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The Story of Us

'For those who never gave up'

Naruto x OC

Friendship, Adventure, Romance

Chapter 12: Journey to the Southern Ports

Half the fun of your goals is the journey you took to get there.

"Good Times"- All Time Low

"Ok, and this is for everyone else, so make sure you share. Oh and here, don't forget your shuriken pack. Oh! And your hat! Can't forget your sleeping cap-"

"Kari!" Naruto held both my shoulders to stop my pacing. A shaky grin was on his face. "It's not like I'm going to be gone for a month y'know! You'll probably be gone longer."

I looked away, biting my lower lip.

"I know, but… we've…. We've never been apart this long and-" Naruto pulled me in for a hug. It surprised me, so I just fell against his chest, perfectly tucked under his chin. Which was saying something, considering how short Naruto was.

"I know," was all he said, but his arms got tighter. I hugged him tightly, knowing full well both of us were aware this was going to be strange. "But we are ninja now, right? We gotta get used to it, believe it."

I pouted, frowning as I curled in further until my nose was pressed softly into his neck. I took a deep breath to calm down, remembering Kakashi-sensei's training.

"It's important, Hikari, that you understand what being a ninja means. I don't want to scare you, but you should know, being a ninja is very dangerous. The moment you dawn that headband, you are making an oath to give your life for the village, for your comrades. You will be sent on missions you may not return from, as will your friends, Naruto will be sent on them. It's important you understand, and learn now, to keep your head no matter what. Your friend there is impulsive enough for both of you."

I sighed, feeling Naruto dip his head down to my shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you." I muttered against his neck, Naruto giggled. His whiskers brushing my cheek.

"That tickles." He said while lifting his head away. I looked up, raising a hand to scratch my cheek.

"Your whiskers itch," Naruto gave a small laugh before tilting down again to use his whiskers to scratch the side of my neck again. "Hey, hey! That's- Naruto!"

I tried to keep a serious tone, but watching the blond essentially attempt to stab me in the neck with his whiskers was somehow too comical to stay mad at. He pulled his arms around my waist to stop my escape, his nose would brush my collar bone as he assaulted me with his whiskers, and between this and the fact that I was attempting to bend over backwards to evade his pokes I couldn't stop the giggles from escaping my lips. I pushed against his chest, trying my best to not fall over, but Naruto was holding on tightly to me.

He finally pulled back a short while later, a smug grin on his face.

"There you go! You're smiling again y'know." I huffed, my cheeks dusted with an embarrassed blush as I rested my head against his collarbone. Naruto gave a cheesy laugh in triumph, but his arms wrapped around my shoulders to pull me close. I fisted his shirt against his chest, feeling very safe in that moment.

Naruto always gave the best hugs. When he wasn't throttling me in his sleep he would be holding me tightly, like a child did a stuffed animal, and it always made me feel safe. Content.

"Hey Kari, since we'll be gone for a bit…. Do you think we could….?" He trailed off, I took a breath before pulling away. Naruto was pulling a pouty face, which honestly wasn't winning him any points since he looked like a goofball with a huge pout and watery eyes.

"Yeah, we can have ramen for supper."

Naruto practically leapt into the air, rushing off to the kitchen to dig out two bowls. I giggled, his enthusiasm always a bit much but somehow also exactly what I would need. Our packs laid forgotten at our feet as I followed him at a slower pace to the kitchen.

"Alright! You're the best! What should we have? I say miso ramen! Oh but there's a good pork one I've been saving, Kari which one did you want?"

I walked calmly into the kitchen, leaning against the door frame to watch him. Naruto was debating between two bowls, talking out loud about the pros and cons to each, and I just stood there watching him for a short while. He would raise one bowl, talk about all the pros to it, then lower it and rotate off to the next one. I watched the rotation repeat itself, earning a small smile from me.

There was something about the picture…. Of Naruto just sitting on the floor with a big grin…. There was something about it that I decided I needed to remember. Something reminded me that, these moment might become far and fewer in between. Especially considering we were ninja now. There was the horrible realization that one of us might not come back from a mission one day.

This wouldn't last forever.

This moment, and every moment I got with Naruto, was always a blessing. And I would continue to treat each moment with him like it might be my last. I wouldn't leave anything left unsaid, and I would remind him everyday that he really was the most important person in my life.

