I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 78: Fighting the Inevitable
Word spread quickly that the Uchiha and the Uzumaki were sparing near the dojo. Naruto sparing with anyone else would hold back. Sasuke wouldn't spar with anyone else. From the outside looking in, one would really think they were trying to kill each other.
The truth was easier to see. Neither one was holding anything back, but both intentionally botched the timing on their moves, so a jutsu would miss. Lightening, flames, and hurricane force winds prevailed through the clearing that was now a little wider. To the passer by, it might as well have been a hurricane.
After about two hour of going full out on each other and a well timed (or not) upper cut to Sasuke's jaw, Naruto was picking Sasuke up by the shoulder. "You're out of shape Teme."
"Hn." The Uchiha snorted. "Damn desk duty."
"When are you gonna be able to go on some real missions?" The blonde waited until Sasuke caught his breath.
"Another month or two, I think. Until Sayuki is born, I'm playing dutiful and loving husband." Sasuke grumbled.
Naruto raised an eyebrow before he let go of Sasuke and allowed him to hit the ground with a hard thud. "You insensitive ass."
"It isn't as bad as I make it sound." Sasuke winced as he moved into a more comfortable position leaning up against the wall of the dojo. Naruto took a seat next to his best friend and the sat in silence for a few moments until Naruto broke the silence.
"What happened to Itachi?" Naruto couldn't think of a better way to bring it up.
Sasuke decided a spot on the ground was a more interesting to look at. "He's taken care of."
"Yes, I got that part. Tell me how you took care of him." Naruto looked over at Sasuke.
Sasuke closed his eyes and put his head back against the wall of the dojo. "He can't do anything to anyone. Let's just leave it at that."
Naruto shook his head. "I wish I could leave it at that Sasuke."
The Uchiha's attention was brought back to reality by the use of his name. There were many people that used his name, but Naruto didn't call Sasuke anything but Teme unless he was serious. It was in those even rarer occasions that Sasuke knew he had pissed off his blonde friend when Naruto would spit the name "Uchiha" in Sasuke's general direction. Sasuke regarded Naruto with a blank expression. "Hn."
"It's important Teme." Naruto knew he had gotten Sasuke's attention. "One of the last things Myra was able to tell anyone was to get Itachi back to Konoha."
This did interest Sasuke to no end. He had always wondered how Myra had known Itachi was still alive, if you could call being confined to a bed alive. But more importantly, the Uchiha wanted to know what else the Crazy Bitch had to say. "Was there anything else in her message?"
"Yeah, she said we should destroy Sound at all costs. We don't know why yet, which is why Ba-chan is going to do some digging before we plan anything." The both sat in silence while deep in their own thoughts.
Sasuke smirked momentarily. He had no love for Kabuto or the Sound Village. The land was pretty much uninhabited except for the plethora of secret laboratories. Each lab held a prison where Orochimaru kept the wayward ninja that happened to stumble into the wrong place at the wrong time or the normal people Orochimaru experimented on. Some were able to walk away unharmed. Then there were those unlucky souls that were trapped in the labyrinth of tunnels hidden beneath the labs. Orochimaru had dozens of labs. Sasuke knew where most of them were. There was only one other person, save Kabuto or Orochimaru, that knew where each and every one of the secret bases were. And Sasuke hadn't or didn't want to think about her… at all… ever again. But unfortunately a search for Karin and the other two members of his escape party may become necessary.
It was Sasuke's turn to break the silence. He let out a long hard breath. "Removing Sound from the map would be beneficial to life as we know it."
"That didn't answer the question of what happened to Itachi." Naruto prodded one last time before he would try a violent approach.
"Itachi is at a hospital not far from here. He was fine the last time I saw him. He isn't going anywhere I made sure of that."
"That isn't the point Teme… You need to move him to Konoha."
"It isn't that simple. He doesn't belong here." Sasuke stood up and started to walk away.
Naruto was hot on his heels. "Sasuke, you can't keep living in the past. Are you afraid that he's gonna get up and kill Sakura?"
Naruto didn't know how accurate he was. Sasuke rounded on Naruto. "I can protect Sakura." The Uchiha spat furiously.
"Then what are you so worried about?!" The blonde yelled back just as angrily.
Sasuke blinked. What was it that he was so worried about? It wasn't like Itachi was going to get up and start walking again. Even if Itachi did get up and start walking again, it wasn't like he could see anything to hurt anyone. And wasn't it Itachi that told Sasuke about Madara? There were too many questions resonating in Sasuke's mind. "I'll think about it." Sasuke continued on his way back to his house.
