Gathering Shadows (Rewrite)
folder
Naruto › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
8
Views:
1,415
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Naruto › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
8
Views:
1,415
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Reunions & Surprises
Later that evening Naruto is still trying to recover as he realizes that he has been hugged, welcomed and kissed (on the cheek) more times the past few minutes then he has in his entire life. “They actually missed me,” he tells Kyuubi.
“I’ve told you before,” the bijuu begins referring to several conversations they have had over the past year and a half, “You’ve got true friends here.”
“Hai,” Naruto replies slightly sadly that he had doubted the demon fox’s observations. "I guess that I was so accustomed to people hating me that I never really took stock of those that actually cared about me,” he admits.
“Its okay kit,” Kyuubi tells the blond shinobi. “By the way,” the demon adds, “It looks like our plans to seduce a certain shy kunoichi will end up getting us killed.”
“Now what are you talking about?” Naruto asks. ”Neji’s not that protective of Hinata.”
“I’m not talking about the Hyuga prodigy,” Kyuubi chuckles, “Take a look at her left hand and then look at who she’s sitting next to.”
As Naruto’s eyes catch the tiny sparkle of the diamond his eyes grow as large as saucers while his jaw drops halfway to the ground. In all the time since he began to merge with the bijuu there have only been three instances that have caused him to revert to the old loud mouth self, this moment is now number four.
“WHAT?!?!?!?” Naruto yells as he points to the engagement ring on Hinata’s hand. “Who, when, how…?” he begins stammering causing those around him that weren’t immediately stricken deaf by his initial outburst to laugh.
“You forgot ‘Where’ and 'Why' Naruto-san,” Jade giggles as she looks to Raven as if waiting for her cousin and former team leader to answer the Kyuubi container’s question.
Raven looks at Hinata and sighs as he watches her sink into her seat as if trying to hide the crimson blush now enveloping her entire body. He looks back at the still visibly trembling and nearly hyperventilating Genin sighing. “I suppose I should have warned you before hand that Hinata and I are engaged,” Raven concedes. “However at the time it didn’t seem relevant to the discussion we were having. Since I’m sure everyone here will be more then happy to fill you in on all the details at a later time I’ll just give you the highlights.
“Hinata and I were arranged to marry when she was born as a way of aligning our clans. After the Chunin Exams we began to eat lunch together almost daily. After my promotion to Jounin a month later we almost never saw each other for eight months as I was sent on one mission after another until I asked Hokage-sama for a month’s leave so that I was able to properly court Hinata in the traditional manner. After that we dated for awhile until I finally asked her to marry me about five months ago,” he finally finishes. He smiles as he looks down at his still blushing fiancée. “Did I forget anything?”
Hinata can only shake her head as she continues to stare at the table unable to meet Naruto’s eyes. ‘Naruto-kun, I’m sorry I never meant to hurt you. A part of me still wishes that it were you that I was marrying and a part of me will always love you but my heart belongs to Raven-kun. He saw me for who I was and he has been nothing but loving and supportive of me these last couple of years.’
==============================
They continue their party once Naruto is able to regain his composure. “I never thought that she might find someone else,” he confesses to the Kyuubi no Kitsune. “I always just assumed that she would wait for me until I was ready to return her feelings.”
“Regret is a dangerously powerful emotion,” the demon tells him. “Once it takes hold it beings gnawing away at your soul until it completely consumes you. Best let this on go and move on with your life kit. Nothing good will come of harboring thoughts of what might have been.”
“I know,” Naruto admits as he watches the couple interact across the table from him. “She really seems happy with him and he appears to genuinely love her. I just wish,”
“Don’t do this to yourself kit,” Kyuubi cautions interrupting Naruto’s train of thought before it leads down a path neither of them is prepared to go just yet. “Let us get through the evening and then we talk about this another time,” the bijuu advises.
“Yo,” Kakashi waves as he poofs into the room. “Naruto it has been along time,” the Copy-nin tells his former student.
“Kakashi-sensei,” The blonde shinobi replies getting up from his seat before moving towards the Jounin. “I’ve got something for you.” He reaches into his weapons pouch and pulls out Icha Icha Tactics - Make-out tactics, the latest in the Icha Icha series. “It doesn’t come out till next month but Ero-sensei said I could give you an advanced copy since you love them so much.”
The Jounin is left speechless as his visible eye examines the inside cover of the gift. “It-it’s even autographed,” he says almost fainting dead away.
“Let me see,” Sapphire squeals as she tries to get up from her chair only to have Ino jump into her lap pinning her where she is. “Ino-chan,” her girlfriend whines, “I want to see.”
“I know you do Sapphire-chan,” the blond kunoichi purrs into the older girl’s ear, “But you promised to behave tonight.” Ino then seductively runs the tip of her tongue slowly along curve of her girlfriend’s ear torturing the dark haired Chunin.
“Tickets here,” Jade calls out holding her hand up and looking around the table, “Get your tickets here. You can’t watch the show without a ticket,” she teases her twin.
“I’ll take one,” Kiba chuckles as he begins fidgeting with his pocket as if searching for some money.
“Over here,” Choji adds acting as if he’s going to hand some money to the green haired weapons mistress.
“You three knock it off,” Raven laughs, as the two lovers being teased blush trying to cover their embarrassment with the desert menus. He then looks back at his fellow Jounin; “You needed something Kakashi-sempai?”
“Huh,” Kakashi replies momentarily forgetting why he was there in the first place. Shaking the cobwebs from his thoughts he looks back at the blond Genin. “Naruto-kun, you and Sakura-chan are to report to training field four first thing tomorrow morning.
