Primal
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Feel free to weigh in on whether you guys want an official wedding/honeymoon chapter or if you would just prefer a timeskip with it implied. Majority will rule. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Naruto talking to Kyuubi in bold.
Kyuubi talking to Naruto in bold italics.
Chapter Notation: I'm not exactly sure how transferring Hokageship goes. I assume there is a ceremony, but this may or may not be cannon.
Chapter 19
Two weeks later, the ceremony was well underway. Her Mate was about to achieve his lifelong dream and become Hokage. Suki smiles at that thought from the crowd.
It had taken a few days to organize and to send out invitations across the Five Great Nations. After all, other Kages should be afford the opportunity to attend. Gaara had made it there in record time, for example. The others had also made it.
"Naruto, while your methods drive me crazy, no one can ever doubt that you have always been loyal to this village. You were loyal enough to help expose an ugly truth and I'm being honest, you're likely the only reason the Leaf is still standing." Tsunade says as she gives Suki a knowing look.
Suki doubted anyone had missed it. They all likely knew exactly what the busty blonde meant. "Thank you, for keeping your crazy Mate from leveling our home in a blind rage."
She smiles once more, when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Itachi was slowly getting better. It was going to be a long harsh road to a full recovery, but today he was well enough to stand. (His medics disagreed, but apparently she wasn't the only stubborn Uchiha).
"Thanks, Granny Tsunade!" Naruto says brightly.
"She's not actually his grandmother is she?" Gaara whispers to Suki.
The raven haired woman understood why the Kazekage was at best wary of her, but he was obviously at least trying to have a civil relationship with her. Gaara wasn't oblivious. He knew that she was Naruto's Mate.
The red head was Naruto's best friend. She was essentially his wife. That meant that he almost had to get along with her to a degree or risk his friendship. To be fair, she was in a very similar boat when it came to Gaara.
"No. She's not his grandmother. It's Naruto. He gives stupid nicknames to everyone he meets." She replies with a snort of amusement.
"I wonder what he calls you in the throes of passion." Gaara muses.
"GAARA!" Suki exclaims, feeling shocked.
The Kazekage had made had made a rather suggestive joke. Pigs really did fly, it seemed. She wasn't even aware that Gaara knew about such things.
On second thought, perhaps it was only to be expected. Who knew what the One Tails had told him? That and Gaara's sister was already married. She might have explained Kunais and Pouches to him at some point.
"My apologies. I didn't realize that you were a shy woman." He says.
"I am not shy! I just didn't expect you to say something like that!" Suki hisses at him quietly.
"I suppose I should have expected it. You and the Hyuga Clan are rather distantly related. Everyone knows how easily flustered they are about such topics. It's only natural that you would be the same way." He says thoughtfully.
Suki feels herself twitch. Gaara was definitely messing with her. She sighs and decides just to indulge him.
The young Kage was likely just getting a subtle form of revenge against her. She had put his best through a lot of pain. Really, Suki knew that she was lucky that all Gaara was interested in doing to her was apparently gentle ribbing.
"Ah there you are, Suki. I knew that you had to be somewhere around here." Kakashi says as he makes his way over to her with Sakura in tow.
The last female Uchiha really didn't know what to make of Sakura at this point anymore. She was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. She had been drug out of the Darkness by the light, but she doubted the pink haired woman would see it that way.
That was fine with Suki though. She didn't particularly care one way or another about her female teammate. The only reason she was even a footnote was because of her impressive medical skills and strength. That and for some reason, Naruto actually cared about her.
"Of course, my Mate is becoming Hokage. This is his dream. I had to be here." She says.
"That's surprisingly romantic of you, my foolish little sister. I'm proud of you. You've finally calmed your bloodlust and replaced it with the other kind. I suspect that I shall be an uncle in relatively near future." Itachi observes cheerfully.
Suki feels herself twitch. She wanted to have children with Naruto. Of course, but that didn't meant that she wanted to be teased about it by her big brother.
"Who knew you were such a damn pervert?" The raven haired woman mutters in disgust.
"Now. Now. Every man has desires. It's just a matter of degree and how open he is about expressing them." Kakashi says.
She rolls her eyes. Suki couldn't believe that Kakashi was discussing such things in front of the Kazekage! Then again, this was Kakashi! The CopyCat Ninja probably thought that it was normal or something!
Suki decides at that point to ignore her companions for the sake of her sanity as she glances around the crowd. There had to be thousands of people jammed into the streets, maybe tens of thousands. It wasn't every day that a new Kage was sworn in.
