Welcome back everyone! It's been ages since we've done this, but here we go! It's good to be back with this particular story, which I know hasn't been updated in a long time. But hey, better late than never, right?
I had half of this chapter written for a couple of years, never got down to finish it... until a couple days ago. I hadn't really stopped thinking about this story, and I'm looking forward to create further installments in the near future. My muse has finally found me again, and I intend to take full advantage of the inspiration it provides me with.
In earlier chapters, I mentioned that this story will be strictly Naruto x Miku, with other girls from Gal Gohan's universe showing interest in him. Truth be told, that was my initial plan and I intend to stick to it. Though there will be some moments between Naruto and the others, like Koharu.
As to how long this story will be, I don't really know. In the manga, it takes a good while until things finally start heading the way they're intended to by the author. As you may have noticed in previous chapters, I've been using Gal Gohan as a source for events, but always adapting and even changing some things for the sake of this story. My intention is to try and let things flow at a faster pace, but without being done in just four or five chapters. There are things I want to write about in this fic, so it may take me more than 10, 15 or even 20 chapters. Who knows. I'll keep writing as long as I feel there's something more to add.
But mah, enough of my usual ramblings. Let's head onto what you came here to read today.
~ Chapter 3 : Omurice of Jealousy ~
Waking up early in the morning had once been a problem for Naruto Uzumaki, when he was still a kid training at the shinobi Academy of Konohagakure no Sato. But that hadn't been the case in years. Ever since he'd arrived in that world, Naruto had adopted the habit to be up as early as 5 AM, ready to begin with his training routine which still kept him in proper physical condition after all those years away from home. Sleeping in was hardly ever an option, and one he'd only consider if exercising was out of the question for whatever reason.
That day was not the exception, as Naruto sat up on his bed and proceeded to rub the sleep out of his eyes after checking the clock on his bedside table. Taking a moment to stretch himself, his orbs inadvertedly traveled once again to his bedside table, and he soon found himself staring at a photo frame next to his clock.
The blond took it into his hands and stared at it for a full minute, a nostalgic smile drawing itself on his lips. He could still remember the day that photo had been taken, and the way he felt about being in the same team as Sasuke Uchiha, his greatest rival. To see himself as a 13 year old genin, scowling and glaring out the corner of his eyes at a stoically looking teme made him chuckle, memories of his time trying to prove he was stronger than the Uchiha flooding his brain for a few moments.
Next to them, right in the middle, stood Sakura Haruno and a masked Kakashi Hatake, the two of them being the only ones who smiled at the camera. Naruto would be lying if he were to tell anyone that he didn't miss them, or his time as a ninja. In fact, he would have given anything to be able to go back home and meet all his friends after all those years. Sakura, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Hinata, Ino, Lee, TenTen, Neji, Shino, Tsunade and Shizune, the Ichirakus, heck, even the old pervert whom he used to call Ero-Sennin back in the day.
He idly wondered whether Jiraiya would still be willing to train him like he said he intended to if Naruto were to go back now.
There was one person he didn't miss though. Of all his loved ones and companions, Sasuke Uchiha wasn't among them anymore - he hadn't been for years, actually, as Naruto was almost certain the duck-butt haired bastard had had something to do with his sudden disappearence from the Elemental Nations. After all, his face had been the last thing the Uzumaki remembered seeing before passing out as their jutsus clashed one last time at the Valley of End, his rasengan trying to overwhelm the Uchiha's raikiri in a futile attempt to beat the fallen avenger and bring him back to Konoha.
That Naruto was there now only proved he'd failed in his mission, despite still not knowing how had the teme managed to send him away after all that time.
A long sigh escaped his lips as he put the photo back on its usual place, a grim look now etched on his face. It had been 3 years since he'd woken up in that place, on the backyard of the house he was currently the sole occupant of. Just thinking about the old owner taking him in with no hesitation, no questions asked as he patched him up, made the Uzumaki feel a pang of pain in his chest.
If it wasn't for the jiji, or so Naruto liked to call him (as it reminded him of the Sandaime Hokage), Kami knows where he'd be at the moment - probably living in the shadows and doing jobs that were considered illegal in that world. It'd have been okay, he guessed, since he was still a shinobi. Shinobi were prepared to be experts at getting information, infiltrating places that most people didn't have access to, or even killing specific targets. Although he had never gone past the rank of genin, Naruto knew such skill set was pretty sought after by the right people, and they would be willing to pay him millions to work for them.
Yet... he had promised the old man he would finish school, go to college and find a nice, respectable job like everyone else. The jiji wanted him to live a peaceful life, not one in which he'd be constantly risking his life just for money, and Naruto understood his reasons.
Besides, he wasn't one to back down from his word, and especially not to someone who'd given him a place to live and been kind to him everyday until he passed away. Truth be told, Kago Takeshi had been the closest thing the boy had had to a family after other grandfather figures such as Sarutobi, or Iruka-sensei, who Naruto had always seen as the older brother he'd never had.
"Wherever you are Jiji, I hope you are resting in peace", Naruto mumbled to himself before closing his eyes and offering a silent prayer as a mental image of his grandpa became vivid in his mind.
And it was with that thought that the Uzumaki got out of bed and got ready to begin his day, which usually started with an intense training session at his secret place. He was definitely going all out today, his previous reminiscence of the past had him pumped up and eager to do some serious workout.
Several sets of eyes glared in Naruto Uzumaki's way as he walked by, holding a lunch box on his hand. He was heading for his usual spot at the track field, which gave him peace and quietness as nobody was around during that period. Everyone in the patio noticed the bright grin he carried around for apparently no reason at all, and it made all kinds of comments to be exchanged between the students.
Out of all those students, only two knew the reason behind his good mood: Makoto Tsuburaya and Hana Ooishi. Both currently sitting alongside Miku Okazaki at the patio.
There was a genuine smile on Miku's lips as she calmly ate some rice from her lunch box, her fellow gal friends staring at her with knowing looks on their faces. Seeing the way she was acting made them even more eager to put their latest plan into motion, one they had spent several days carefully putting together.