Naruto hardened his expression. "Tsunade knows. You may not have a choice in the matter."
Just what Sasuke wanted to hear. "Hn. I will deal with that when the time comes. In the meantime, when the Crazy Bitch can tell me herself, that I need to bring Itachi back to his home, I will consider it again. But until then, Itachi isn't going anywhere."
0 – 0 – 0
Naruto knocked and waited for several minutes. After the second time he knocked and Midoriko didn't answer the door, he pulled his keys from his pack and unlocked the door. He dropped his keys on the side table next to the door and ventured into the living room. Seeing the mound of bags from different stores, a few open and empty boxes, and Minato playing in the rather large play pen, Naruto found him self very glad he had not gone shopping with Midoriko.
Minato was rolling around amongst his newly acquired stuffed friends and a few other toys. Naruto didn't bother with the boy. He seemed happy playing by himself. The blonde ventured into the kitchen to find mounds of groceries. By this time, he was VERY glad he hadn't gone shopping with the women, but found himself oddly curious how Midoriko managed to get all this stuff back to the house.
Down the hallway he could hear rustling in Midoriko's room. At first he honestly was going to knock and let her know he was home. The door was slightly open, probably to hear if Minato needed her. Naruto could very much understand, and appreciate her momentary want for privacy. One blue eye squinted through the sliver of opening in the doorway. Midoriko was standing with her back to the door, in nothing more than a very lacy black bra and matching black lace "t" back high cut panties. She had just finished adjusting the clasp on the back of the bra when she turned to look in the full length mirror situated in the corner of her room.
Naruto's mouth gaped open and he was nearly drooling. It was at this moment, Naruto noticed the black lace of the bra and panties had a decorative edge in orange that faded to black. When he had first met Myra, her skin was a honey color. Now that Midoriko had kept out of the sun her skin was a rich porcelain cream color. It made her look even more exotic than before. She stood in front of the mirror as if scrutinizing every flaw she could find. She shrugged and bent over to pick something off the floor, exposing her very nice assets to the ogling Naruto.
Midoriko slipped on her new purple shorts and had her head half way through the neck of her grey t-shirt when she heard a loud *THUD* outside her door. She pulled on her shirt the rest of the way. She swung open her door and almost tripped over Naruto. One of Minato's bouncy balls was rolling down the other end of the hallway. Poor Naruto was splayed face down and twitching on the floor of the hallway. "OH! Naruto-kun! Are you ok?" she asked concerned. She seriously thought she had found all of the bouncy balls, afraid that this exact situation may occur. Midoriko bent down to try and help the blond get up.
Naruto lifted his hand in a "thumbs up", keeping his face plastered to the floor. Midoriko heard a muffled, "I'm okay."
She knelt beside him. "Are you sure? Anything broken?"
"Besides my pride?" He mumbled darkly before he started to get up.
Midoriko stood up and was looking over him with concern. "If you're sure…"
"I'm fine." He snapped through gritted teeth.
The woman stepped back and seemed to be disappointed about something. "Would you even tell me if something were wrong?"
Naruto had no answer for that. The blonde let out a deep sigh and calmed his frustrations, not well, but he calmed them none the less. "I'm not hurt from falling on my face. I should watch were I am walking. I was a little… distracted."
Midoriko could hear the voice in the back of her mind roaring with laughter. It was odd to hear the voice laughing. Midoriko shook of the sound of laughter echoing in her ears and sighed. "I should be more careful to pick up all of Little One's toys."
Note to self: Close eyes when passing her open door. Naruto thought, bitterly disappointed in the idea. "Agreed." He stood up and groaned a little. "Now I think I am going to need a quick shower before dinner." He stretched out his back and they both heard several pops.
Midoriko hissed at the sound. "You need someone to scrub your back?" She asked innocently enough, though the idea hadn't been hers. It wasn't such a bad idea. Actually, it sounded like a wonderful idea.
Naruto's eyes went comically wide. The sudden lack of blood to his brain, on his shoulders, made him light headed and unable to put together a few simple words to make a coherent sentence. "I… uh… shower…" very cold shower "alone…" He nodded slowly.
Midoriko's eyes became a smoldering shade of brown. "You don't have to."