"Do you Naruto pledge to protect the Leaf Village to the best of your abilities and to carry on the Will of Fire?" Tsunade asks.
"Is he becoming Hokage or marrying the village," Suki thinks to herself sarcastically. That's when she saw Naruto chuckle. Damn. Right. Their Mating Bond let him know what she was feeling.
That meant knew about the Kakashi and Itachi thing. Not to mention the snide marriage thought. Well maybe not that it was about marriage, but that she was being sarcastic.
"Seems like your Mate finds this entire affair rather amusing. I can't disagree with her. Humans love their pomp and circumstance. It doesn't matter whether or not there is a ceremony. You're the Alpha of this Pack and that's that." Kurama comments.
"Ceremonies are important though! They help to commentate the occasion!" Naruto protests.
"You just like being the center of attention." The Nine Tails says.
The whole being Mates thing was going to take awhile for both of them to get used to. She had to be careful about such things. Suki didn't want to hurt his feelings, but the whole somberness of the affair struck her as ridiculous.
This was Naruto. He was the very embodiment of levity. To see him take anything so seriously outside of battle was just odd. Very odd. Though she knew that this was a moment that he would never forget and that's why she didn't burst out laughing.
"Well yeah! What's wrong with that?" Naruto asks.
"Nothing. Apparently, your Mate finds it most amusing as well. I can feel that she's on the verge of laughter. She can't believe that you're actually taking something seriously." Kurama retorts.
Naruto mentally sighs. He was so going too kick Kurama's furry behind for this later. Right now. He needed to focus. The blonde couldn't allow himself to be distracted.
This was a very important moment. The entire village and even foreign ninjas were watching him. He had to project the image of a leader.
"Yes, I promise. I'll protect the Leaf and the Will of Fire." He says with a smile.
"Then by the power vested in me by the Fire Nation, I relinquish my position of Hokage to you. May the Leaf flourish under your leadership." Tsunade replies.
Suddenly, loud cheers range up. Naruto was pretty sure he heard the sounds of cannons being fired and music began to play. Where the music was coming from was really anyone's guess though.
"Suki! You can come up here now!" The new Hokage calls out to his Mate.
"That might not have been your best idea." Kurama warns him.
"What? Why not?" The blonde asks.
That's when he sensed the panther's hesitation. Damn it. Suki was still self-conscious about how the rest of the village saw her.
Well they were going to have to start fixing that right now. He was Hokage and she was his Mate. If they had a problem with her, they had a problem with him. It was as simple as that.
"Now, you've essentially cornered her. Cornered animals are very dangerous." The Nine Tails adds.
"Quiet! She deserves to be here as much as I do." The sapphire eyed ninja snaps at his demon.
Suki hesitantly heads up towards where Naruto was. Outwardly, she was completely composed. His Mate walked with her head held up high and no emotion showed on her face.
On the inside though, Naruto that something else was going on. The panther was pacing. Well there really was no time like the present to start working on this whole public relations thing.
"You all know Suki. You all know the truth now. There's no need for anymore bad blood. Itachi was forced to do horrible things and so was she. This is a new era in the Leaf's history though. Hopefully, a better one." Naruto begins.
The levity stopped almost as suddenly as it had started. Naruto knew that he now had everyone's undivided attention again. Good. They needed to hear this. They all needed to hear this.
"Oh boy." Tsunade whispers under her breath.
The new Hokage heard that, but he decides not to comment on it. He needed to show that he meant what he said. If he showed any sign of hesitation than this wouldn't end well.
"Suki and I are going to get married. She's a part of this village again and so is Itachi. I'm really not sure what we are going to do about Kisame, but these two have suffered enough. We've all suffered enough. Let's move on." He says he kisses Suki's cheek as if to illustrate his point.
His Mate smiles and laces her fingers with his. That made Naruto feel better. Suki had never been the most social person. The woman had never really given a damn about what most people thought about her, but she was willing to put on a show for him.
"Naruto is right. Itachi and I are willing to move on and hope that all of you feel the same way. I did a lot of bad things in my desire for revenge. I'm not naïve. I don't expect anyone to forget what I did, but I would like to make it up to the village." Suki says.
"She's a skilled liar. Suki regrets what she did only because it upset you. She doesn't actually care about this village. The woman probably just wants to ensure her Clan's Burial Grounds aren't disturbed and to make you happy. Well that and her brother." Kuram warns him.
That thought did bother him, but Suki was Suki. She'd never be like him in that way. The woman had most of her family stolen away by a few members of this village. She was never going to love it like he did.
