Hello everyone! I'm finally back yet again to bring you another chapter of the ever dramatic college adventure!
Heehee no but seriously I tried for a long time to write this chapter. It was somewhat harder to write than most for the simple reason that I brought back my OC Mix (along with a friend of his) and as you guys know he uh... he can really mess a person's mind up. So I'd start writing the scene with him and he'd take over and it'd go somewhere totally not where I meant it to go. At all. So after several tries to hunt down my actual true plot bunny I went on to write other things trying to get my head reset back on how things were meant. During which I felt the need to work on this Inuyasha story I was thinking about and once that was posted and out of my head the prodigal bunny returned! All was joyous! Seriously, I had been trying for months to write this but I sat down and finished my Inu story last night and posted it and today, as promised on my profile (but alot sooner than expected) I began writing the rest of this chapter. It was amazing to me how quickly it all came back. Mix still gave me trouble, but I learned to bend and let him guide the dialogue as he saw fit... XD hope that worked out well lolol
Anyway, thank you once more to all of my wonderful readers who have waited for this to come out. I love you all! You are the reason I fight so hard to find my plot bunnies and finish this story. You're all great! :D
So without further ado, I give you...(drumroll) chapter 57! Wooo!
Love,
FanggirlX
A soft growl came from the seething blonde pacing back and forth beneath a large oak tree near the far east corner of the campus. Naruto had run as far as possible in the opposite direction away from Hinata. From his new found mother's house. From Sakura. From everything.
So many new changes were great and exciting, but they somehow hurt him; they somehow made him feel sad and angry and nervous.
Now to top off all these changes he had to get used to, he had one more; he mated Hinata! He'd finally given in and let himself feel her, touch her, he'd finally tasted a life of happiness with her and now he'd robbed their relationship of romance because he was a demon and what's worse, not even a decent one seeing as he knew absolutely nothing to do with any of it! She'd said she was ok with it. She may be. Doesn't change the fact that he took away something special she should have had. Free will. Choice. She should have had him get on one knee and ask her once they felt comfortable with the idea. She should have had the right to say yes or no; not have such an ultimate answer given before she'd ever been asked!
And Sakura! She'd talked to Hinata about it! She'd known! First hand! What the hell did that mean? That she and Gaara had…mated? Already! Were they insane? Sure love was intense when couples first get together, but how in the hell were they supposed to know if they wanted to be together forever? There was no way. Gaara was…Gaara for crying out loud. And Sakura, while she dreamt big she'd always managed to keep her head on her shoulders and out of the clouds. What the hell were they thinking! That was his sister. His long time best friend. His…twin. He felt so much anger at Gaara for taking her so soon that he wanted so badly to just march up to him and slam his head into a concrete wall!
Hinata…he'd already messed up this relationship with her… and now she was stuck with him for life. Forever. Until death.
Naruto scoffed, well with the way he was managing taking care of her so far, that may not actually be too long for her…
His stomach churned at that dark thought. He remembered the broken bloody mess her poor body had been mangled into and he nearly threw up. How could he dare think a thing like that? What was wrong with him?
He should be happy he and Hinata were going to be together. Mated. He should be happy she was happy with it. In fact, he should even be happy for Gaara and Sakura. It had always been his hope that they both find happiness. He hadn't expected it to be in each other, but what the hey, why not right? So why was he so fucking miserable and angry? Why wasn't he happy? Where was all this self loathing coming from? Hadn't he told himself he was done with that when he came here? Naruto kicked a small rock into the base of the tree. Great so not only was he a failure he was a liar, and the worst kind at that, he'd lied to himself.
"How?" a chirpy voice asked from above his head.
Startled he jumped and looked up to find the source of the intrusion.
To his surprise he found a thin blonde girl hanging upside down from one of the branches. Her hair looked to be about Sakura's length, though not cut nearly as well; it was uneven and messy. The upside down girl was built much like a young boy, thin, flat, and small almost everywhere. Naruto couldn't help but make such an observation since her shirt was hanging down around her chin.
"What'd you say?" his voice scratched out, raw and gravelly from the anger boiling in the pit of his gut.
"How." she repeated, cocking her head to one side.
Naruto stared at her, confused. "How what?"
"How you a liar to yourself?" she chirped, swaying with the breeze.
"Wha-" Naruto continued to stare, face now blank from his confusion. "How did you… was I-"
"Yep. You said it out loud." she spoke with a giggle in her voice.
"I did?" glancing at his shoes Naruto frowned, he could've sworn he'd been thinking all that in his mind…
"Nope. You said it." the girl said.