"Sooo... Miku-chan", Makoto began, a smirk spread across her face as she leaned her way. "How are things with Naruto-kun?"
The question caught the blonde by surprise, and as soon as her mind finished processing the question she'd just been asked, she tilted her head to a side. "Eh? Uhm, good?", she answered, unsure of what else to say to her.
By her side, Hana giggled slyly. "More like very good, don't cha think Miku-chan...?"
"I... I guess", the girl shrugged her shoulders and tried to get her attention back to her food.
But Mako didn't plan on letting her get away from their questioning so quickly.
"You know... It totes seem like you two are suuuuper close", the aforementioned added, and her eyes glinted in delight at seeing Miku's face grow slightly red. "Now now, are you two...?"
Miku closed her eyes in feigned annoyance and looked away from her persistent gal friends. "Hmph, if you wanna know so badly, Naruki and I are friends... Just friends, 'kay?", there was something in the blonde beauty's tone that made both Hana and Makoto widen their smirks, before they exchanged a happy look.
"I knew it~ Miku-chan and Naruto-kun are totes in love with each other!"
"W-WHAT!?"
"We were right Mako-chan~!", a dreamy look crossed Hana's features as she placed her hands on her cheeks and moved her head from left to right, squealing in delight. "Ah, I can't wait for Miku-chan's wedding! She's gonna look sooo cute~"
"We should go and pick her dress after classes", ignoring the flabbergasted look on the Okazaki's face, Makoto giggled. "Don't you worry Miku-chan, me and Hana will make sure to find the best one for you!"
The Okazaki started gaping at her friends before her face went beet red at hearing their words, both of her green eyes wide open. "W-W-W-W-What are y-you saying!?", Miku even had trouble speaking as she vigorously shook her head. "We are not in l-love!"
Hana waved her hand dismissively while Makoto shrugged her shoulders, their excited smiles never leaving their faces. "Whatever, you can't hide it from us, Miku-chan..."
"Uh-hum, it's clear by looking at you two. 'Sides... Happy Naruto-kun looks sooo cute~ It's like, totes the first time I see him smile that much!"
Miku couldn't help but stare incredously at her best friends, this time sincerely surprised by Makoto's claim. "That... How do you know that? I thought only I noticed..."
"Don't be silly! Everyone can see that!", Mako playfully rolled her eyes, gesturing to the people around, who were chatting among themselves, minding their own business. "He's waaay happier than he used to be."
Hana nodded, beaming. "And it's totes, all thanks to you Miku-chan!"
It was then that the Okazaki couldn't help herself and inadvertently allowed her lips to curl into a small smile, her eyes gazing down at her lap. "I didn't know", she admitted, suddenly feeling very happy. It was as if finding out she was the possible reason behind that made her feel like she had achieved something important. "But that's gotta be something really nice, right? I mean, Naruki is super kind and funny, he totes deserves to be happy!"
The tone with which she now spoke did not go unnoticed by her friends, whose faces softened at seeing Miku sincerely content at what they had told her. It was clear she really cared about the blond prankster, and the fact he was the very first boy the Okazaki showed such affection towards, only added to Makoto's and Hana's delight.
Without Miku noticing, both friends shared a knowing look before silently turning her eyes back to the blonde.
"Yeah, you're right~", Makoto eventually said, Hana nodding cheerfully by her side. "I don't really know him, buuut nobody should be sad or alone."
"Right, right?"
The Okazaki absently hummed, her thoughts inadvertently shifting to those times she had actually seen what Naruto Uzumaki looked like when the others weren't staring his way. Back then she hadn't really paid attention, always offering no more than a passing glance to the lonely boy, as Miku didn't really know him.
But now that she did, she was never going to ignore that anymore.
"...So, Miku-chan, when are you going to introduce us to Naruto-kun?"
The aforementioned was broken out of her daze at Makoto's sudden question, and all she could do was blink her green orbs.
"Huh? You wanna meet Naruki?", Miku tilted her head to a side.
"Yeaah~ He totes looks like a fun guy!"
"And cute...", Makoto added, sharing a giggle with Hana.
Miku opted to ignore the way her friend referred to Naruto and put a finger below her lip, thinking about it. "Hmm, well, we gotta meet in the club room today, so-"
"Ah! You mean the cooking club!? "
Both gals got a surprised nod from the Okazaki as the only response to their question, but it was more than enough to give them a sudden idea.
"Hana, I'll text Yuuta and let him know we're gonna be a bit late today."
"'Kaaay~"
"Wait, whatcha planning, Mako?", Miku couldn't help but ask, looking a bit suspicious.
"Hehe, why, to check your club out, of course!", the gal chirped in response. Something that earned a curious look from Miku.
"Uhm, I don't really mind, but why do you wanna do that now?"
There was a sudden pause in which Mako and Hana only blinked their eyes before both of them broke out in identical, innocent grins. "Welp... 'Cos a cooking club sounds suuper cool! 'Sides, It'd be great to learn more things to cook for my little brothers. They can't help it, all boys love food, don't you think?"
At that, the Okazaki couldn't help but nod with a smile, innocently grinning afterwards. "Yeah, it's like they're totes into it!", Miku agreed with a giggle, inadvertently thinking of Naruto and his unnatural obsession with ramen. Something he'd pointed out more than a few times over the past days.
"Me too~ My boyfriend sure loves food, so I gotta make sure to keep him happy~!"
"But you don't have a boyfriend, Hana", Miku pointed out, but the girl didn't even look phazed by such fact.
"...Awww, ya know I can get one whenever I want to! I'm just waiting for the coolest, best-looking guy out there to come and get me!"
Both Makoto and Miku couldn't help but stare at their friend in silence for a few moments, before they both snorted. "Pfft, you aren't askin' for much, are ya?"
"Nope, but only 'cos I'm such a great girl an' all~!"
