, Baa-chan?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the nickname.
"No, I'm not happy. Look at my training ground. It has scars everywhere."
Naruto shrugged and let go of his staff, watching as it sank back into the ground.
"So, I'll pay you to have a genin team clean it up. What's the big deal?"
"You two didn't have authorization to use this field."
"I'm still not seeing the problem."
Tsunade walked forward and glared at both of them, making the two younger blondes shrink back slightly as she whispered.
"What if you had uprooted or crushed the memorial stone?"
Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at the ground, somewhat ashamed of himself. How could he have forgotten about the memorial stone? Tsunade sighed and scratched Sanzoku under his chin.
"Don't worry about it. I'll let it slide this time. Now, come to my office. I need to talk to you two about something."
Naruto nodded and fell into place beside Tsunade, his head still hanging. Temari frowned at his hangdog look and cut her eyes to Sanzoku, who was still riding on Tsunade's shoulders.
"So this is where you've been since last night?"
Sanzoku lazily flicked his tail at her.
Well, I didn't want to interrupt the two of you while you were 'playing'. I didn't want to hear you 'playing' either. So, I went to Tsunade's office and slept on her desk.
"How did you get in?"
Sanzoku yawned and flicked his tail again.
I can get in anywhere I want to. It helps that she was asleep at her desk as well. The window was unlocked.
Temari frowned at Tsunade.
"Hokage-sama, do you ever go home and sleep in a bed?"
Tsunade snorted.
"I'm safer at the office. There are perverts abroad and at home. At least I have guards at the office."
"Oh come on, Hime. I'm not that bad."
Temari whirled around to find Jiraiya walking beside her. She blinked rapidly and looked to find Naruto walking as if nothing had happened.
"Where the hell did you come from?"
Jiraiya grinned and wagged his finger.
"That's for me to know and you to never find out, my dear."
Temari scoffed and turned back to the front.
"Whatever, pervert."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes and sighed, speaking to Naruto.
"You know, after being called that by you for as long as I've known you, it doesn't sting as much anymore."
"Pervy sage."
Jiraiya hung his head.
"You guys suck…"
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Tsunade motioned for Naruto and Temari to take a seat in front of her desk while Jiraiya stood behind her, leaned against the wall. Sanzoku lay cradled in Tsunade's arms while she stroked him like a cat. Naruto smirked as he sat down.
"I thought you didn't like Baa-chan touching you because she threatened your balls, Sanzoku?"
The red panda yawned and cracked an eye open.
We buried the hatchet. Let's leave it at that.
"…you brought her some sake, didn't you?"
I don't recall.
"Of course you don't."
Tsunade cleared her throat and Temari and Naruto immediately brought their attention to her. Tsunade laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them.
"What do you think of Konoha's decision to execute Uchiha Sasuke?"
The two blondes were taken aback by the question. Temari turned to Naruto and nodded her head for him to answer. This was his field.
"Well…I'm surprised. I would never have thought you could convince them to go through with an execution. But why wait a month to execute him? Why not just do it now?"
Tsunade sighed and looked down at her fingers.
"It's customary for the condemned to have time to think over what they've done and contemplate their fate. Besides that, it gives the interrogation department time to weasel more information out of them."
"But Sasuke is too dangerous to keep for a month. What if Oto tries to rescue him? What if someone attempts to?"
Tsunade sat back in her chair, letting her arms fall onto the armrests.
"Well, Hebi won't be coming to save him. Gaara executed them all right after we left. Suigetsu was left out in the desert in that canister we caught him in. Karin was beheaded. Juugo was a tougher nut to crack. He was impervious to most pain so Gaara just crushed his entire body. They won't be coming to help him."
She looked out the window, casting her gaze over Konoha.
"No one will come for him. He has no allies. But…that's why I have a plan."
Naruto's interest was piqued immediately.
"Go on."
Tsunade grinned and leaned forward conspiratorily.
"We're going to execute him early. Two weeks early. I'll have Yamato make a platform in the middle of town and we'll parade him out and behead him. A grand spectacle that will send a message to the other nukenin that we aren't fucking around anymore."
Naruto blinked.
"Are you serious? You're actually going to do that? What about the council? What about protocol?"
Tsunade scoffed and pulled some sake out of her drawer, pouring some for Jiraiya and herself.