Naruto jerked his gaze up to her, "Ok! Now I know you're lyng." he exclaimed, jabbing a finger in her direction.
"Am not." she answered in a matter of fact tone. Her arms were held out like wings as she kept swaying with the wind.
"Look! I know that I-"
"Yo..." a lazy voice interrupted Naruto's angry shout.
The tree girl smiled brightly, "Hey! I've been waiting for you!"
Naruto turned to see who she was grinning at and saw before him, a thin lanky guy with what looked to be shaggy brown hair under a knit hat. The half lidded hazy eyes of the new comer locked with Naruto's.
"Do you hate girls…or something…?" he asked in a slow drawn out tone.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, "No of course not."
"Then…why…?" the boy asked.
Shaking his head Naruto huffed, "Why what?"
"Why…does it seem…that you do…?"
Naruto gaped at him, mouth hanging open a little, "How'd'ya figure that one?"
The boy shrugged, "Ob…servation."
"Observation? Of what? Me?"
"Mr. Mix! Suzi wants to fly!" the blonde tree girl cheered.
"Nah…you can't, Suzi…" the boy, apparently Mix, said slow and evenly.
"Yay!" she shouted as she spun around and around the tree branch, flipping like a strange hairless monkey.
Mix shook his head slowly. "Here…it comes…"
"Catch meeeee!" Suzi called as she flew from the branch, arms outstretched like airplane wings.
Mix took three long strides to catch her before she hit the ground.
Holding Suzi like a box, tucked under one thin lanky arm, Mix turned to look at Naruto, "You seem lost, friend." Naruto was beginning to think this guy had one speed. Lazy… All of his words came out so slow and sounded so…relaxed.
Naruto shook his head, "I'm not. I know exactly where I am."
Mix stared at him from beneath his droopy eye lids. "Do you…"
"Well, yeah."
"How…can you be sure…?" Mix asked, setting Suzi on the grass.
Naruto shrugged, "I dunno. I just am. I came here on my own. I know where I am. I know how to get back. So I'm not lost."
"Aren't you…?" Mix mumbled whilst patting Suzi's head.
"No. I'm not. You're mistaken, dude." Naruto nearly snapped, gritting his teeth. What was with this weirdo?
"So…you know where you are?" Mix said more than asked.
"Yes." Naruto bit out.
"Then…why…." Mix's voice trailed off; he stood with his hands in his hoody pocket staring up at the sky.
Naruto growled softly, "Why what?"
"Why…aren't you where you should be…?" Mix asked, once again locking gazes with Naruto.
"And where should I be?" Naruto asked, feeling as if he were talking to a mental patient.
Mix's eyes went fuzzy, "…What…?"
Naruto's growl intensified, "Where should I be?"
Mix blinked slowly and then let out a breath, shaking his head, "Man…you are where you are…"
"Of course I am!" Naruto snapped.
Mix held up his hands, "Whoa, whoa. Chill man…why so angry…?"
His lazy nearly monotone voice put Naruto on edge, how could this guy be like this?
"How about I have a question for you instead." Naruto snapped. "Are you high or something? What is your deal?"
Mix's head drifted to one side. "Deal?"
Suzi popped up between them waving her arms in the air above her head, "No deal!"
A grin slowly formed on Mix's lips, "Nice one, Suzi."
Seriously! Naruto couldn't buy that this guy talked this slow, this lazy, this bored sounding all the time. He had to be high or drunk or something. If so, he may have a decent enough excuse to get away with all this. Drugs impaired everything, including manners.
"So what are you?" Naruto growled, frustration growing inside.
Mix stared at him. "Uh…human…?"
"No! I mean are you high? Drunk? Damaged? Stupid? Insane? What?"
"Oh…"
There was a long pause. So long that it somehow made Naruto angrier.
"Well?"
Mix looked up at him, "Well what…?"
"Are you any of those? Or are you just annoying?"
Mix nodded lazily, "I'm…some of those…"
Naruto's jaw dropped, "Seriously? That's the answer you give?"
Mix looked at him then to the ground, then after several long seconds he slowly looked to where Suzi was talking to the tree she'd been hanging from.
"Yeah…that was my answer…"
Naruto jammed his hands through his hair, "God you are confusing. And irritating!"
Mix smirked, his lazy tone touched with amusement, "You think I'm God…?"
"Of course I don't." Naruto snapped, shaking his head violently.
"But you said…"
"You know what I meant!" Naruto's hands involuntarily fisted. His frustration was building.