At that the three friends bursted out in laughter while everyone around them proceeded to stare with annoyed eyes, not really getting what was so funny. The gals, however, paid them no mind as they calmed down after a minute, only grins remaining on their lips now.
"Sooo...", Makoto began, turning to Miku with a puppy look that was instantly mirrored by Hana. "Can we go with you?"
"Com'onnnn, say yeees!"
It only took a moment for the Okazaki to broke out into one of her girly smiles, and she eagerly nodded her head. "'Course! We wanna get more people to join anyway, so let's have fun together later!"
"Yaaay~"
"Thanks Miku-chan!"
As said girl finally diverted her attention back to her lunch, thinking about how much fun attending the club's meeting with her best friends was going to be, she never noticed the glint in both gals' eyes as they silently giggled to themselves.
Cooking is fun!
The cooking club is looking for new members!
Contact Yabe-sensei for more details.
Yabe Shinji stared at the flyer he'd just printed that morning with a smile on his lips, feeling quite pleased with his work. He placed his hands on his hips before nodding to himself. "A job well done, if I must say so myself. We ought to get more members with this, right Uzumaki?"
The teacher didn't turn the way of the newest addition of the club, and thus failed to notice the incredulous look on Naruto's face.
"Uhm yeah, no offense Yabe but... it's pretty lame."
"Hah? Lame? But why?", the older male looked slightly offended as he glanced at Naruto over his shoulder. "It looks great to me..."
His student, however, retorted with a snort. "Yeah... Maybe a kid would think so too. People our age, though? They're just going to ignore it, believe me."
Yabe was at a loss of words after hearing Naruto's sincere opinion. It was now clear to him that he should have asked his students before deciding to make flyers on his own to promote the club. Worse even, he had even printed more than enough copies to hand out the following day.
"Ah, I don't really know what's wrong with them", Shinji finally admited, scratching his head for a second. "What would you do to make them more... appealing?"
The minute the teacher asked that question, a huge grin was drawn on Naruto's lips. "Why, I thought you'd never ask", the blond went to his bag and retrieved a black marker from within, before heading to the flyer hanging on the wall next to the board. "If you really want to get all the people banging at the door and begging to join, this is what you should do."
And without further ado, Naruto's hands blurred in a series of random movements all over the flyer - the speed with which he now drew prevented Yabe from seeing whatever it was that his student was modifying, or adding, to the original design. For what seemed like an eternity, but that in fact was only a minute or so, Naruto allowed his imagination to run wild on the paper, with a curious looking Yabe standing a few meters behind.
Finally, said boy's hand pulled to a stop, and he only took a moment to admire his work before nodding to himself and turning around. "Now that's what a true flyer should look like!", Naruto turned to his teacher as he grinned his trademark grin. "Behold Yabe, my latest master piece!"
And as he moved aside for Shinji's eager eyes to take in this supposed master piece of Naruto, his previous expectant look immediately deflated at the image he was greeted with. On the drawing there was now a chibi version of Naruto delivering a flying kick to a slice of cake the teacher had originally placed on his design, a look of excitement on the former's tiny visage. Behind him, the Uzumaki had drawn equal chibi versions of Yabe, who was giving the small Uzumaki a thumbs-up, and Miku, who had stars on her eyes as she cheered him on.
Above it, Naruto had crossed the old text 'Cooking is fun!' out and replaced it with 'Cooking is for chads!'.
Overall, the whole new design made Yabe sweatdrop. And especially that last part.
What was 'chad' supposed to be anyway?
"That's... Uhm..."
"Great, right?", a proud look crossed the Uzumaki's features as he folded his arms, chuckling. "No need to thank me, I'm just doing my part as a member of the cooking club. You can make some more copies for tomorrow. Me and Miku-chan will take care of distributing them around the school, no problemo."
"H-Hah...", Yabe nodded, unsure of what else to say. He didn't really feel like telling what really was on his mind to the Uzumaki, else he'd hurt his feelings or something of the sort. The boy had creativity, he had to give him that, and he was willing to help the club, which was truly commendable.
Then again... since when did Naruto think of him as someone who would approve of kicking food?
The teacher couldn't help but tear his eyes away from the image, planning to take it home later before anyone else could find it there. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of the headmaster, a fellow teacher or even a student seeing the flyer and thinking he was responsible for it.
'...Sorry kid, I don't plan on getting into trouble any time soon.'
"Hey Yabe, Miku-chan's a bit late today", the aforementioned was broken out of his daze by Naruto's voice, whom he quickly noticed to be putting his apron on, the sleeves of his shirt now rolled up all the way to his forearms. "Do you think she's not coming?"
Shinji was about to open his mouth and respond when suddenly the door to the club swung open, catching both males off guard and making their heads abruptly turn the way of the entrance. A moment later, two girls flanqued by a third one stepped into the room, their eyes curiously inspecting their surroundings for a second.
"Heeey~ So this is the famous cooking club, huh?"
"Oho~ Look at all the shiny stuff we've got here. This is like totes a really cool place!"
Inevitably, their inspection led their orbs in the direction of the other two people standing at the other side of the room, and particularly onto a young blond, with short, spiky golden hair and bright azure eyes that immediately caught the girls' attention.
"Ah Okazaki, glad you could make it. For a moment there we thought you would skip today's meeting."
Miku looked strangely uncomfortable as she massaged her wrist. "Soz Yabecchi, Hana-chan here had to make a stop for the bathroom and stuff."
Her friends ignored her for the time being, their eyes locked on Naruto's figure even after Yabe turned their way to acknowledge their presence. "You must be... Ooishi and Tsuburaya, right?", he asked more to himself than to the girls. "We weren't certainly expecting any newcomers to join us today but you're more than welcome to...", Yabe suddenly realized his words were falling on deaf ears as the gals were not even looking his way, too focused as they were staring in an unnervingly intense way at Naruto. "Oi... Are you even listening to me?"
"Ne, Hana, is that...?"
"No doubt about it~"
"H-Hey, wait a sec-!"
