Yoru No Koishii

Yeah, another plot kitten.

Not sure if this one’s as good as the last, but anywho, enjoy the fruits of my kitty-clawed arm.

******

Five years, and so little to show for it.

The title of Hokage has never been farther from my grasp. I’m the last chunnin in my year, and I doubt I’ll ever reach jounin. At least, not if the council has anything to say about it.

So here I sit on the roof of my new apartment, well, not really new, I’ve had it since I returned, to find that the old apartment had been rented out to someone else, despite the fact that my lease hadn’t been up. But that’s not important.

Five years, and nothing. Except for two little girls, with dark hair and eyes, that sleep in the room beneath my feet. Mere babes when they were left sleeping on my couch, the coffee table pushed against it so that they couldn’t accidentally fall off. I don’t know how he got in without waking me. I know I’m not that oblivious anymore.

They’re two now, according to the note he left, and both are the cutest kids I’ve ever seen. It’s obvious, even now, that they’re going to be just as drop-dead gorgeous as their father.

Still, I can’t help but be jealous, can’t stop spending my nights up here, wondering where he is, if my patience has been completely in vain. Obviously he has a wife somewhere; I can’t see him lowering himself enough to father bastards.

Maybe Gaara’s right, when he berates me for not yet finding myself a girl. Even he’s found one, though I don’t know how they put up with each other. He seems to have this endless fascination with listening to her boss him around. Maybe it’s just the wonder that someone is actually daring to do it.

But then my hand brushes the choker. It’s not the same one he gave me, the ribbon on that has long since become dirtied and torn. Even the pendent isn’t the same, the first one was shattered on a mission. But they were easy, albeit expensive, to replace, and it still acts as a reminder.

“Naruto-sensei!” I make a hushing gesture at the girl who runs up. I suppose I should count that in as well. I have my own gennin team, something Baa-chan had to pull more then a few strings to get. They’re good kids, even though they’re annoying as hell.

“Hokage-sama sent a mission.” She handed me the scroll. Good, she knows I need money. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage to pay this month’s rent. This apartment doesn’t have leasing.

It was obvious why it was ranked ‘S’, but I couldn’t afford to turn it down.

“Your mother can baby-sit?” She nods. “Then training’s cancelled tomorrow and the day after.” That should give me plenty of time.

“Hai, Sensei.” She says, offering a short bow before hurrying away, to get down however she came up.

With a sigh, I leave the roof, returning to my own room inside, to try and get what sleep I can, in a bed that still seems lonely.

******

I knew I shouldn’t have taken the mission, I think to myself as I race through the trees, trying to lose the ninja on my tail.

It had been a scroll retrieval mission, and unfortunately was in the heart of Mist’s territory, who currently was at odds with Leaf. The mission had been going great until, entirely by chance, I had run into a team of scouts.

Even worse, they had had radios, so it hadn’t been long before I had had half a dozen, at least, shinobi after me. I guess someone recognized me.

I dodge yet another kunai, cursing as I slip in my own blood and nearly tumble from the tree. There are only two left following me, but I know I’m at the end of my own abilities, and I can’t fight them both off.

I land on the ground lightly, dodging between trees. Slowly, my pursuers are falling behind.

Then it happens; as I turn to glance behind me, a branch catches on the choker, tearing it off and sending it flying. I pause, debate leaving it where it had fallen, then began a desperate search.

My hand closes on the fabric just as I’m suddenly jerked against a tree, held there by wires. They’re easily sliced through, but the various sharp objects that were being thrown at me aren’t so easily escaped from.

I check my chakra reserve; one more, maybe… My hands form the seal and in a poof, there are five of me, all of us looking decidedly the worse for wear. They leap to attack and I run.

The next thing I know, I’m being thrown through the air by a shock wave. I hit the dirt hard, too exhausted to force myself to my feet again, and feel the cold metal of a kunai at my throat.

“Well, now that we’ve caught our little trespasser, what should we do with him?” The person who kneels by my side, a woman, asks.

“I think we should just kill him and be done with it. I know that one. They won’t ransom him.”

“Hmm. All right then.” I hold my breath as I feel the kunai move the slightest bit. This is the end, then, no more lessons with my team, no more ramen at Ichiraku’s. No more laughing with friends or playing with the girls. No more lonely nights spent on my rooftop wondering…

I close my eyes, readying myself for the blow, but it doesn’t come, surprisingly. What does come is a high chirping and a familiar voice.

“Chidori!”

The ninja jump away, surprised, and I sigh in relief, moving one hand under me as I feel the line across my neck with the other. I go to push myself up, but a foot planted firmly in my back pushes me down.

“Uchiha Sasuke.” The kunoichi says. “A little odd to see a missing-nin rescuing one of the ninja sworn to hunt him down.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a little odd that way.”

“Try a lot odd in every way.” The foot presses harder and I hiss in pain. “Dammit, Teme, that hurt.”