Mix shook his head, "How can I…?"
"Because nobody goes around calling people God. It's weird."
There was a long pause of silence, apart from Suzi's incessant babbling to the tree.
Leaning back a bit and staring at Naruto, Mix finally smiled a bit and said, "I wondered when we'd meet…"
Naruto sighed, his mind was running out of battery. "Why would you wonder that?"
"Because I was curious." Mix's lazy tone replied evenly.
"No, I mean. What gave you the reason to wonder something like that."
"It was inevitable." Mix said, his voice fading off as if he were drifting to sleep, though his eyes were open.
"Us meeting was inevitable." Naruto said with disbelief. Ok, it was official this guy was insane.
Mix nodded, "Mmmm, you're lost…"
Rolling his blue eyes Naruto sighed, "Not this again." Naruto glared at the hazy eyed crazy person, "I am not lost."
"Then…why are you here?" Mix asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"Because this is where I came to. This is where I'm supposed to be!" Naruto shouted.
"Here…?" Mix said looking up at the tree, "…With the tree?"
"No, not with the tree. With my thoughts. I was trying to think before you're girlfriend surprised me."
"She's not my girlfriend." Mix said distractedly as he inspected the tree. "Hm, yeah…it is a nice tree…I see why you want to be with it."
"Ok, crazy person. Listen to me. It isn't the tree specifically that I want to be with."
Mix glanced at him, then stared at the tree, rubbing his long fingers along the bark. "What is it you want then?" his lazy voice questioned the blonde fox boy.
Naruto opened his mouth to answer when Hinata flashed into his mind and he released a long breath before saying, in an almost broken voice, "I don't know."
"You want what you don't know?" Mix asked, puzzlement in his expression.
"What? No, that's weird." Naruto said.
Nodding, Mix agreed, "Yeah…"
Naruto stared at the grass for a short silence. A silence broken by Mix.
"…lost and confused. Bad combo, man…"
Looking at Mix with tired eyes Naruto sighed, "Why do you say I'm lost?"
Mix shrugged with one shoulder, "Aren't you?"
"No. I'm not."
"So…you do want to be with the tree…?"
"No!"
"Then why are you here? Lost?"
"Ok why do you think I'm lost?" Naruto asked, changing it up a bit.
"Are you where you're supposed to be?" Mix said.
Naruto sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I guess you don't think so."
Mix shrugged, "Doesn't matter what I think, friend…I am not the misplaced one…"
"What does matter then?" Naruto asked, tired beyond all reason.
Mix stared at him, "You mean…you don't know?"
Naruto huffed, "Should I?"
"Shouldn't you?" Mix retorted slowly.
"Why do you speak in riddles?" Naruto exclaimed, furious. "I just wanted some peace and quiet to sort my thoughts! And here I get a visit from the Riddler and…whatever the hell that one is." Naruta indicated the girl licking a leaf like a lolipop.
"What I say is only a riddle because you don't want to understand." Mix told Naruto.
"I think not. It just doesn't make sense." Naruto muttered.
Mix grinned, "Exactly."
Glaring, Naruto growled, "Exactly what?"
"My point."
Naruto scoffed, "Oh, so you do have one."
The very accurately named boy nodded, "Well, yeah…I mean…why speak if I don't? You know?"
Naruto's face went blank as he stared at Mix. His eyes and mouth went loose, drooping down due to brain death. Yep, his brain had died…
"Do you prefer being lost? …And angry?" Mix questioned as he relaxed against the tree, folding his arms up behind his head.
Feeling his right eye twitch, Naruto wondered why he hadn't already walked away.
Off from the side came a giggling Suzi poking her head in between, "Cuz curiosity killed the cat! The fox! The kitty-fox!"
Mix shooed her away with a wave of his hand, "Don't be rude, Suzi…"
Suzi's vibrant navy blue eyes shimmered with mischief. "Sorry, sorry."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Naruto said in a tired flat tone, "We keep having the same conversation, basically. You realize this, yes?"
A lazy smile on his lips, Mix shrugged, "If at first you don't succeed…you know?"
Naruto sighed. Of course. A logical question gets an illogical response.
"Your sister…the angry pink one, figured it out faster…but I thought maybe she'd hit me…" Mix stated, his were eyes closed and he appeared to be asleep leaning against that tree.
"Trust me, pal. I may hit you myself." the blonde boy mumbled, then what Mix had said actually sunk in. Angry pink one…
Sakura?
"Hey, you've talked to Sakura?" Naruto asked.
Mix nodded, "We conversed once."