Despite Miku's feeble protests, Naruto Uzumaki found himself cornered in an instant by two beautiful gals, who were now staring into his eyes from up close. "W-What?", he gasped, backing away until his lower back hit the teacher's desk at the corner of the room. Though no matter how much distance he tried to put between him and the girls, they just kept shortening it. "Wh-What's going on?", he nervously asked to no one in particular.
Both gals scrunched their faces in thought as they proceeded to stare at him, almost as if sizing him up in search of something.
"Hmmm...", Makoto hummed to herself as she leaned closer to a very nervous Naruto, her eyes narrowing for a moment.
"So, what'cha think Mako-chan?"
"Welp, he's much cuter from up close. But is he good enough for our Miku-chan...?"
Her first words had already made Naruto blush in embarrassment, but the last part had caused the redeness on his cheeks to increase tenfold. Not to mention the way both girls seemed to not care about invading his personal space for reasons unknown to him, their bodies so close they were practically touching him.
"S-Stop doing that!", Miku herself wasn't faring any better. Standing right at the door, her face was all red, much like her fellow blond on the opposite side. "Y-You're too close to him! H-He can see your boobs!"
Out of all people present, Yabe was not the first one to pick on Miku's not so subtle jealousy, and he raised an eyebrow at her weak attempt to get her friends away from the young blond. 'But you are wearing the exact same outfit as them', thought Yabe, sweatdropping. He let out a silent sigh as he considered intervening, get his students to stop messing around the club and get ready for their cooking lesson, but he suddenly realized he had forgotten to write the recipe for their next meal, so he inadvertently picked up his notebook and proceeded to copy the steps and ingredients down on the board. 'The faster I do this, the sooner I can put them to work.'
"N-No, I can't! Well, actually, I kinda can from here, b-but I swear I'm not looking!", the last part was added as an afterthought by a Naruto, who failed to notice the angry look Miku sent his way. Not wanting to upset the blonde gal or her friends for that matter, he focused his eyes on the wall by his side, trying to find refuge on one of the posters with the many behavioural rules the principal had decreed to be hanged on every classroom, as a 'friendly' reminder to all students brave enough to follow on Naruto's footsteps as a pranskter.
Fortunately for the young man, his predicament didn't last as long as he feared it would, as both Makoto and Hana finally leaned away from Naruto and shared a happy look, grinning to each other. "He's the one."
"Ya know, I think so too~!"
Mako gave her friend a nod before turning the way of a very confused Naruto. "Nice to finally meet you, Naruto-kun. I'm Makoto. But you can call me Mako-chan", she added as she hugged his left arm between her bountiful breasts, making his eyes widen.
"Heya! The name's Hana. We know aaaaalll about ya, Naruto-kun", much like her friend, Hana was very straightforward and didn't even hesitate to trap Naruto's other arm between her breasts, putting on an innocent facade as she pressed her body against his side.
The gal's actions had an immediate effect on the poor young man, who once again had to summon all his willpower not to look down at either Mako's or Hana's cleavage, and focus his mind on other things, anything that would've distracted his teenage body from reacting to the rather stimulating sensations it was being subjected to at the moment.
Though such a task soon proved to be a titanic one as having his body sandwiched between the gals -and two very attractive ones at that- was taking a toll on him.
"All right, that's enough you two. Stop messing around the clubroom", as if sensing his utter discomfort, Yabe finally decided to step in, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Let's get you ready for your first lesson. Today, we'll be making some omurice."
"'Kaaay."
"Right away, Yabe!"
Both gals finally released Naruto from their hold and turned Yabe's way with happy smiles on their faces, accepting the white aprons he then handed the girls. At now being free from subsequent embarrassment, the Uzumaki couldn't help but let out a calming sigh, relief making its way to his whiskered face. Hanging around a direct and beautiful gal such as Miku was hard enough without having to be subjected to her two beautiful friends' antics. Not that he disliked any of it, mind you. Just the fact they knew exactly what to do to make him an embarrassed mess in the blink of an eye.
Being as unexperienced at dealing with women as he was had plenty of disadvantages, he guessed.
As if guided by an invisible force, Naruto inadvertently turned his eyes the way of Miku, only to be met with a frown from said girl. The moment their eyes locked, she huffed and moved her sight away from him. She walked up to Yabe, grabbed her own apron, and pretty much proceeded to ignore Naruto while heading straight away to her working station.
'Huh? Is Miku-chan angry or something?', the blond could not help but think, inwardly wondering if he had done anything to upset her. 'Hmm, maybe I'm just imagining things', regardless, he made a mental note to ask her if everything was fine later, maybe at some point during the cooking session.
"...Ooishi, don't play around with my utensils."
"Hah~ wearing an apron like this kinda makes you feel like I'm a wife or something", completely ignoring the only teacher in the room, Hana sat on one of the kitchenettes, bringing her left leg up. She then raised her spoon to her lips, and flashed Naruto a coquettish smile from afar. "Darling~ Do you want dinner first, or a bath? Or...", batting her long eyelashes at him, she moved her leg a bit to the side, giving both him and Yabe a clear view of her panties, "...or me? Haha, just kidding~"
Whereas Naruto's face now sported a blush of atomic proportions, he had the decency of looking away, unable to come up with a response to the gal who was now giggling at his expense. Yabe merely sighed in annoyance, feeling a major headache incoming. Deep down he had a strong feeling the day would not end peacefully like he initially hoped.
After a brief demonstration on how to cook an Omurice by Yabe himself, everyone had been tasked with getting straight to work. Normally, both Naruto and Miku had a kitchenette all for themselves, being the only formal members of the cooking club. That day though, and due to Makoto and Hana being there for a trial class, Yabe had to split them into pairs, having not anticipated their presence in order to get more stations ready. Makoto was to cook with Naruto, who was a little bit disappointed at not having been paired with Miku, but smiled nonetheless when the other gal approached him.
"Sooo, we get to do something together, Naruto-kun. I'm so glad~", Makoto said, winking an eye at Naruto. Said gesture was met with a small blush from the young man.