Naruto finally looked back at me, saying something I didn't catch. However, he stared at me for a moment. Maybe it was a thoughtful look on my face, or a sad one. I don't know, but he stared at me with a strange look in his eyes too. We just stayed there, staring, not moving or saying a word, and I had the sinking feeling he might've realized the same thing too.

"Ah," I walked towards him, taking the beef ramen from his hands gently. "This one's mine."

Naruto stared for a moment longer, before he broke back into his adorable grin. He got up and began to boil the water for us as I set up our simple dinner with a glass of water and some chopsticks. We sat in silence for a while, staring at our ramen and waiting for it to properly boil. I watched the mirth play out across his face, watched how full his eyes looked. Full of life and happiness. It was a nice sight to see, one that made something bloom in my chest with warmth. I remembered the way he flinched when I met him in his room. The difference in him was uplifting.

I realized, even if today was the last day I had with him, I had done good. I had done what I set out to do, and from here on out Naruto now had the chance to grow on his own.

"Naruto?" He looked across at me, and I smiled again at those beautiful eyes. "I love you."

Naruto looked caught, staring back at me with a new emotion swimming in those eyes. He just stared for the longest time, before he opened his mouth to say something, but then the timer rung loudly and both of us were distracted by the ramen. Our stomachs both did a comical growl, so we laughed and dug in.

I was starving- or maybe that as just nerves?

Tomorrow we'd go our separate ways, and it would be the first time in six years that I wouldn't have Naruto there to grapple on to when I woke up tense and afraid. It would be the first time I would be out and exposed in the night.

I wasn't ready, but I had to be.

While my group was leaving at 6am, Naruto's was only leaving in the afternoon. Something about being the escort of a drunken man that Naruto ranted about into his sleep. I couldn't remember off the top of my head but knew there was a ridiculous reason behind them not leaving yet.

I met my squad by the front gates, seeing a long caravan of supplies hauled by mules coming with us.

"Alright, you three come here," Daisuke yawned as the three of us surrounded him. "Remember, this is a standard mission. No need to be too on edge, as it's highly unlikely we will run into ninja, but there is a chance we will run into highway robbers, which is why we're here. Keep sharp, and spread out. One ninja per two carts. If anything seems suspicious then you'll come to me. Are we clear?"

The three of us nodded. Daisuke looked down at me.

"Hikari, you'll take the third and fourth carts. I want you up close. Reiji, you'll be in the back since you've got the best field of vision. Akira, fifth and sixth cart. Now let's go!"

We took our places and walked out of the village in a single filed line. I spaced myself slightly away from the mules, and watched the drivers as they numbly directed their animals to follow one another. Daisuke was resting on one of the carts, the walk no doubt too strenuous on him, but he was just dozing away like nothing was wrong.

Meanwhile I was doing my best to focus on anything other than the impending nightfall. I looked behind me, to where Akira was lazily waddling with his hands behind his head. He looked at me, eyes narrowing.

Nope, not getting a good distraction there.

We stopped several times through the day to give the mules a break, but meals were short and abrupt and nothing was really conversed. I did manage to speak to cart three and four a bit, mild chatter that was more to fill the silence than to actually do something productive.

At this rate, we would reach the southern ports in five days, and the trip back would be two. I was anxious, knowing full well I would have to sleep outside a total of, potentially, eight days.

Nightfall came for the first night, and Daisuke organized us to watch in pairs. We were young, so he didn't want anyone drifting off to sleep. He took the first watch, then would trade off with me and Akira, before Reiji and I would finish the night. I had volunteered for double duty since I was pretty confident I wouldn't be sleeping much, if at all, these next few days.

The caravan roped off a place for the mules and rested amongst the carts. We secluded ourselves slightly, not only to stay focused more on the task at hand but also because other than Daisuke we were a bunch of kids that didn't want to listen too much to the gossip and campfire talk of civilian men.

Like I predicted, there wasn't much sleep for me. If I had fallen asleep it was quick and swiftly taken from me by the sounds of the wilderness. Daisuke noticed I was awake, and woke Akira to do his job as well before he dropped down under his blanket and rested.

It was freeing outside too. Whether from the nerves or the cold I could pinpoint, but I was shaking pretty good. Keeping my teeth from chattering was an impressive feat. I was caught though, as Akira stared at me from where he sat across the fire.