Naruto's fortitude slipped for a brief moment and he put his hand on her cheek. He wanted to pull her in to a deep embrace and hold her there not ever letting go. Her skin was so soft in his hand. He wanted to feel if the rest of her was still as soft as he remembered. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to briefly search out the energy Myra generated. He could feel it thrumming just beneath her skin, scratching to get to the surface. He felt her hand press his own to her cheek. The blonde thought for a brief moment that the Kyuubi could be right. But then again, somewhere in the back of his mind, now hollow from the absence of the Kyuubi, he felt like he would be betraying Myra with her twin sister. His heart took possession of his libido and the ache subsided. His resolve reestablished he pulled her close, putting his forehead to hers. "Yes… I do." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I will be out by dinner."
He turned away from Midoriko, letting his hand linger a second longer and then walked into the master bedroom. The door shut with a click of finality. Midoriko stood in the hallway feeling strange and disoriented. She blinked again and wondered why there was a very warm spot on her cheek, along with the dampness of tears. There was a sense of sadness floating around her consciousness and the voice was sobbing somewhere in the darkness in her mind. Midoriko couldn't understand the reasons she was sad. It was a deep sadness that seemed to pull at her chest. She heard the sounds of Naruto's shower start running and she remembered what she was doing before Naruto had tripped on the bouncy ball. "Diner… Right… Oh… Minato…" She turned and exited the hallway to the living area. Minato was still sitting among his stuffed animals, playing what ever games he was playing, and not making a sound.
0 – 0 – 0
Midoriko was making lunch for her new sitters, feeling a little nervous about her first day. She couldn't remember going to school, or training, or anything really. So she didn't have any basis to understand why she was so nervous. Naruto hadn't made her nervousness any better. At breakfast he seemed more distant than usual. He had kept staring at her with a longing in his eyes that tugged at her heart strings. Midoriko sighed deeply. She wanted to know what the blonde was thinking. She wanted to know how to help, but everything she had tried had ended in disaster. He would retreat to his room and shower or run off to train with one of his friends. Sometimes he would do both. This morning he had announced that he would probably be gone for a few days.
She hadn't been alone in the house at night yet. Not that she was scared of anything, because there was a sense that she was safe in the house, even while Naruto was gone. It was odd really. It was something she didn't quite understand. She looked out the kitchen window to the garden. Midoriko couldn't see the REAL Mr. Fluffles sleeping under the pagoda, but knowing he was there made her feel better. She gazed out into her garden, wondering what had brought the fox to her garden. It didn't bother Midoriko he was there. She smiled contentedly and finished the last batch of her fried shrimp.
Midoriko had finished lunch preparations for everyone and set to work arranging one last plate. Actually it was more of a bowl. She knew it might be a bad thing to feed a wild animal table scraps. But she wanted to encourage the fox to stay. He was such a scrawny creature, surely feeding him wouldn't hurt that much. The woman of the house walked the bowl of shelled shrimp, left over rice, chicken and other veggies out into the garden. She tried to walk as quietly out to the garden as she could.
The fox had been asleep for most of the morning. He had snuck into the house late last night and checked on the little boy that was very much in his thoughts lately. Minato was just a baby as far as the Kyuubi could tell. There was something very special about the child. That much was clear. For a boy of his age, he already had a well developed chakra network and it was going to grow and develope even more. With the right training and a patient sensei, Minato would be a brilliant shinobi before the age of ten. The Kyuubi smirked sleepily from under his pagoda. Myra would have to enlighten the great beast how she managed that little trick of genetics, but Myra was still trapped behind two potent Seals that prevented her from communicating with the outside world.
He had spent the rest of his night pouring over a few of the books in the library. The Kyuubi felt a bit stupid for having to actually read something. The power to change the landscape with a single swipe of one his tails, and he had to read a book to possibly find a way to release Myra from her prison. It was either read a book, or call upon the Fowl-Know-It-All… A little hurt pride was easier to deal with than a gloating spirit of knowledge.
The fox felt Midoriko come out in the garden. She was easy to sense and she always smelled heavenly. There was that lingering scent of cherries, jasmine, peaches and a warm summer's breeze. It reminded the Kyuubi of Miyako. She had a smell very similar, but distinctly different. He couldn't help but remember his lost love and how her scent changed ever so delightfully after mating with her. Miyako would exude his scent of power softened by her own gentleness. Myra had been that way too. She would smell like Naruto's strength tempered by her tenderness.
Naruto's scent was gone from Midoriko, except for a faint trace still on her. Probably from doing his laundry, thought the Kyuubi. She also smelled of food and nervousness. She was starting her training today, so it was natural for her to be a bit nervous. "I brought you something." She said very quietly, not coming passed the decking around the garden. "I will just leave it here by the door for you."