"Haha", he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, let's do our best!", he responded with determination. He offered the beautiful gal his fist for a fist bump, which she met with her own, before the two of them headed for their own kitchenette.
Not too far to the left, Miku surreptitiously watched as her friend and Naruto started to go over the necessary ingredients, both smiling and chattering excitedly. Her face contorted into a frown at the scene for some not so secret reason, a weird feeling filling her being the more she stared at the pair.
By her side, Hana finally realized her fellow gal was not even looking her way and pouted.
"Heeeey, Miku-chaaaan, I'm talking to ya!", she said, tugging on her arm. Miku did not seem to acknowledge she was being addressed, so Hana opted to see where she was looking at. As soon as her eyes caught sight of what had her friend so distraught, a sly smirk made its way to her lips. "Whatcha looking at, Miku-chan? Oho~ don't tell me... you're jealous?"
The moment those words left her mouth, Miku seemed to break out of her own daze and glanced the way of an innocent-looking Hana. "E-Eh? Jealous? N-No way!", she fervently denied. "I was just making sure we got the same ingredients as them, ya know? I thought they had a couple more eggs than we did", the gal pretended to inspect their own table before sighing. "Nope, they're all here, what a relief!", her feeble attempt at an excuse was met with an even wider smirk from Hana, who leaned close to Miku's face.
"Hmm? Is that so?", Hana saw her friend nervously facing away from her, and giggled at her reaction. "Hehe~, you don't have to hide it from me, Miku-chan. I totes know you wish you were in Makoto's position right now", as she said this, Hana rolled the sleeves on her shirt up to her elbows and grinned happily. "Don't ya worry, though. This all part of the plan~"
"The... plan?", Miku turned Hana's way again, her expression shifting to one of curiosity. "What plan?"
"Ufufu. You'll find out soon enough~", Miku noticed the way in which her fellow gal friend giggled to herself, an act that made the blonde beauty more curious than ever. She felt as though there was something going on there, something her friends had planned behind her back. And that something involved Naruto, of all people.
The Okazaki thought about pressing on for a clear answer, but opted not to as Yabe suddenly walked over to their station to check on their progress, only for said man to lightly scold them as they hadn't even started yet. "Soz, Yabe-sensei, we got a little distracted here", Miku heard Hana said apologetically. "Ah, don't be mad~ I can even make it up to you! So, how about it, Yabe? Anything at all, you have but to ask, I don't mind..."
"You can make it up to me by following the steps I just taught you", the teacher said plainly, folding his arms over his chest. "You too, Okazaki."
"Mou~ You're kinda boring, sensei."
"...G-Gotcha, Yabecchi."
Yabe nodded. "Good. Now, I have to go get something from the teacher's room. I'll be back in a couple minutes", he announced loud and clear for everyone to hear. Then, he glanced Naruto's way. "Uzumaki, you're in charge."
"Huh? Me? Oh, okay Yabe! Leave it to me, I won't let you down!", Naruto responded excitedly, giving the man a thumbs up.
As the teacher exited the classroom, Miku tried putting all thoughts aside of Naruto and focus on the ingredients laid out before her, but the moment she heard Makoto laughing aloud all concentration she'd managed to muster was shattered like glass.
"No way! I can't believe Yuuta fell for that!", Makoto said, evidently in response to something Naruto had told her. "Did it take ya too long to set it all up?
"Nah, it was all ready in a couple of minutes", Naruto casually commented, his usual foxy grin spreading across his lips as he placed the spring onion on the table. "The hard part was getting your boyfriend and his friends to that particular classroom. I couldn't show my face or they would suspect something was up."
As he talked, Miku had to resist the urge to look over her shoulder, and instead tried to busy herself with beating the eggs the way Yabe had taught them to. Though that didn't mean she couldn't listen to what they were talking about.
"So?"
"So...", Naruto paused for a moment to concentrate on chopping the onion, not wanting to cut his finger. Since that wasn't the first time he'd done so, he had some actual experience and it translated into a decent job. One which he took a moment to appreciate with a pleased smile. "...I had someone else lure them into my trap for me. Can't give out their identity, though", he added at an inquisitive look from Makoto. He inched closer to her position to add the onion to the beans on the frying pan, and watched as she mixed it all together with a spatula. "Yuuta really had it in for me for a while, so I had to lay low for a couple of weeks. But eh, it was worth every second. He had it coming, sorry."
"No need for that, Naruto-kun", Makoto said, flashing him a sincere smile. "I know Yuuta can be pretty mean sometimes if he doesn't like you, but he's not a bad guy. I have to say, tho, you're like an expert at pranking people."
At her words, the blond could not help but scratch his cheek embarrassedly. "H-Hah, I guess so. Been doing it ever since I was kid, so I have plenty of practice", his azure eyes then focused on the way Makoto poured the eggs onto the mix, expertly using the spatula to keep the omelette from getting stuck on the pan. She constantly moved the pan around, which was the secret to making a great omurice.
"By the way, Naruto-kun... Do you have a girlfriend?"
Almost as if on reflex, everyone except Yabe, who had yet to return to the clubroom, turned Naruto's way with eager eyes. Miku looking even more interested than her gal friends, for whatever reason.
"H-Huh?", Naruto found himself taken aback at the suddeness of the question, and was soon laughing akwardly. "A-Ah, no, not really."
"Oho~ you don't say...", Makoto giggled mysteriously, watching out the corner of her eyes as Miku inadvertently smiled at the news.
"Really, now, Naruto-kun? But surely, you must have someone you like!"
The aforementioned couldn't help but get startled as Hana suddenly spoke right next to him, making Naruto wonder when and how she'd gotten there without him even noticing. He saw the way she was looking innocently at him, and the way Makoto kept on cooking with a weird smile taking over her glossy lips, and couldn't help but feel strangely awkward. He sensed as though he was being interrogated for some reason, and why was Miku staring at him with such intensity?
