Lying on the grass where she had met the woman nearly a whole two days ago, Naruko waited patiently for the voluptuous holy woman to return. It was crazy, how fast she had managed to befriend people, strangers she had just met. Part of the charisma and charm she adopted from her father and mother. That was why daddy was such a good Hokage, his charisma made people just want to listen to his word.
Over the course of the two days, Naruko had forged a friendship with the woman. Ruby had built up her confidence about her not-so-feminine body, telling Naruko that her own breasts only began growing when she was fifteen, three years away from Naruko's age. She had also shared stories about her travels with Naruko, who wanted to listen to her stories about the places beyond Fire Country. Ruby told Naruko all about the things she had seen crossing the Elemental Nations. The poor priestess had been attacked endlessly by Shinobi for no rhyme or reason, some wanted to rob her, and some wanted her body. Luckily for her, she had managed to escape by the skin of her teeth when they were distracted.
Ruby failed to mention that they were distracted when a pike went through their throats or by a scythe cleaving limbs off.
Naruko shivered at the thought of being raped and had been scared when Ruby said that she had been assaulted, hoping that before she completed her story, she got off scot-free. For the little redhead, no one was ever going to touch her. Her hands gripped the soft grass tightly, ripping a few of the thin green spikes out of the dewy grass. She was her Haru-nii's and her Haru-nii's only.
Soft footsteps indicated Ruby's return for their daily chat. Since the woman was considered both a nun and an elder sister in Naruko's eyes, she had begun calling her "Ruby-nee", much to the delight of the silver eyed maiden.
"Good morning, Naruko-chan." The woman smiled, pulling her hood back as she came out of the trees. "How are you today?" She made her way to Naruko, who was lazing under the perpetually cloudy and grey skies.
"I'm good, Ruby-nee." The girl replied, "You?"
The beauty sighed and Naruko leaned upwards, propped up by her elbows. "I… I'm not too sure." The woman rubbed her eyes, emotionally conflicted, "I might've had a small, tiny, fight with my beau. And I… I don't think he understands me too well." Naruko was surprised at her words. Reaching over to the woman who had sat down next to her on the grass and giving her a big hug, pressing the side of her face into Ruby's large bust, hoping to cheer the woman up. Ruby smiled softly, stroking the girl's hair gently.
At first, she was annoyed at how the girl had Haruto's love. But after such a short time, if she were to be honest with herself, Ruby had gotten attached to the girl. She was cute and funny, and wasn't that annoying of a person as thought the little redhead would be. She could understand why Haruto loved the little girl so much. She was exuberant and lively, sharing her dreams of the future with the silver eyed woman, befriending Ruby despite being complete and total strangers.
The girl spoke with face still attached to her chest, "Don't worry Ruby-nee!" Leaning out, she grinned at the woman, showing Ruby her tiny fist. "If your boyfriend hurts you, tell me and I'll kick his butt all the way to kingdom come!" Ruby blinked at the sight of Naruko grinning at her and covered her mouth, eyes slightly wet.
A little girl with short black and red hair and silver eyes was behind the girl, looking rather identical to Naruko with the grins on their faces. Both of whom were jubilantly sharing their dreams with Ruby, people they both weren't exactly familiar with.
She saw herself or rather, herself when she was a little girl, in Naruko.
Rubbing away the tiny droplets of tears that sat on her eyelashes, Ruby spoke softly, wondering why she was trying to get love advice from a girl four years younger than her. "Thank you Naruko-chan. But he didn't hurt me, he would never dream of hurting me." She rubbed her tummy where he had drilled a hole through before. Naruko misunderstood her action, mistaking it for something else.
"Oh my god." She gawped at Ruby's hand, "Are you pregnant? Did he run away? Give me his name," The little spitfire roared angrily, "I'm gonna kill him!"
"No!" Ruby raised her hands, stopping her before the girl could go on a roll. "I haven't even kissed him on the lips for Jashin-sama's sake!" Jashin scoffed, Ruby shushed her. "That's the thing. I haven't kissed him yet and I don't know how to… How do I put this? Kiss him without making our relationship difficult."
"Wait, isn't he your boyfriend? Shouldn't you guys already have, I'unno, made out or something."
Ruby coughed awkwardly at the thought of mashing lips with Haruto violently, "Well, I may have over exaggerated a little. He's more of a… Well, a crush." She scratched the side of her head awkwardly.
Through grit teeth, Naruko could only ask one word.
"What?!"
"Er," she looked away from the twitching eyes of Naruko, "He's not my boyfriend?" The hairs on Naruko's neck bristled. "Wait, wait! I did kiss him on the cheek once though, that has to count for something right?"
Naruko palmed her own forehead as well as Ruby's, ensuring her older sister understood how stupid that was. After getting over her big sister's stupidity, Naruko asked her about the problems. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean 'your crush'," she gave Ruby a look, making the woman look away bashfully, "Doesn't understand you?"
"I'm in love with him, and he's not in love with me. A problem very simple, yet so frustratingly difficult." She frowned, her fist clenching tightly in frustration around her robes. "I could've kissed him on the lips just now, but I feel like that would've made our current relationship as friends to be strained and uncomfortable. Not what I want."