"What's the matter? You scared?" He wore a smug smirk that reminded me of something Sasuke would wear each time he beat Naruto. I grimaced, then open my mouth to- oh what was that?

I looked to the wilderness, trying to find where the sound of the twig snapping came from. Right then the only things I could hear was the fire crackling and Akira snickering.

"Man, if I knew you were this scared of the dark…." He paused, his smirk dropping. "Oh… you're really scared, aren't you?"

I glared, closing my eyes to try and pretend I wasn't freezing to death outside on the cold ground.

Something fell on my head, surprising me. It was a blanket, and upon further inspection it appeared to be Akira's. Seeing as he no longer had one wrapped around his shoulders. He was glaring, but then huffed and looked away.

"Next time dress properly. If you're going to be cold the entire time at least come prepared!" He muttered it, but I heard him just fine. Carefully, I wrapped the blanks around me, around the one already clutched closely. This blanket had been warmed by Akira already, and it soothed me to smell something other than the dark woods surrounding us.

"Thank you." I said softly. Akira looked to me, before looking away again.

This was how much of the first night went.

I didn't sleep much the second night either, which made me cranky as all get out. My team would idle around me, Akira would scoff from across the way and Reiji would casually check in to make sure everything was fine.

Reiji, bless him, he was a nice boy. Snarky, with a quick wit, but he seemed to be genuinely concerned for me. He would spend our breaks chatting about just about anything, and I would reply as politely as I could with my fuzzy brain.

For dinner on the second day we opted to hunt some game. Some of the men on the caravan went off to catch them, but I decided Reiji and I together stood a better chance at catching rabbits on our own. Reiji would detect one, and I would catch it and kill it quickly. Something the other teen felt a little squeamish about being able to see.

"So, you really have never been outside of the village before?" Reiji asked as we hauled a few rabbits back to camp. I shook my head, hopping over a log in the way.

"No, I mean my Dad took me on a hunting trip once, but it was really just camping in the back woods." I explained, walking along the deer path quietly to make sure nothing jumped out at us. The two rabbits stun over my shoulder softly thumping on my back.

"You just…. You seem very comfortable with this hunting experience." Reiji said it casually, but I knew he was poking me for more information. I smiled, looking back at him.

"I've hunted a few times as a kid," I looked forward and quietly added under my breath, "you gotta eat somehow."

Reiji was quiet after that, just following behind me for a while, before he spoke up again.

"You said before that you and Naruto were orphans…." Ah, well it made sense he wanted to understand, considering I contradicted myself.

We stopped just outside of camp, I turned to look at him properly. Reiji tilted his head at me as I looked to his feet. Even with his eyes covered, it felt more comfortable to look at the ground than across at him.

"I lost my birth parents in the nine-tails attack on the village. Naruto as well. We both lived in the orphanage together, until I was adopted as a three year old. But… a while ago…. My adoptive parents died."

"Oh, I'm sorry, that must've been-" I cut Reiji off.

"No! Please don't! I…. It's complicated…. But that's why Naruto and I are so close. We really have had no one else as a constant in our lives." To my surprise, Reiji smiled.

"He's your precious someone then? And you're his?"

The way he said it made me blush a little. The Hyuga chuckled, stepping closer to me. I was mildly disarmed by that smile on his lips. When I looked up at him all I could feel was a kindness emitting from him.

"It's nice, isn't it? Having someone like that? Someone that is yours unconditionally."

It rung a strange bell in my head, the way he said it. Like he knew what it felt like to love someone like that, but at the same time it was tinged with a sadness.

"Reiji….." He tilted his head as he continued to regard me. "You…. Do you have….."

It was like he remembered himself then and took a step back.

"I have parents…. I have…." He paused for a moment, and I patiently waited for him to finish. However he simply sighed before walking around me and continuing back to camp.

"We should keep going, before the meat goes bad." Was all he said as he walked off. I watched him go, sensing a strange note in the air.

"Reiji…." I said softly, though I knew he couldn't hear me.

The long and murderous trip to the port ended after a gruelling five four sleeps. At the end of it I was ready to go for a much needed nap at the inn for the ports. Akira was mocking me for requesting we sleep there for a night, but Daisuke seemed all for it. As much as I wanted to go home, I hadn't slept for more than an hour or so each night without jumping at the slightest noises.