The feelings of hatred, sadness, and loneliness were primal. So was the desire for revenge. Those feelings were primitive and powerful. They wouldn't go away overnight.
"I know. It's a start though." Naruto says.
He knew that he could make her happy. She'd gotten her revenge. That and while her feelings about Itachi were understandably complicated, the Uchiha woman also had her brother back.
Surely, that all counted for something. Naruto still couldn't believe that she wanted to be a housewife, but he was cool with that. He found it a bit weird, but Suki had her reasons. Good reasons, really.
"I don't know why you find it so odd that a female wants to Den. Most do. There will always be those who are what your species call Career Women and that's fine, but she was raised in a very traditional Clan. Her mother was a Denmother. Why wouldn't she want to follow suit. I fail to see what the great mystery is." The Nine Tails comments.
Naruto wasn't entirely sure that he understood all though. Still he was pretty sure he understood the general point. Suki's mother was a housewife. So it wasn't that unexpected that she might want to do the same.
"Naruto, dance with me." Suki says to him.
"Wait. What?" Naruto asks.
"I asked you to dance with me. People are starting to dance. It would be a good idea for us to join them." She whispers to him.
Uh oh. This so wasn't good. He didn't have any clue how to dance. This was going to end in a disaster.
"You don't know how. Do you?" Suki inquires with a raised eyebrow.
Right. Right. Mating Bond. She could feel what he felt and had pieced together the pieces easily. Naruto wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not in this case. Suki might never let him live this down.
"Not really. I was kinda busy! I was trying to get stronger. I wanted to save you. I had more important things on my mind than dance." He mumbles, feeling his face burn with embarrassment.
"Naruto, it's fine. I'll teach you. It's not that hard." She tells him as she drags him towards where everyone was dancing.
"I wonder where the Hell she learned how to dance. Somehow, I doubt they were giving out lessons in the Sound Village." Naruto muses.
"She was probably taught before the Massacre. Your Mate comes from an old family. It would have been considered traditional to teach her when she was young." Kurama informs him.
Suki smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. The raven haired woman then gestures for Naruto to wrap his hands around her waist. He does so a bit uncertainly, but that didn't seem to bother her.
"Just do what I do." His Mate tells him.
"Alright." The blonde replies as he sways to the music with Suki.
This wasn't too bad. It was fairly easy. That was until he stepped on her toes. Suki just rolls her eyes and continues on.
"It's fine. If I can survive fighting with you, I can survive your two left feet." The Uchiha woman informs him.
"Foolish little sister, that is not the proper way to tell your fiancé that you love him." Itachi comments.
"Stay out of this, Itachi! I'm teaching him how to dance!" Suki snaps at him.
Honestly, her feelings on Itachi were mixed. She did know one thing though. He could definitely butt out of her relationship with Naruto. That was really none of his business.
She didn't need love advice from her brother. No. She definitely didn't need that. After all, she was Mated and Itachi wasn't. So there!
"Well it seems that our Mate is feeling rather smug at the moment." Kurama notes with no small amount of mirth.
"Yeah. I'm not sure what about though." Naruto admits as he dances with Suki.
She knew that was a bit childish, but Suki couldn't help it. In a strange way, the last female Uchiha felt that she had finally bested her brother. Perhaps not in the way she had originally intended, but it still counted.
Suki was Mated. She was going to get married. Itachi wasn't. Itachi wasn't and he was older. The prodigy apparently wasn't as gifted in the Art of Romance as she was.
"So you know we kinda have to have a really big wedding now." Naruto warns her.
"I can send someone over from the Sand Village to help the two of you plan, if you like." Gaara says as he makes his way over to the pair of lovers.
Well Suki was sure that Gaara thought they were lovers. Technically, they weren't yet. They had to focus on resolving the Itachi situation before they could actually do much more than kiss and cuddle. (Oh and a couple of other things that would likely scandalize Itachi, if he ever found out about them.)
"That'd be great." Suki says with a smile.
She might as well get used to it. Playing nice. Suki was going to be a politician's wife. Smiling just came with the territory.
Hopefully, her smile wasn't as creepy as Sai's though. It had been awhile since she had used her smile on anyone who wasn't Naruto. The very gesture felt completely foreign an alien to her at this point.
"Yeah! Thanks a million, Gaara! This is going to be great! We're going to have the most amazing wedding ever!" The blonde says happily.
"Of course. Well you deserve it, Naruto. I'm happy for the two of you." The red head dsays.
"Well you deserve it, Naruto." That was a jab. A subtle one, but a jab all the same. Whatever. It didn't matter.