His heart was pounding madly in his chest as he steadied himself to provide an answer, knowing he had no possible escape out of that situation. "W-Well", he gulped sonorously, looking down. He remained silent for a moment, trying to ignore his rising nerves as he knew every set of eyes in the room was focused on his figure. "Actually, I...", Naruto's voice died down the moment his eyes rose on their own accord and met Miku's green orbs, an act that had the latter hurriedly turning her head away, and Makoto and Hana exchanging a knowing look. "U-Uhm... I mean-"
"Awww, Naruto-kun is so cute!", Hana squealed, hugging his left arm with a gleeful smile.
"C-C-Cute!?"
"Hehe~ That's alright, Naruto-kun, you don't need to say more. Me and Hana-chan, we know", Makoto assured him, giving him a friendly shoulder bump. She then winked her eye at Hana, who giggled knowingly in response, an act that left Naruto more confused than anything.
'They know... what, exactly?', the young man couldn't help but wonder, forgetting for a moment that his arm was still trapped between Hana's breasts. 'I didn't even say anything. C-Could it be that gals can read minds!?', of course, the idea was stupid, and he knew it. But dealing with girls like them was an unprecented experience for the blond, one he didn't know whether he'd ever get used to.
From his position between the two gals, Naruto was unable to see the heavy blush Miku now sported on her visage.
"Whoa, Makoto-chan, you're really good at cooking!"
"Indeed, Tsuburaya", Yabe, who had just returned from the teacher's room, shared his male student's appreciation towards the image of the perfect omurice now served on a plate. On top, ketchup had been used to write the word 'Looove' in neat handwritten, a word Makoto claimed was meant for Naruto for being such a cute guy, much to the former's embarrassment, and Miku's annoyance. "That's a great looking omelette you have there!"
Responding their praise with a big smile, Makoto shrugged her shoulders. "The truth is, I've got a bunch of little brothers, and they love omurice. So I make it for them all the time."
"Ah, that's right, you mentioned something about cooking for your brothers earlier today", Miku said, her previous jealousy subsiding a bit. She examined the omurice with keen eyes, honestly impressed.
Hana nodded. "And now that I think about it, you always bring home-made bento boxes to school."
"Yup! I make them for me and my brothers too. Mum and dad are always busy, but I like cooking so it's fine."
Naruto placed both arms behind his neck, humming thoughtfully. "Hmm, having an older sister sure sounds great", he casually commented as a grin was drawn across his lips. "Your brothers are lucky to have a good big sister like you!"
The comment took Makoto aback for a second before she eventually broke into a happy grin of her own, her cheeks darkening in response. "Hehe, now now, don't praise me too much, or I might take it the wrong way", she said teasingly, nudging the blond on the arm. Her reaction made Naruto blink in an innocent manner, not really understanding what she meant by all that.
"Hpmh! If I had little brothers, I'd also cook for them", Miku muttered, folding her arms over her chest. A cute, jealous pout adorned her lips even as the Uzumaki turned her way.
"I don't doubt it Miku-chan", Naruto flashed her one of his trademark grins as he spoke. "You'd be the best oneechan in the world, I'm sure!"
Everyone noticed the way she tried to conceal a smile, but failed spectacularly. Even Yabe saw it, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "I won't argue with that. But any big sister cooking for their brothers doesn't leave food half made, do they?", he gestured towards all the ingredients still lying around in Miku's and Hana's kitchenette, waiting to be used. They had only cracked the eggs on a bowl, yet they still needed to finish beating them, and put the frying pan on the stove.
"Ah, sorry about that Yabecchi", Miku said, rubbing her elbow embarrassedly.
Contrary to his usual demeanor, Yabe merely waved his hand dismissively and smiled at his students. "No worries. We had some guests and maybe potential new members today, so it's okay if we didn't do much", he reassured the group. "Tomorrow we can pick up where we left off. That is, if you two are willing to come back?"
Both Hana and Makoto turned to look at each other for a moment, before shaking their heads. "Nah, it's fine. We were only free today to come and visit you guys", Makoto explained, clapping her hands excitedly. "Besides! We already got what we wanted, right, Hana?"
"Right~!", Hana chirped, much to Yabe's confusion. He didn't have a clue what on Earth they could possibly be talking about, so he merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh, okay then."
"Yeah, sorry Yabe-sensei. But we definitely had like, tons of fun! We gotta do this again some day", as she said this, Makoto took her phone from the pocket of her skirt, tapped her password on it, and checked a certain message that'd arrived a couple minutes earlier. "Ah, it's from Yuuta. He says we can make it if we hurry up. Soz everyone, gotta run! Com'on, Hana, let's get going!"
"Bye bye guys", the aforementioned waved her hand energetically at the other three people present in the clubroom. "See you later Miku-chan, Naruto-kun!", before leaving, Hana turned to the latter and winked her eye at him. "Come hang out with us sometime, I promise we don't bite!"
"S-Sure!"
And just like that, both gals turned around and darted out the room, disappearing from sight a moment later. Yabe and his students remained silent for a few moments, until Miku let out a long sigh. "So, they're finally gone", after saying this, she immediately approached a pensive looking Naruto and grabbed his arm with her hands.
"Miku-chan? What-?"
"Come over here a sec, Naruki, and help me finish my omurice", she all but commanded, pulling him over to her working station.
"Ah! Yeah, sure Miku-chan, but isn't it time for us to start cleaning things up?", he wondered as his eyes quickly shifted the way of Yabe, who had a hand under his chin in thought.
Eventually, he shrugged. "We can stay a bit more, as long as you don't get distracted", receiving a grateful nod from Miku, the serious looking gal released her hold on Naruto and handed him a sharp knife. Meanwhile, Yabe saw this as an opportunity to try out some of Makoto's omurice, which seemed delicious.
"Here", Miku told Naruto, her tone firm. "Please show me how to chop this onion. I always struggle with that."