It was decided we would open the night, and since it was still relatively early I decided to take Naruto seriously on his request for unique ramen and wandered the small town that was there. Reiji decided to tag along, as did Akira for some unknown reason. The Nara, in typical Nara fashion, complained the entire way. However each time we reminded him that he could go back to the inn he ignored it and followed us.

I noticed a cute boutique along the way that had some different fabrics. It would be nice to find more orange to help patch up Naruto's jacket now and again, so I ventured inside.

"Hello and welcome!" The shop owner appeared in front of us, raising a hand to wave. I flinched, taking a step back, but the owner didn't seem to notice as they continued a spiel about discounts.

"Um, thank you." I said, already trying to get over my blunder and look at the fabrics.

"Oh my! Golden eyes! I haven't seen many like those!" The owner commented. I gave a small smile.

"I've never seen anyone else with gold eyes, actually." I confessed. The shop owner paused, regarding me, then smiled.

"Ah yes, there are those in the land of Lightning. And then there are those few clans in the land of Rivers that I've seen with gold eyes, but they're all vanished I'm afraid. Used to be impossible to get across the land of Rivers for trade in the Wind, but with the new routes comes the loss of many it seems." The shop owner rambled. I nodded.

"Right, the land of Rivers was closed to outsiders before the third great ninja war, right? It opened it's boarders afterwards to help with trade." I said while turning to see two orange and blue fabrics that matched Naruto's jacket.

"Opened?" The owner scoffed. "More like was taken advantage of."

I looked over, surprised to hear this. Reiji and Akira also seemed mildly interested as the owner explained.

"The Rivers was a closed off country that refused to take part in the war. They simply protected their own lands. Not belonging to a great ninja nation meant they had little power anyways." The owner explained. Akira perked up.

"So you're telling me we just listened to this country? We spent all these extra hours going around the obvious trade route out of respect? C'mon, during a war you don't do that." Akira snapped, but the shop keeper smirked and shook a finger.

"I didn't say they were respected, but they were definitely feared. While they didn't have an official military for like the great nations, they were protected by one ninja. That one ninja was said to be so fierce that both Wind and Fire dared not step into the Rivers. They called them the Black Arrow."

"Black Arrow…. That sounds familiar." Reiji commented. He put a delicate finger to his lips. The shop keeper chuckled.

"You might've heard of them, but they weren't written in a history book. They were rumoured to be the fastest ninja ever seen. Our great Fourth Hokage fought the Black Arrow. It's said even he was no match for this ninja." The owner gushed, surprisingly looking happy about this.

"Then…. What changed? If this ninja was so great.. why is it common to go across the Rivers now?" I asked, folding the two fabrics gently in my arms. The shop keeper sighed.

"I don't know, no one does. One day the Black Arrow just vanished. The next thing we knew, trade was opened across the Rivers and we'd been given permission to use the routes." The shop owner took my fabrics when offered, rung up a total, and packaged them for me. I paid, and they smiled down at me.

"Well, I don't know who's running around in this kind of orange, but you kids take care of yourselves. The port may be safe, but every safe place has someone lurking around the corner."

I bowed politely.

"Thank you, have a wonderful day!" I grinned, and the owner gushed.

"We need more youthful children like yourselves! Here," they handed me a coupon with a big bowl of ramen on the front, "take this to the shop on the corner across from the docks, they'll give you a BOGO sale."

I was beaming at this point, Naruto would love it if I brought him back something he could actually eat. Not that he wouldn't be happy for a patchwork job on his coat, but there was no contestant for food. Sometimes I wondered if he would trade me in for equal pounds of ramen.

"Thank you! He'll love this!" I gushed as well, and we had a small moment before Akira started grumbling.

"Jeez, we don't have all day you little chicken! If you want to be back before the sun goes down we should hurry." Akira said while shuffling out the door. I had to pause, reviewing his words a little bit, before smiling again.

It seemed like he was trying to be nice… I think.

I made out like a bandit at the second store. Several people called me adorable, and I ended up getting some pretty interesting flavours of ramen for a good price. Akira and Reiji bought some stuff too, and I bought some fresh tempura as well for a snack.