"Right…what about?" Naruto was genuinely curious now.
"She was lost too…in a way…but you, dude…seem way more confused than she."
Huffing, he asked Mix, "Why is that?"
With a shrug Mix replied, "Guess you're more lost and confused."
Naruto felt the last of his nerves snapping.
He took a deep breath trying to control his temper, but failed.
"What the hell are you saying?"
Unperturbed by the blonde's anger Mix stared into Naruto's fiery eyes, "I just said it, dude."
"No! You didn't! you are saying words but you're not saying anything!"
"Deep, man…but partially incorrect. I'm saying more than anything; I'm saying everything."
"HOW?"
It was Mix's turn to sigh. "Dude…really? You're still not getting it?"
"What am I supposed to get? And what gives you the right to say any of this to me? We just met! There's no possible way you could know anything about my situation!" Naruto's eyes flickered red. Oh man, he was losing it. All because of some crazy ass stoner. Great.
"Anything is possible." was Mix's simple answer.
Naruto screamed his frustration. Whipping his hands out he grabbed Mix by the front of his shirt and shook him, "Stop it! Just stop it! Why bother talking to someone if you're just gonna talk in riddles? Why say anything if no one will get it?"
Mix hung limply in Naruto's clawed grip, sneakers dragging the ground, arms loosely by his sides.
A soft fire burned in the hazel eyes of the strange boy, "Some things need to be said not told. Some things need to be learnt not taught. And some things need to be understood without explanation." Mix placed his hands on Naruto's. "You need to see that you're lost. You need to understand that you're confused. You need to grasp just what's at stake here, dude. Your hazed logic and your pre-ejaculated emotional responses are gonna cost you what you hold most dear."
Naruto's fist loosened and his fingers slipped away from Mix's hoody. He stared at Mix numbly.
Mix wasn't finished, "Understand whether you are where you want to be or not. Understand what it is you really want. Because if you are standing in the wrong spot, chasing the wrong goal, working under the wrong decision you may as well be dead because you're most definitely not living."
Mix stared Naruto down, his hazy half lidded eyes holding a tingle of power beneath their hazel coloring. Naruto stood shocked and speechless, he didn't know what to make of what'd just happened. What he did know was this was no ordinary person, as he'd thought. This crazy ass stoner…was teeming with power, unbridled, unstoppable power.
The shaggy haired boy resituated his hat and hoody and then turned to give Naruto one final piece of parting advice.
"Decide quickly how you want your life to go from here. You're at a fork, my friend, and you're treating it like a knife." jamming his hands into his jean pockets, Mix finished on a softer tone, "You, whether you see it or not, dude, are indeed lost. You're no where. Not where you should be. Not yet where you shouldn't. You are indeed confused. You are fighting against everything and being swept along with its current simultaneously."
Mix walked over to Suzi and ruffled her hair. She looked up from mud pie she was making, "Are we done?"
He glanced back at Naruto then back to her, he nodded, offering her a lazy grin, "Yeah…we're done."
Suzi jumped up and clapped, "Yay!"
Mix ambled away, followed by Suzi. Naruto watched them walk away a moment, then glanced at his shoes. He…had not expected that.
Jerking his gaze back up, Naruto looked to say a final thing to Mix; but the two of them had vanished.
Naruto scanned the area, they…were no where. Weird.
"You, whether you see it or not, dude, are indeed lost…You are indeed confused…"
What had Mix meant?
Naruto sighed and stared at the big tree he'd blindly run to. Something dawned on him. It was that tree…where he'd laughed and played with Sakura a few days ago. Before their entire world had been turned upside down.
Before he'd ruined everything with Hinata. Before Sakura had become his twin. Before She'd mated Gaara. Before he'd mated Hinata…
His anger was gone. That Mix guy had drained it all out of him.
Hinata's curvy handwriting came to mind. Her note…her hands had trembled as she wrote it. Her eyes had glazed with tears before she'd even written one stroke.
I am so sorry, Naruto, but I have been keeping something from you. I feel horrible about it, but I was too nervous to actually tell you.
She felt bad. Hinata thought she'd done wrong by him by not telling him that he'd mated her. Even though the only time they'd had together since she'd found out at the mall had been filled with her fighting for her life and then finally recovering, tying to heal from that horrible accident.
She'd experienced so much. She was still in so much pain…yet what made her tremble wasn't the trauma of what happened. What made her cry wasn't the pain from her healing injuries and newly formed tissue.