"The council can stuff it and I could care less about protocol. Following the rules has cost me a lot already. This is one time where I'm using my position and power to do some good. I'm going to rid the world of a worthless human being. Uchiha Sasuke will die."
Jiraiya took his dish and downed it with a quick gulp.
"We want you to be there, to see this through to the end. You'll also be a deterrent if anyone tries anything. Not many would try to go against the man who took down Uchiha Sasuke. How about it?"
Naruto nodded his head and pulled Temari's hand into his own, winding their fingers together.
"We'll be there."
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They had been in Konoha a little over two weeks already and it was the day of Sasuke's execution. Naruto and Temari both dressed in their regular battle wear, preparing for anything that might come their way. The execution was unscheduled and only a select few knew about it.
They were going to leave right after the execution, as soon as Sasuke's head touched the ground. Neither wanted to put up with the aftermath.
Hinata hadn't come by that morning so they had made up the bed and cleaned up after themselves. No reason to be sloppy guests after all.
They walked through town towards the appointed spot, in the middle of the market. It was still early, seeing as Tsunade planned to do it around lunchtime. Naruto insisted they stop by Ichiraku's one last time.
It was a quiet affair. There wasn't much for Naruto and the Ichiraku's to talk about. He merely ate his food in silence, shook Teuchi's hand, gave Ayame a hug, and left with Temari on his arm. He could already see Yamato in the midst of creating the platform, the people milling around him to see what he was doing.
Naruto and Temari stepped into the shadows of a nearby shop to avoid early detection and watched as Tsunade showed up with Jiraiya in tow, standing atop the platform with her arms crossed. The crowd was abuzz with what this meant. Then…Sasuke's procession began.
Silence fell over the marketplace of Konoha like a curtain dropping over a stage. Sasuke had a bag over his head as he was lead to the platform and was helped up the steps. All eyes were on him as he stumbled along, led by Ibiki and Anko. The crowd gathered in close, to hear what was going to be said, Naruto and Temari in the middle to remain inconspicous. Tsunade cleared her throat and stepped to the edge of the platform.
"We are here today to witness the execution of one of Konoha's most notorious nukenin, Uchiha Sasuke."
The bag was whipped from his head and the crowd gasped. It was indeed him. Several angry murmurs flew throughout the throng, upset that the Hokage would even insinuate killing him. Sasuke tried to speak, but his mouth was gagged.
"Uchiha Sasuke has been tried and convicted of crimes against Konoha. Betrayal in the highest, attempted murder of fellow Konoha ninjas, giving secrets to the enemy…the list goes on. He will be executed today by beheading by an ANBU sword. This sentence is irrefutable and cannot be overturned. As Hokage, I sentence him to death. Bring the condemned forward."
Sasuke fought the whole way, his heels digging into the wood platform as Ibiki muscled him to the chopping block and threw him down. Anko helped the bear of a man stretch the boy out and held him as an ANBU stepped forward and pulled out his sword.
Naruto was watching intently as the ANBU made a show of sharpening the sword while another held a chunk of wood to the side for the other to cut. They were trying to make this as intimidating as possible.
"Such a bore, is it not, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto nodded his head and thought about that voice. It seemed so familiar. His eyes popped open wide and he slowly turned his head to find…
"Itachi. What are you doing here? Come to free Sasuke?"
"No, I have not. I will not free him. But my master wishes for Sasuke to come to us."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and growled his response.
"I won't allow you. I'll kill you first."
Itachi cut his eyes to Naruto.
"I'm just here to detain you while the others free Sasuke, nothing more, nothing less."
Naruto grit his teeth and readied himself.
"The others? Then you're all here. Why are you keeping me busy?"
Itachi turned to fully face him and began to unbutton his cloak.
"Let's just say I have a vested interest in you at the moment, Naruto-kun, and I want to find something out. The others do not matter for the moment and they have been ordered to retrieve Sasuke with minimal damage."
Naruto growled and his staff rose from the ground. Itachi barely quirked his eyebrow.
"See? That's what I want to know about."
A resounding boom and the scream of the crowd let them know that the others had begun. Itachi whipped his cloak off and put his hand on his sword hilt.
"So, shall we begin?"
Next chapter should be quite the doozy. Let me know what you think.