She could play nice in public for Naruto's sake, but that didn't meant that they ever had to be best friends. As Suki had pondered earlier, they were both doing this for the blonde. Not for each other.
Suki was also almost positive that Gaara felt uneasy around her for another reason. He had also tasted Darkness. She likely reminded him of his own issues.
"Thanks!" Naruto says beaming, until he heard screaming.
Suki blinks. It was Kisame. Some of the little kids were rather terrified of him. Still others appeared fascinated by his unusual appearance.
"What are we going to do about him?" Suki hears Tsunade ask Kakashi.
"I don't know. He did help us, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's reformed." The silver haired ninja replies.
Suki sighs. She honestly didn't know what do about the shark lover either. Kakashi was right. Without Kisame, they might never have been able to prove what really happened on that horrible night.
That didn't make him a good guy though. Then again, she wasn't a good girl. Could she really hold his crimes against him, when she was asking everyone to overlook her own sordid history? Wouldn't that be hypocritical for her?
"I'll be right back." Suki whispers to Naruto as she heads over to Tsunade.
"Haha. Ah you brats will make great Sushi!" Kisame calls out with a smirk.
Some of the parents quickly grab their children and try to pull them away from the Akatsuki member. Suki sighs as she notices this. Kisame certainly wasn't helping his case.
Did the man seriously want to be thrown back in jail? That's what it looked like. Honestly, why was her brother partnered with such an idiot?
"Maybe, you can give him probation like you did with me. I'd feel like a hypocrite, if we just tossed him in the prison. After all, I've done more than enough to merit the same fate. Yet I'm still allowed to roam free." She reasons.
"If it was up to me, you wouldn't. You're Naruto's Mate though. I can't lock you up. Well I could, but he would never allow it. He's Hokage now and even if he wasn't, Naruto would still get you out of there. Kisame is another matter though." The former Hokage replies.
Suki feels herself twitch. She knew that Tsunade was right, but that didn't make it any less annoying. It was her love for Naruto and his love for her that had saved them all from a blood bath or her from becoming prisoner and they all knew it.
"True, but you owe him. Without Kisame's help, we wouldn't have had proof and I probably would have destroyed this village." Suki tells her.
"Yes, I'm more than aware of your temper. Naruto is going to have his hands full with you. I'll put him on probation for now." Tsunade says with a sigh.
"A wise choice, My Lady." The CopyCat Ninja says.
"Good. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my Mate. We're celebrating his becoming Hokage, after all." Suki says as she flips her hair at them and flounces back towards Naruto.
They deserved that hairflip. Normally, Suki wouldn't indulge in such petty displays. Kakashi and Tsunade deserved it this time though. Sometimes a woman just had to do what a woman had to do.
"What was that all about?" Naruto asks her as he places his hands back on her waist.
"We were discussing what should be done about Kisame. Tsunade has decided it would be in her best interest to give him probationary status." The raven haired ninja informs him.
As she begins to dance with Naruto, she could see that her Mate was skeptical of that. She could also feel it through their bond. Naruto definitely didn't have much love for Kisame.
"I guess it's only fair. I mean he did help us, but do you really trust him?" He whispers.
"Not really, but most people don't trust me. Sometimes people deserve a second chance. You taught me that." She tells him as she kisses him.
Suki smiles when she feels him kiss back. That was how she knew that everything was going to be alright. Really, it was astonishing how such a simple gesture could say so much.
It said I love you. It's going to be alright. I'm not mad at you. We'll get through this together. I'm not going to leave you. She felt like such a sap, but that was probably partially a product of the Mating Bond.
"If anyone had told me a couple years ago that you would turn out to be this gushy, I would have laughed at them. That and if we didn't have the Bond, I probably still wouldn't know." Naruto says.
"I don't think things need to be said, if you can feel them anyway. That's a bit redundant. Don't you think?" She asks as she says to the music with him.
The ninja knew that teasing her Mate like this was likely going to result in a lot of broken furniture later. Their "play fights" or training sessions had always been intense.
That much hadn't changed. Some things would always stay the same. That was just one of them. They always fought with everything they had. That was just who they were.
"You know, when you use big words like that…I know what you really mean is you just want me to kick your ass in a training session." He says smugly.
"Naruto, I love you. I love you more than anything, but there is a fine line between confidence and self-delusion. You're crossing it. You have never kicked my ass and you never will." She retorts.
"Oh yeah?" We'll see about that." Naruto says as he scoops her up Bridal Style and the two flit off towards their home together for a little training.