"O-Okay", the young man responded, unwilling to argue with her request. Taking a deep breath, Naruto placed the onion on the table and aimed the knife against it, but before he could even begin with the process, he tensed up. The reason? Miku had gotten so close to him by his side that he could practically feel her voluptous body pressed against his side, her face merely inches away from his. "U-Uhm... M-Miku-chan, why are you s-so cl-close to me?", he asked weakly, inwardly cursing himself for stuttering so much.
"I need to see everything from up close", she said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, though it was not an answer that managed to put Naruto at ease. His teenage hormones were threatening with acting up at her sudden closeness, and he had to once again summon all his willpower to try and concentrate on the task at hand.
As he shakily proceeded to chop the onion before him, Naruto prayed to Kami above he'd be able to complete the day without accidentally slicing one of his fingers.
"Oi, you two want some omurice Tsuburaya made? It's really good."
At a scary look Miku sent his way, Yabe immediately paled and quickly walked away from the pair, unsure of what was it he'd done to make the usually bubbly gal react in such a way.
Club meetings were finally over for that day, and most students were currently making their way out the building, hoping to get home quickly after such a long and tiresome day. Amongst those students were Miku Okazaki and Naruto Uzumaki, who now found themselves alone as they went down the corridor in the second floor.
They had exited the clubroom a few moments earlier, a time in which Naruto had tried to come up with a good topic for conversation, but failed miserably in all his attempts. For some unknown reason to him, Miku was strangely silent as they walked side by side, and the Uzumaki could not help but feel very apprehensive at said fact.
"N-Ne, Miku-chan, are you okay? You are kinda quiet", Naruto said tentatively, hoping to find out what could have Miku in such a mood. Usually, she was all smiles, so to witness such a strange side of her didn't sit well with the young man.
"...I wanna talk to you Naruki, 'kay?", Miku suddenly said, her voice soft despite the seriousness in her expression. She didn't turn his way even when he hurriedly glanced at her - only when they reached the last classroom before the set of stairs leading up and down did she stop walking. "Can we go somewhere else? I wanna have some privacy; don't want other teachs overhearing us and stuff."
Naruto's apprehension grew even stronger at the situation he was now being faced with. Despite being unable to do anything but to nod his head and follow Miku up the stairs and into an empty classroom on the third floor, his brain wouldn't stop coming up with possible scenarios as to what could she want to talk about, one worse than the other. Naruto started feeling afraid the more he thought about it, going as far as to think she'd gotten tired of his company and was now going to ask him to stay away from then on.
His heart fell at the idea, but he steeled himself and shook his head to get rid of negative thoughts. Whatever was it that had her like that, there was no other choice but to face it straight on.
As Miku guided Naruto to the teacher's desk at the front, she asked him to sit on it, something Naruto did obediently, not caring in the slightest if a teacher or a faculty member saw him doing so later. What mattered at the moment, was hearing Miku out and trying to fix things, whatever it took.
"Naruki", Miku began once he had sat down, and she stood directly in front of him with her hands placed behind her back. "Earlier, with Mako-chan and Hana-chan... did you like it?"
"Huh?", the blond blinked his azure eyes, seriously confused.
She nodded patiently. "Did you like... the way they acted around you?", seeing as though he was still looking unsure of what to make of her question, the gal decided to elaborate. "I mean, how they pressed their bodies against you, the things they said to you, all that."
Realization now seemed to hit Naruto like a truck, and his face lit up in recognition. "Ohhh", his lips curled into an 'o' shape for a moment, now seeing where she was coming from. He took a moment to scratch his head, before nodding his head. "Uhm, I'd be lying if I said I didn't, so yeah, I liked it."
Naruto felt immediate regret the moment he saw Miku's expression saddening, and a sad smiling now taking over her glossy lips. The way she inclined her head and her face looked downcast had him want to punch himself in the gut. "Ah, right, of course ya did", the blonde gal responded dejectedly, feeling quite upset for some reason. "I mean, you're a guy after all. Anyone would feel the same way if someone as beautiful and confident as Makoto or Hana came up to them and did the things they do."
"A-Ah, no, that's not what I meant at all!", Naruto stood up in a hurry, but restrained himself from placing his hands on Miku's shoulders. After all, he didn't want to upset her even further by doing something stupid. "When I said I liked it, I didn't really mean it that way. It's just...", Naruto paused for a few seconds, trying to come up with the right words to express what was truly on his mind. "I never really had people interested in me, in getting to know me. Everyone in this school always avoided me like the plague, that is, before I met you Miku-chan. Or your friends, for that matter."
The Uzumaki didn't get an answer from his fellow blonde, but he knew he had her undivided attention, so he just decided to carry on with saying what he wanted to say. He wondered for a instant whether it'd be a good idea to tell her more about his past, but eventually decided she deserved to know. At least a little bit. Even if she ended up growing apart from him, he felt as though he could share this with Miku.
"It has always been like this for me, you know?", he began, memories of his dark past resurfacing for the first time in years. "Growing up, people in the village where I was born used to treat me like a demon. A monster of some sort. Some adults would chase me around the streets to hurt me, and most parents would take their kids away whenever I wanted to play with them, so I pretty much grew up isolated from the others. Knowing that I'd never fit in, no matter how much I tried to prove I was not a bad person."
Miku's previous state turned into a shocked one as she gasped, horrified at what she was hearing. "Naruto...! I... I'm so sorry, I didn't know...", her features softened and she couldn't help but feel terrible. "But why... why would they treat you like that?", she couldn't help but ask tentatively, unable to think of any plausible reason that could explain why a mere child, of all people, could be the target of such hatred and animosity.
Naruto's face sombered up at the question. He knew he couldn't tell Miku the real reason why everyone at Konoha hated him for many years - she wouldn't ever believe him anyway. Instead, he decided to give her a different version, one that was as close to the truth as possible and that was easier to believe and accept. "It's kind of a long story, but basically people in my village believed I was the reincarnation of a demon called the Kyuubi no Kitsune as I was born on October, 10th. The very same day folks say the evil fox demon terrorized and killed lots of innocent people."