It was the thought that she'd done something wrong by him. She loved him…that much…
Yet, when she'd opened herself up, making everything vulnerable to him he'd gotten angry and then deserted her. He'd just left her sitting there, unable to chase after him, unable to even call after him.
God, he was such a douche bag!
Naruto slammed his fist down on his head. How could he be so heartless?
Naruto, I love you so much. You have been wonderful taking care of me, you're always so great at everything you do.
Hinata had always had faith in him…and he'd just let her down. Big time.
Taking off at a full out run, Naruto hurried back to her, praying that she forgave him.
Now he understood what Mix had meant. He didn't know how Mix had known…and frankly didn't need to know.
He'd said Naruto was lost.
He was. He had been at a tree fuming and angry, instead of with his recovering lover.
When something or someone isn't where they should be, they're lost.
He was angry he'd done her wrong by mating her without giving her a choice. He'd been embarrassed he hadn't even known he'd done it. Yet he should have been angry that he'd left her, he should have been embarrassed of how he'd behaved…simply casting her aside like that to go have a fucking pity party…
He was the world's worst boyfriend.
As long as it's alright with you I will live out the rest of my days happily belonging to you forever. It's honestly always been my dream to do so anyway.
Oh, god. He prayed that was still true. After how he'd just been, he wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to him again, mated or not.
As Naruto approached his mother's house a deep bone breaking horror struck him.
The front door was left hanging wide open.
Having the worst of all bad feelings Naruto charged into the house and up the stairs to Hinata's room.
All possible worst case scenarios ran through his head in the short time span that it took him to get from the front door to her bedroom, and as he breeched the stairs and saw her bedroom door also hanging open he knew witch a sick icy feeling tightening around him that she wasn't in her room safe in her bed. She wasn't where he'd left her.
Naruto hit the wall. Where he'd fucking left her! Like the asshole he was he'd just left her and now she was gone!
Cursing he turned on his heel and tore back down the stairs and out of the house.
His heart was thundering in his chest; she had to be close by. She had to be ok.
Oh, god…what would he do if she wasn't?
The last thing she knew was he was mad they'd been mated. The only way out of being mated was death. Hinata…was a very self sacrificial person…but she wouldn't be that self sacrificing right? ….right?
Whipping out his cell phone he dialed Sakura. He needed help. He needed more people looking for her. This wasn't about pride or privacy. He didn't care if he wasn't the one to find her and bring her back home safely. He didn't care if everyone found out what had happened, how he'd just stormed off like a child.
As long as she was safe Naruto didn't care for much else.
Sakura picked up on the fifth ring, sounding breathless.
"What is it, Naruto?" she asked urgently.
"Hi-Hinata is missing and I'm scared she's gonna do something crazy drastic!" he started rambling off about what happened, trying to fill Sakura in, begging her to come help him search, apologizing for causing all this trouble and interrupting something. And by something, he meant sex with Gaara, why else would she be so breathless?
"Interrupting…? Naruto…you dumbass I'm running back to campus. That's why I'm breathless. Gaara and I were out when I got this horrible, awful feeling. Mom called me twenty minutes ago saying Hinata wasn't in her bed and the front door was left open. I sent Gaara on ahead to search for her, what with his demon sniffer and everything I figured it'd help. So now I'm hurrying there too, almost there by the way."
Naruto's legs gave out from under him.
He was numb. His mind was blank.
He'd left Hinata. She'd left the safety of her bed, even though she was still so weak!
He'd been off thinking bitter angry thoughts about her and Sakura and yet Hinata risked her life to try and get to him and Sakura was busting her butt trying to get back to him and help him fix what he'd fucked up. And Gaara was already doing what Naruto should be. Looking for Hinata. With his demon sniffer…
Naruto smacked his head. Of course!
He could sniff her out!
"Thanks, Sakura." he whispered.
"No sweat. Just find her. I'm five minutes away. Be there soon." she promised and hung up. Naruto shoved his phone in his pocket and raced back to the front door.
He closed his eyes sealing off all other sensory distractions and focused on scent alone.
Finding her scent almost instantly Naruto's blue eyes snapped open and he took off following the trail, like an animal. …Which he was.
Shaking that thought away he focused on his mission. Find Hinata. Find his mate.
Naruto felt Kyuubi trying to get free.
It was worried about her safety as well. It wanted to find her too.
It whispered proud promises of being able to find her faster than him, of saving her faster. It pleaded to be let out. Swearing it'd never cause harm to their mate it urged him to let go of his control.
Give in.
Give in.
I can do this.
Let me do this.
Now!