Midoriko smiled when the fox came out from under the pagoda and stretched. The fox kept an eye on the woman, sitting on his haunches. He didn't dare go any closer just yet. He was supposed to play a skittish wild fox, not the King of Demons that wasn't afraid of anything. She watched him as much as he was watching her. He looked regal for as small as he was. Midoriko may not have been able to feel the power he exuded, but she could tell the fox was special. The woman slowly put the bowl of food on the deck next to the door and stood up. She leveled another charming smile at the fox and bowed. "I am happy you have decided we are worthy of your presence. I will allow you safety within the walls of our home. No harm will come to you here, I promise you this. In return, I hope you will stay and watch over my family."
The Kyuubi no Kitsune straightened his back and put on a proud show. He hadn't been treated with such dignity and respect deserving of his title of King of Demons or Lord of the Ethereal in a very long time. Finally! Someone that knew who they were dealing with, even if Midoriko didn't really know what or who the Kyuubi was it still inflated the fox's ego to believe it. The fox inclined his head to show her, he would agree to her terms. Midoriko smiled and stepped back into the house, giving the so called wild fox his space to eat. The doorbell rang with urgency and Midoriko shut the door, heading off to answer the summons.
The fox padded over to the bowl to investigate his meal. It was a mishmash of left over items from the lunch she had prepared for the trio of invaders arriving at the moment. He was happy with it. It tasted sweet and a bit spicy, just like he liked it. Being small and insignificant wasn't such a bad thing after all, especially if he was going to be treated to left over table scraps from Midoriko's cooking.
0 – 0 – 0
"You three, are very late." Midoriko said, glaring at the three cowering teens.
Konohamaru twisted his foot guiltily. "I'm sorry Midoriko-chan, it's just there was this old lady… and her cat. I hate that stupid cat."
Moegi shook her head. "I think everyone hates that cat."
"AAAACHHHUUU… I'm allergic to cats." Udon sniffled into a handkerchief.
Moegi rolled her eyes and Konohamaru ran a hand down his face in exasperation. Midoriko chuckled lightly. "Well I was worried that you guys had forgotten." She stepped aside and invited them in the house. Shoes were shucked at the door and she led them into the kitchen. "I made lunch as promised. Minato is still down for his nap and should be there for a little while longer. He has two bottles in the fridge that should be warmed slightly first before giving them to him. Give him the first bottle after he wakes up from his nap. He's usually REALLY hungry when he wakes up. And I should be home by the time he wants the second one."
They entered the kitchen and three sets of eyes expanded to diner plates. There was enough to feed the three of them for days. "I didn't know what everyone would want, so I took some guesses, added a few things that I like, a few things Naruto-kun seems to like, and then added some fried shrimp just to be on the safe side."
Konohamaru looked up at Midoriko with large watery eyes. "Midoriko-chan, you're the best sister EVER!"
Udon was looking over the mass amount of food. "I think I'm actually going to enjoy this assignment."
Moegi shook her head. "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
"Actually, it's under the second rib on the left side at an upward angle." The trio turned to stare at Midoriko, slightly shocked by her statement. The woman in question blinked. Then she let out a sigh, shrugging at her own comment. "Sometimes I don't know where it comes from, but lately these odd comments just fall out of my mouth. I told Naruto-kun just the other day he was being silly in a rather rude manner."
Konohamaru laughed at her heartily while piling his plate full of different things. "It's okay Midoriko-chan it just means that you are remembering something. That's good isn't it?"
"Besides, Naruto-niisan is silly." Moegi giggled. Her plate was nearly full of veggies and a smattering of cookies.
Udon was fixing himself a plate of fried shrimp. "Let's not forget that what Midoriko-chan said was biologically accurate."
Konohamaru smacked Udon slightly. It wasn't really that hard, but it was hard enough for Udon to rub his arm. "That isn't the point here." Konohamaru snapped.
Midoriko smiled. "I will take your word for it. Regardless of what it is, be it a memory of my past exploits or an interesting fact I read somewhere, I'm sure it will come in handy eventually. Now I am going to head out now. I should be back in a few hours. Don't worry about the kitchen. I will clean that up when I get back." She gave the three a distinctive "mom" glare. "However, any other mess the three of you make WILL be cleaned up by the time I get home. IS. THAT. CLEAR?"
Three heads snapped to attention. "YES MA'AM!" they answered in unison.
The woman softened her gaze. "The phone numbers are on the fridge just in case."