After receiving nods from both of his former students he waves to everyone before poofing away, presumably to read his new book. Shortly after Kakashi’s exit the others make their apologies and like wise head home for the night.
==============================
“I’ve told you before,” the bijuu begins referring to several conversations they have had over the past year and a half, “You’ve got true friends here.”
“Hai,” Naruto replies slightly sadly that he had doubted the demon fox’s observations. "I guess that I was so accustomed to people hating me that I never really took stock of those that actually cared about me,” he admits.
“Its okay kit,” Kyuubi tells the blond shinobi. “By the way,” the demon adds, “It looks like our plans to seduce a certain shy kunoichi will end up getting us killed.”
“Now what are you talking about?” Naruto asks. ”Neji’s not that protective of Hinata.”
“I’m not talking about the Hyuga prodigy,” Kyuubi chuckles, “Take a look at her left hand and then look at who she’s sitting next to.”
As Naruto’s eyes catch the tiny sparkle of the diamond his eyes grow as large as saucers while his jaw drops halfway to the ground. In all the time since he began to merge with the bijuu there have only been three instances that have caused him to revert to the old loud mouth self, this moment is now number four.
“WHAT?!?!?!?” Naruto yells as he points to the engagement ring on Hinata’s hand. “Who, when, how…?” he begins stammering causing those around him that weren’t immediately stricken deaf by his initial outburst to laugh.
“You forgot ‘Where’ and 'Why' Naruto-san,” Jade giggles as she looks to Raven as if waiting for her cousin and former team leader to answer the Kyuubi container’s question.
Raven looks at Hinata and sighs as he watches her sink into her seat as if trying to hide the crimson blush now enveloping her entire body. He looks back at the still visibly trembling and nearly hyperventilating Genin sighing. “I suppose I should have warned you before hand that Hinata and I are engaged,” Raven concedes. “However at the time it didn’t seem relevant to the discussion we were having. Since I’m sure everyone here will be more then happy to fill you in on all the details at a later time I’ll just give you the highlights.
“Hinata and I were arranged to marry when she was born as a way of aligning our clans. After the Chunin Exams we began to eat lunch together almost daily. After my promotion to Jounin a month later we almost never saw each other for eight months as I was sent on one mission after another until I asked Hokage-sama for a month’s leave so that I was able to properly court Hinata in the traditional manner. After that we dated for awhile until I finally asked her to marry me about five months ago,” he finally finishes. He smiles as he looks down at his still blushing fiancée. “Did I forget anything?”
Hinata can only shake her head as she continues to stare at the table unable to meet Naruto’s eyes. ‘Naruto-kun, I’m sorry I never meant to hurt you. A part of me still wishes that it were you that I was marrying and a part of me will always love you but my heart belongs to Raven-kun. He saw me for who I was and he has been nothing but loving and supportive of me these last couple of years.’
==============================
They continue their party once Naruto is able to regain his composure. “I never thought that she might find someone else,” he confesses to the Kyuubi no Kitsune. “I always just assumed that she would wait for me until I was ready to return her feelings.”
“Regret is a dangerously powerful emotion,” the demon tells him. “Once it takes hold it beings gnawing away at your soul until it completely consumes you. Best let this on go and move on with your life kit. Nothing good will come of harboring thoughts of what might have been.”
“I know,” Naruto admits as he watches the couple interact across the table from him. “She really seems happy with him and he appears to genuinely love her. I just wish,”
“Don’t do this to yourself kit,” Kyuubi cautions interrupting Naruto’s train of thought before it leads down a path neither of them is prepared to go just yet. “Let us get through the evening and then we talk about this another time,” the bijuu advises.
“Yo,” Kakashi waves as he poofs into the room. “Naruto it has been along time,” the Copy-nin tells his former student.
“Kakashi-sensei,” The blonde shinobi replies getting up from his seat before moving towards the Jounin. “I’ve got something for you.” He reaches into his weapons pouch and pulls out Icha Icha Tactics - Make-out tactics, the latest in the Icha Icha series. “It doesn’t come out till next month but Ero-sensei said I could give you an advanced copy since you love them so much.”
The Jounin is left speechless as his visible eye examines the inside cover of the gift. “It-it’s even autographed,” he says almost fainting dead away.
“Let me see,” Sapphire squeals as she tries to get up from her chair only to have Ino jump into her lap pinning her where she is. “Ino-chan,” her girlfriend whines, “I want to see.”
“I know you do Sapphire-chan,” the blond kunoichi purrs into the older girl’s ear, “But you promised to behave tonight.” Ino then seductively runs the tip of her tongue slowly along curve of her girlfriend’s ear torturing the dark haired Chunin.
“Tickets here,” Jade calls out holding her hand up and looking around the table, “Get your tickets here. You can’t watch the show without a ticket,” she teases her twin.
“I’ll take one,” Kiba chuckles as he begins fidgeting with his pocket as if searching for some money.
“Over here,” Choji adds acting as if he’s going to hand some money to the green haired weapons mistress.
“You three knock it off,” Raven laughs, as the two lovers being teased blush trying to cover their embarrassment with the desert menus. He then looks back at his fellow Jounin; “You needed something Kakashi-sempai?”
“Huh,” Kakashi replies momentarily forgetting why he was there in the first place. Shaking the cobwebs from his thoughts he looks back at the blond Genin. “Naruto-kun, you and Sakura-chan are to report to training field four first thing tomorrow morning.
After receiving nods from both of his former students he waves to everyone before poofing away, presumably to read his new book. Shortly after Kakashi’s exit the others make their apologies and like wise head home for the night.
==============================