Naruto's eyes flickered red and then stayed red. In mid run Naruto's skin exploded off like confetti and he went down on all fours running not as a man, not as a ninja, but as a fox.
With his nose to the ground, his ears pert and alert, he'd find his mate.
Racing through the campus, uncaring of who saw, Naruto stuck to her scent like glue. He followed it, weaving wherever it led. Hinata, though frail and in pain, had searched thoroughly for him; a true testament to her ninja strength. Though she seemed fragile she was fully capable of doing whatever needed to be done. Even if that meant finding her dumbass lover who'd abandoned her.
Following her scent further he found that it went into the boys dormitory area, up to his dorm building, betting anything it went to his dorm room he burst through the front doors and up the stairs; elevators were too slow.
Nearly there, Naruto thought as he took the stairs five or six at a time.
Her scent was getting stronger! She was close!
A flight of stairs away from the door to his floor Naruto spotted her, laying on the stairs, stretched out like a corpse.
Ignoring the spike of fear in his chest he noticed her back moving with her labored breathing. She was still alive. That's all that mattered at this moment.
Stopping beside her, Naruto nuzzled her neck with his long narrow nose.
Hinata stirred, let out a soft hiss of pain, and turned to see what had touched her.
Her gaze came face to face with red glowing eyes, he was a fox!
Surprised to see him in the form he truly despised and fought constantly to keep at bay, Hinata struggled to move closer to him.
Naruto… oh the amount of pain he had to be in to just give into the Kyuubi like this…
He sniffed her all over.
Hinata realized, he was checking for injuries. This may look like Kyuubi, but he cared for her like Naruto, it was her Naruto.
Suddenly in her mind she heard a soft grumbling voice, No, I am Kyuubi. Don't mistake me for the boy. However, he has mated you, thus you are now my concern; it's my instincts he uses to do such things as mate you after all.
Startled, but not scared of the voice in her head Hinata attempted to reply mentally.
Uh, um, thank you, Mr. Kyuubi sir. I-I'm grateful to your instincts and powers. They have k-kept Naruto alive several t-times. A-and I'm h-happy you let us m-mate.
The fox shook his head once.
Not my choice. All his. But I wouldn't have said no.
Hinata could've sworn she saw the fox wink…
W-well, thank you still.
The fox nodded.
Suddenly steam rose off of him and an energy filled the narrow stairwell.
The fox shifted back into a human form in tattered clothing, and then slowly the claws on his hands shrank and his fangs disappeared back into his mouth. Last to fade away were the eyes, the red eyes slowly returned to the beautiful blue that was Naruto's. They connected with her ghostly lavender and a sad smile spread on his face.
He cautiously reached a hand up to her cheek and gave it a gentle stroke with his thumb.
"Hinata…" he breathed, his voice still a growl more than anything.
She flung herself onto him, holding him as tightly as her fatigued body could allow. Although she desperately fought it, she began crying, her tears staining the remains of his t-shirt.
Naruto held her tenderly pulling her into his lap, cradling her against his chest.
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm really sorry." he whispered, burying his nose in her hair. "I love you. I…I'm actually happy we're mated. I know it didn't seem that way…cause I acted so stupidly. But I am."
She nodded, her throat definitely too tight to speak.
Then she remembered how she'd spoken to Kyuubi.
N-Naruto?
His eyes widened.
"Whoa…"
She smiled shyly, K-Kyuubi taught me…
He nodded, Neat.
Naruto nuzzled her, simply overwhelmed that she was ok, and ecstatic to once again hear her soft sweet voice. Well…kind of hear it…was it hearing if it was in his head?
I love you too Naruto. A-and I'm really v-very happy to be yours, permanently. Forever. I…I don't need the ch-choice that you're upset I d-didn't get. I would have chosen this, a-any day, any time. I've wanted n-nothing more than to be your w-wife since I f-first saw you really…
Naruto smiled, happiness overflowing. "I see."
I will do my best, Hinata, my very best to be the greatest mate.
She kissed him. It was a soft shy peck on the lips but when he melted against her, and pulled her closer she let him in and it deepened to the sweetest of passions. Starving for more of her, Naruto kissed Hinata there in the stairwell until both their lips were raw.
A flight down from the kissing couple stood Gaara, Sakura, Temari, and Sasuke.
Temari grinned at the others around her. "And that's a wrap everybody. Let's leave the two love birds alone. She's obviously not bleeding to death and he can carry her home fine on his own."
As they were exiting the tiny crawl space of a stairwell Temari noticed a glimmer on Sakura's hand.