It was a nice end to the day as we all wandered back to the inn and settled down. While we all shared the same suite I did get my own sleeping area. The building was warmer than the cold ground, and the futon was favourable to the sensation of sticks stabbing my back. I was so happy to wear my sleeping shorts and one of Naruto's t-shirts gave off enough smell that I proudly got some sleep. I had requested a few extra pillows as well to clutch on to. This mimicked my blond boy enough to let me trick myself into a few hours of sleep. Heck, I might've slept through the night.

Might've.

If it weren't for something licking my face in the middle of the night.

I flipped over so quickly that the tiny creature went flying. Thankfully I didn't scream, but the creature hit the wall with a loud thud.

"Well, that wasn't what I was expecting."

I stared, surprised to see Pakkun laying in a heap on the floor.

"Pakkun! What are you doing here?" I asked, getting up to go and help the dog out. He grumbled, looking very unimpressed with me.

"I've been trying to wake you for some time now, but you sleep like a rock, or so it would seem." He scolded, making me feel a bit embarrassed. I had been really tired, perhaps it finally caught up to me.

"Sorry, it's been a long few days." I placed the dog down on my pillow for him to settle. My door flew open, Akira standing there with a kunai in his hands. Reiji and Daisuke weren't far behind him. I felt my cheeks turn red as I scratched the back of my head.

"Sorry, he surprised me." I looked over the group, then back to the small dog. "Why are you here, Pakkun?"

The pug grumbled, but then turned a bit to reveal a message tucked into his collar.

"I was tracking your scent. Kakashi wanted me to give this to Daisuke." He explained. I took the paper out and handed it directly to the jonin. Daisuke yawned, taking the note. He read it over after Akira went to flip on a light for him.

It was quiet for a moment, then Daisuke chuckled.

"Well, looks like we'll be leaving early," Daisuke surprised me when he started walking to the window, tearing the paper apart and letting the pieces scatter in the wind. He then turned to us with a small smirk. "We've got another mission."

Well, that peaked my interest, but also my worry. If Kakashi-sensei sent Pakkun and we had another mission, I got the feeling there was something bigger going on. Daisuke shut the window and the doors before explaining.

"It seems Kakashi's mission was miss-ranked. The guy said he needed standard protection, but Kakashi says ninja have already shown up attempting to assassinate their charge. So, he's looking for an extra hand with another Jonin. Myself. Which means you three are coming along with me."

So, Sensei was asking for help. Why didn't he report this back to the village? Was it because we're closer? Or was there another reason he wasn't telling the Hokage? Well, we wouldn't get answers here, so I guess a full night's sleep wasn't in the cards.

"Alright, so where are we going?" Akira grumbled, looking like he too had been hoping for a good night's sleep. Daisuke grinned.

"The land of Waves."

What's up my dudes? Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

I'm not sure why I try, but I gotta tell y'all something.

I initially was just winging it and writing the story as is, with a general idea of where I wanted to go. Well, I have so many ideas that I decided that I needed to actually write it all out properly and decide on a few things...

Well, the outline for all 3 book is 60,000 words long. 60,000 freaking words.

And my dumbass realized there was something I wanted to change. A tiny little change that happens mid-way through... that literally changes everything. So just picture me, writing along and suddenly getting struck by the idea, and just freezing there, slowly imploding on myself as I realize exactly what this means.

It means I wasted writing 40,000 words.

I was just... omfg I can't even describe the psychological torture I put on myself there. the worst part is I can't even hint at it because it changes SO MUCH of the story and AKSJHKSDHASDJOP help me.

So Fuck it, I'm doing what I want, I've got a few ideas, but I'm winging it now. Just like this chapter. I hated the original one, because I had a detailed mission planned, but it was so boring the write (nevermind trying to read it was like watching paint dry) so I deleted it and you're getting this instead.

So yeah, this is what I meant by Hikari still getting to work closely with Team 7. I'm a sneaking one ahahahaha no not really but I like to think I am.

Also, Guest #1: Thats an interesting headcanon, but unfortunately not getting backed by this story as there is already so much going on and I'm weirdly creeped out by cats purring nevermind fox boys.

Guest #2: Thank you! i was so happy to read this! It's such an uplifting thing to find that people like to read my story! makes me so freaking happy!

If you guys have an account, please check your inboxes. I reply directly to all reviews!

Anyway, hope you're all doing well! Wash your hands, and STAY SAFE!

Iland Girl