“Urusai, Dobe.”

“Tch. This isn’t worth the bother.” The male ninja says, and the two quickly disappear.

He turns to look down at me, foot still planted in my back.

“Why is it every time I see you, you’re dirty?” He asks.

“You have lousy timing?” The foot presses a bit harder, and I groan.

“You’re still an idiot. How stupid can you get to go running straight into a team of shinobi?”

“You mean you’ve been watching the entire time and you didn’t bother to help? You are a bastard.”

“You seemed to be all right until you stopped to gawk around. I don’t know what you lost but it couldn’t have been worth it.”

“Yeah.” I murmured, looking at the choker I still held in my hand. The crystal’s cracked, the band stained with my blood. “I should have just left it.”

“That’s what you stopped to find?” He asks, leaning down. “Baka. I could buy you enough of those to wear a different one every day for the rest of your life.”

“Hn.” Maybe Gaara was right after all.

He finally lets me up, and I brush as much of the dirt off as I can, hurting my already aching side more in the process. I put an arm to it and lean against a tree. He moves to pull my shirt up to look at the spot.

“I’m fine.” I tell him, pushing him away, trying to keep from showing too much of my anger. A moment more of silence.

“How are the girls?”

They’re fine.” I can’t keep the snarl from my voice this time. Then I remember something that had been bothering me. “Who was the mother?”

“A slave from Sound. She blackmailed me into taking her and then wanted to give me something back for being so kind.”

“Where is she now?”

“You’re acting like a jealous girl.”

“I am not.” Knowing full well that I was.

“No.” He murmurs, leaning in to pin me against the tree. “You’re acting like a jealous Dobe.” His lips press against mine and just like that I was under his spell again, pressing up against him in search of the comfort I had missed so many cold nights.

His hands run up under my shirt and I offer an encouraging moan that quickly turns to a hiss as he presses against the sore spot. He breaks the kiss, giving me a knowing smirk before bending to examine the wound.

“Looks like you cracked a rib.” He comments, as I lean against the tree, eyes closed and teeth clenched in an attempt to ignore the pain. “She’s dead, by the way. Died in childbirth.”

“I’ll be fine.” I manage through clenched teeth. “I just need to rest a bit.” I’d have to find a safe spot. I don’t have the money to take a room in the town near here. I’m tempted to tell him I’m sorry, but the tone of his voice says he’s not particularly upset about it, and much as I hate to admit it, I’m really not sorry at all.

“Why did you take on a mission like this by yourself anyway?”

“I needed the money.” There’s a hard silence, before I hear him mutter ‘idiot’ under his breath. Strange, it doesn’t seem to be directed towards me.

“Kitsune.” I look up at him again; his sharingan gently whirling, drawing me in. Before I can look away again, I find myself sinking into unconsciousness.

******

I’m not sure how long I’m asleep, though I vaguely remember someone bathing me, cleaning and bandaging my cuts. Then someone doing something to my back that stung somewhat.

When I fully awaken I’m alone again, lying on a bed in a plush-looking hotel room.

I sit up, wincing at injuries that are still only half-healed, and look around. There’s a small box lying on the bedside table, along with a bankcard.

The box, as I expected, has a new choker nestled in it, the pendent a bit larger then the old one, the fan in gold and silver instead of white and red. There’s a note in the bottom of the box.

Since you’re so obsessed with it. This one won’t break or stain. The room’s paid until tomorrow. Then there are written a set of numbers that I assume are for the bankcard.

I don’t bother trying to stop the grin that spreads over my face, which only grows wider when I turn to see the large black teddy bear that’s lying on the bed beside me, complete with an uchiwa bearing t-shirt.

It’s when I go into the bathroom that I see the last bit of my present. The black snake that had marked me for so long is gone, disappeared as completely as if it had never been. But high on my left shoulder there’s another mark, the Uchiha fan with his name written in kanji beneath it.

I’m not sure what to make of it. I would have been happier without a tattoo at all, but the small symbols are far better then the snake. I could happily go my whole life without seeing another one of those.

Finally I decide to just accept it, and dress, in clothes that have been washed and mended while I slept, and gather my stuff. I’m tempted to just dispose of the bankcard, but I allay my pride with the thought that they are his kids, and he should be paying the bills for them.

******

I’m back in Konoha by sunset, and am informed that I’ve been gone four days. I hedge on my explanation of where I’ve been, and Tsunade lets it pass, probably she can figure out who delayed me. The scroll delivered, the rent paid, the girls put to bed, and I’m on my roof by the time the stars are out.

I stay there for a while, wondering where he is, but I no longer worry about whether he’s coming back. I’m as loyal again as I was that day in Sound.

And later, when I finally come down to sleep, the toy bear sitting beside my pillow, the bed doesn’t seem quite so lonely anymore.

******

Owari. For now.