She gasped, but covered her mouth before she did anything that would startle Naruto and Hinata above them.
She rushed everyone out of the stairwell and a good few feet away from the door to the stairs before she grabbed Sakura's hand and exclaimed, "Oh my god! Sakura! What is this?"
Sakura giggled and smiled happily. She gave Gaara a long steady lustful look before answering Temari, "It is my engagement ring. Gaara gave it to me."
This statement made Gaara smirk a little. After such turmoil in choosing the damned thing she'd better show it off with pride.
Temari's eyes almost popped out of her head. "WHAT?"
"This morning he took me shopping for a ring." Sakura said, choosing her words carefully. "And after much debate chose this little beauty here."
She flashed her hand about showing off the many degrees of sparkle.
Her engagement ring that he had finally settled on was a stunning filigree design with both silver and gold and a beautiful stone called alexandrite, it actually changed colors in different light. It truly was beautiful and suited the character of the man who'd bought it for her. Neither simply silver nor gold but a beautiful blend of both and a gem with no particular color but a constant variety flickering by as the environment changed.
Sakura stared into Gaara's eyes.
"It is beautiful and absolutely perfect." she said with a proud smile on her face.
Temari looked at Gaara with wide stunned eyes.
"Gaara…" her face changed instantly from surprised and awestruck to enraged, "When I said you needed to take her off the market with a ring, I didn't mean immediately! You moron! No one gets engaged after a few days! What are you! Stupid?"
Sakura stepped forward to defend the blank faced Gaara. She could feel that inside he truly felt stupid. He feared he'd done it wrong.
Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze, reminding him of her presence. Comforting him as best she could in the moment.
"Temari, actually I could marry Gaara today and be perfectly happy with that decision for the rest of my life. I really do love him that much." Sakura said coaxingly, as if trying to lure Temari in; and in a way, she was. She knew Gaara not only needed the support of his siblings in times of big decisions, he wanted it.
Temari stared at Sakura, "Seriously?"
The pink haired girl nodded, "One hundred percent."
"Well…ok…and, Gaara? You too? You're serious?" Temari asked, a little shell shocked.
Gaara nodded, unable to speak. He'd only just mated Sakura, he was still so unused to her just declaring such tremendous devotions of love towards him. Truly it caught him off guard and he doubted that he'd ever be fully prepared to hear any of it.
Temari grinned from ear to ear. "Well, ok then. Sounds great let us know when the wedding is."
Gaara's eyes widened fractionally and quickly returned to his normal neutral glare.
Sakura laughed a little and glanced at Gaara, he looked…blank. Even inside he felt blank. The thought of a true wedding so soon caused a mental shut down for the red head.
Giggling into her hand she leaned against his side and hugged his arm.
It's ok, my love, no rush, I'm having a great time just…playing house with you. Having sex and living together. That's perfectly good enough for now.
Gaara slid his gaze over to stare at her out of the corner of his eye, not moving his head even a smidge.
That…is good to hear.
Sakura loved having private little conversations with him. Mating was fun!
Heehee, Gaara…
His expression didn't change, though inside she felt a new warmth come over and she knew it was his.
Yes, Sakura?
She couldn't stop the smile from growing on her face.
Mating is fun!
As planned, it made his lips twitch with a short lived smile.
Yes, yes it is.
Temari brought them out of their own little world with her next question.
"So how did he ask you? Was it sweet and romantic? Abrupt and awkward? Nervous? Angry? Demanding? Scary? What? How'd you do it little brother? Did you at least get down on one knee and propose properly?"
Before Gaara could reply, Sakura said cheerfully, "He was amazing. Absolutely great. We'll give details later though, right now I'm exhausted and feeling a tad cranky. I need a nap."
She looked directly into Gaara's eyes and asked nicely, "Take me home?"
More than happy to oblige, Gaara took her into his arms and pulled her tight against his chest; they disappeared into a whirl of sand.
Temari glanced over at Sasuke.
"You ok?" she frowned a little, "You were silent that entire time."
He shrugged, "Nothing. Let's go back to our room. A nap…might be good."
Temari looked skeptical but decided that since her body was still a bit stiff she wasn't in the mood to pressure the guy into talking. If it still bothered him later, she'd let him have it though. For now however…
She smiled and headed for their bedroom they'd been sharing. "Maybe a nice long bath too.", she smirked, "Together."
Sasuke swept her up off her feet, so that her sore body could rest, and nodded, "I like it."
Sakura and Gaara appeared, not in the room they'd shared in her mother's house but in his dark dorm room, where they could be completely and blissfully alone.