The more Miku heard, the harder it became to mask her incredulity. She could not believe what she was hearing, much less finding out that there were people superstitious enough so as to truly think a mere kid was a demon, a monster of some sort, and proceed to make his life miserable and lonely. It sounded so stupid, so enfuriantingly unfair that Miku couldn't help but to shake her head in utter disbelief. 'How can people be so... so cruel?', the mere image of a kid-wise Naruto locked away from the world and being subjected to mistreat had the gal making a feeble attempt at holding back the tears that then gathered round her eyes.
Naruto seemed to realize how she was feeling and waved his hands in a reassuring manner. "Ah, don't feel sad, Miku-chan, it's okay, really! I eventually made some friends and people started to respect me more. Then, I came here and got adopted by jiji", he offered her a gentle smile. "I guess the reason why I'm telling you all this is because I want you to understand that not many people have cared about me in my life, girls especially. So... I'm not really used to dealing with this kind of things. Like, you know, when you or your friends get close to me and tease me. Or when you call me cute. It makes me feel good. Like you care about me. "
"Naruto..."
Miku was at a loss for words. She knew for a fact there was so much more to Naruto Uzumaki than met the eye, as he wasn't unlike any other guy she'd ever met. Then again, never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined Naruto had so much pain and uncertainty hidden inside of him, and it made her feel guilty for not having noticed before. Of course, there was absolutely no way she could have guessed, not when he himself always acted as if nothing phased him, as if the school and everyone else in it didn't matter to him at all.
It was as if the more she found out about him, the more she realized he had experienced more hardships in life than most people could ever do.
"So, whatever happens, I just want you to know I'm really glad I met you", Naruto confessed, flashing Miku a grin so bright, it put the very Sun to shame. It was a expression born of his own true feelings. "My days were definitely much better with you around, Miku-chan", he closed his eyes, before adding, "so yeah. Thanks. For everything", Naruto proceeded to rub the back of his head, awkwardness now setting in. He knew he'd just shared a ton of personal stuff with a girl whom he had met a few days before, and thus he couldn't help but fear her reaction.
Even if said girl was Miku Okazaki, someone who had showed a level of kindness and understanding towards him that not many had shown before, Naruto knew his past was a dark and troubled one, and one which would be difficult for anyone to accept. Even for someone as cheerful and carefree as Miku.
Naruto waited for his fellow blonde's response for a few moments, and when he got none, he risked a glance at the gal standing before him, having noticed how silent she'd grown all of a sudden.
He was shocked at the tears he now saw running down her face.
"Miku-chan! I'm sorry, I shouldn't... have..."
Whatever was it Naruto wanted to say next never made it past his lips as he suddenly found himself being pulled into a tight embrace. A pair of arms found their way around his back, and a warm body now pressed against his own, making his eyes go wide at the unexpectedness of such action.
"Stop it."
"...?"
Raising her head to meet Naruto's azure eyes, Miku's teary green orbs stared deep into his pools with great intensity. "Stop acting like this is goodbye, baka! You thought I was going to walk away? To distance myself from you?", fresh tears flowed down her orbs, and the blond's face fell at the sight. "You... You're not getting rid of me that easily, you hear me? The people that don't like you... they just don't know you, the silly, adorable guy I've got to know in the past couple days. "
"...! Miku-chan..."
Her proclamation had his heart skipping a beat, and his cheeks to go slightly red. Did she truly think of him that way? As an... adorable guy?
"Today...", she then took a deep breath, diverting her eyes in what he thought was embarrassment, "I-I was just jealous, okay? That's all!"
Naruto widened his eyes at that, having never expected to hear such a thing from her that day. The worst thing he thought that could happen was Miku being upset at him for being a weirdo around her friends, not... this!
Still, her confession made his chest feel oddly warm. Something he had rarely ever felt before. He vaguely remembered feeling that way around Sakura at the beginning, when he had met her back at the Academy. But after all those years, that feeling was almost foreign to him. Not unpleasant at all, but certainly unfamiliar.
"You were... jealous?", he blinked incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief. "But why, Miku-chan?"
Using one of her hands to wipe the tears off her reddened face, she gingerly jabbed her finger on Naruto's chest. "Mou, because only I can get close to you like this, got that?", she said, making Naruto's cheeks grow impossibly hot. She looked away from him with a pout on her lips, still not making any visible attempts at releasing him from her hold.
The Uzumaki was frozen in place after hearing her statement, unable to mutter any proper response for the time being. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions, nor make any assumptions, but what Miku said had resonated deep within him. They hadn't known each other for long. Heck, they had properly met just a week before, and yet he felt as though they had grown incredibly close to each other in the past days they'd spent together. Naruto didn't know what to say, or what was it that this beautiful gal meant to him really, but he wanted to find out. Get to know her better while spending more time with her and then figure it out from there.
And it was with that thought in mind that Naruto finally allowed his body to relax and his arms to pull Miku back into his embrace. Said girl wasn't preparred for such move, and a blush tinted her cheeks in response.
"Got it, Miku-chan", the Uzumaki simply said, smiling in a sincere way.
Miku herself tried to fight back a smile of her own, but failed miserably as Naruto's warmth enveloped her, filling her with a sense of comfort. She also didn't care her heart was now pounding madly in her chest and that Naruto could probably feel it, and allowed herself to melt in his arms. "G-Good", she mumbled, resting her cheek against his strong chest. "I forgive ya, then."
There were no more words exchanged between them that afternoon, contented as they were to stay in each others' arms until it got dark and the Sun gave way to the Moon above in the star filled sky.
To be continued...
All right! That's it for this chapter, folks. Compared to the previous ones, this chap was longer to make up for my prolonged absence. I could have easily split it into two parts, but nah, it felt right to keep it all together into a single installment. Gives you something lengthier to read while I work on the next chapter.
New characters will probably make their appearance next time, depending on how much I want to focus on Naruto and Miku. I really enjoy writing the many interactions between them, so most of the time I can't help to center things entirely around them.
Don't forget to let me know if you're liking the story so far. As always, your support is greatly appreciated!
See ya!