Gaara looked to Sakura a bit wearily, "I…I didn't do it right…"
...
As they were leaving the jewelry store Gaara snatched up her hand in a tight grip.
Gasping, Sakura turned to look at him, "What is it? Something wrong?"
"Wait here. I've had enough of this." he growled.
He stalked back into the store and fourteen minutes later came out with a tiny black box.
"Here. Put this on. I think it's the best this damned city can produce."
Giggling at his angry outburst Sakura opened the box and her laughter died away.
"Oh god…Gaara it's beautiful. I didn't even see this one in the case…" she breathed, taking the thin ring out and looking at it closer.
"It wasn't. It was in the back where they keep out of date items and custom orders." he grumbled.
"Which was this?" she asked. The grumpy red head shrugged, "Do you like it or not?"
"I love it." she slipped the ring on her finger and gave him a fierce kiss, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
Gaara held her even tighter and whispered, "Good."
...
Sakura shrugged, "You didn't do it by conventional means. That's all. I think you did it like a Gaara would, therefore, perfectly."
Gaara shook his head, "No…I won't have something so important be done with mistakes."
He took her hand and removed the ring, with some protest and struggle from the pink haired girl. "Gaara. What? No, don't take it off. It's fine."
In the end he won.
Sakura stood, slouched with her arms crossed sulking like a scolded toddler. "It was fine…" she grumbled.
She didn't want it taken off. She never wanted to take it off…
Gaara coughed a little. Apparently trying to not be nervous.
He knelt on one knee and reclaimed the hand he'd just fought with.
He kissed the ring finger that was a little red from the struggle and then gazed up at her.
"Sakura." his deep voice soft with the love he felt.
Her green eyes watered as she stared down at the most humbling thing she'd ever witnessed Gaara do. He'd never bowed to anyone, and basically that was what this was. A bow to her.
"Yes, Gaara?" she managed to choke out through the tears she didn't want to let fall.
"I love you. You are most important to me. Marry me." Gaara spoke calmly and evenly, though she felt the hand holding hers tremor.
He hadn't really asked her to marry him, it had come out more of an order, but considering they were already mated, thus bonded together for all eternity it was kind of a moot on how he proposed anyway.
Besides, as she'd said before, it may not be conventional but it is completely Gaara so it was perfect.
Sakura nodded, "Yes. I love you too, Gaara."
With a curt nod he slipped the ring back into its rightful place and stood up.
Gaara encircled her in his arms instantly and dragged her to him, holding on to her for what seemed like dear life.
"Gaara?" Sakura couldn't help but be confused by this display of emotion. Was he alright?
"I…knew your answer…yet still I shook. What does that mean?" he asked pulling away to stare into her eyes, his gaze far more intense than it had been for a while.
Sakura smiled sweetly and kissed his lips, "It means that I am so important to you that even when you know what I am going to say, it is still an important answer you're waiting for."
He thought about it and shook his head, "I don't think that's true…I believe I was just…uncertain."
"Of my answer?" she asked, truly confused. They were already mated, basically already married, why would she say no?
Gaara shook his head, "No." he let go of her and crossed to the bed to sit down. After a short pause he said, "If I was doing it right this time."
Sakura went over and sat beside him, snuggling into his side.
"As I said, Gaara. Its you doing it, so it is perfect. You could have literally thrown the ring at me. I still would've happily put it on and said yes because I love you and am really happy to actually be with you like this. As a couple. As lovers. As mates."
She saw him slump and felt that he thought she was saying all the nice things to simply cover the fact that he'd done it wrong…again.
Giggling she leaned over and kissed the tip of his nose, "But as far as conventional proposals go, I'd say we just hit top ten, at least."
Looking up to meet her eyes Gaara's expression warmed. He didn't truly smile and his eyes didn't really change, but somehow, everything about his face and expression became warmer.
"Good."
He kissed her.
Sakura pushed him back onto the bed with a wicked grin. "Oh so good."
Thank you for reading everybody! I appreciate your support so much! :D
As one last thing to add here, today I'll also be updating my HO2C story and my JAJ story so please if you're interested check those out!
And I'll be testing how to do polls soon, I'd like to do one, so when that goes up I'd appreciate your support and your feedback through that.
:3 But of course I do always enjoy the old fashioned way of feedback: reviewing! Your reviews always light up my day so please let me know what you think of the chapter, and maybe where you're expecting the story to go from here. It'd be neat to find out. Because I assure you this story isn't quite over yet. :P Thanks everybody!