She chuckled, softly and bitterly, pissed off at herself for being so pathetic. "I want him to kiss me back whenever I do! I don't want to be left heartbroken or disappointed because he doesn't respond to my affection, because he doesn't feel the same for me. I won't allow my heart to break for the first time, not from the man I know I'll be with for the rest of my life." She had to stifle tears from coming out like some pathetic fan girl that didn't get her way. Ruby reassured herself over and over that eventually she'd get Haruto, but rejection was… rejection would definitely be worse than death, in her opinion.
"Ruby-nee, do you really like this guy?"
Ruby chuckled at her words, giving the girl a knowing smile. "I think you'd love him too if you had met him, Naruko-chan."
"Then, if you really do like him, I suggest you go slow and start first by going on a date with him. Doesn't have to be romantic or anything, just go and have fun. Boys don't have to ask the girl out you know? A lot of fan girls ask my best friend out, asking him if he would go out with them to picnics or parks. Except y'know, he's a cold hearted, frigid bastard and rejects them every time. That's why he's my best friend."
"Hahahaha!" Ruby laughed loudly, eyes staring at the place where someone was waiting for her to come back. "Thanks Naruko-chan. I think I'll do that."
"Remember, you have to be subtle with everything you do." Naruko nodded to her own words sagely, "You'll have to get your crush into your trap by making him like you, make his heart yours! When he's too far into the cage, that's when you lock the door and catch his heart!"
"Calm down, ya little love guru," the older woman grinned, "I'll take that all into consideration. Maybe I'll finally make him mine… Say, how do you know so much about all this stuff? You try'na win over your emo friend?"
"Wh-What?!" Naruko spluttered, waving her hands negatively, face on fire. "Ew! No! I already love someone else!"
"Ara?" Ruby leaned into her face, waggling her eyebrows playfully. "Want to share it with me?" She teased.
"Ruby-nee!"
"Just tuggin' your leg, kiddo." Ruby snorted, before she turned serious again. "Hey, look… I just want'cha ta know that, even though it's only been a few days, I already love you like the baby sister I never had, and I'll protect you with my life, yeah?" Ruby hugged the girl, who returned it fiercely. Family always was important to the girl, probably the most important thing in her life.
"I love you too, my silly big sister."
"Kakashi-senpai?" Naruko prodded the man's back, to which the masked Jonin turned around with an eye smile, facing his goddaughter.
"Hai, Naruko-kun?"
"Are we going to be fighting?"
"I can only assume so," the man nodded, "I want you to be on guard and protect your teammates at all costs. Those who break the rules are scum—"
"but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. Got it." She nodded, the words she had heard so long ago engraved into her heart. Everyone who knew Kakashi and his motto did find it slightly hypocritical that the man still yearned for the day that Haruto would return, his parents and Naruko as well.
"Alright, teams, let's head out to the bridge. Hinata, Tenten, can you stay behind and protect Tazuna's family?"
"Hai!" Both girls nodded. Hinata's courage was boosted when she saw that Naruko's face was hardened and ready for battle. She would prove that she wasn't just a scared girl, she was the heiress of the Hyuuga and she would prove it!
"Alright, Lee, Neji, Sasuke, Naruko, Kiba," the pre-teens stood up straight upon being called, each with varying looks on their faces. Both Neji, Lee and Naruko were calm and ready, Sasuke was smirking slightly with his arms crossed and Kiba had a mad grin on his face, eager to prove himself to Naruko as the alpha male. "You guys are our front line combatants alongside Gai and I. Kurenai will be taking Shino and Sakura to protect Tazuna."
"Hai!"
"Are we ready?" Raiga asked, slightly sneering over his shoulder at his newly recovered teammate. The man was itching to kill someone, after a week of staying his hand from his blade, he was getting jumpy. Zabuza grit his teeth beneath the bandages at Raiga's expression, the shame from losing to Kakashi still fresh in his mind and body. His honour had been wounded and he'd have to fix that by removing Kakashi's head and mounting it on his wall.
"Yeah. Haku," The boy stood up straighter, staring at his master with obedience from behind his mask. "You'll take whoever you can out of the equation while Raiga and I handle Kakashi and whatever back up he has."
"By your word, Zabuza-sama."
"Haruto?" Haruto didn't miss the affectionate way she had said his name. That was certainly strange. He hadn't heard Ruby use that tone in the months he got to know her.
Caught off-guard by the tone she had used, Haruto uncharacteristically stuttered.
"Y-Yes, Ruby? Can I help you?" He coughed, trying to hide the fact that he had stumbled over his words.
"Nah," she smiled, her full, pink lips pulling apart to reveal the pearly whites she had on her upper jaw, "Jus' wondering if we were leaving soon." Haruto couldn't help but notice how much prettier she looked without a deranged grin.
Wait... Had he said that before? He couldn't recall. Either way, she definitely looked better.
It probably also helped that she wasn't disembowelling bandits with her bare hands, throwing her head up into the sky and screeching a horrifying war cry at the top of her lungs to intimidate men twice her size.
But that was just Haruto's opinion.
"We'll be leaving soon. Though we have to wait for those from Konoha to depart on the bridge first before we can enter in. Since Raiga and Zabuza are probably already awaiting them at the end of the bridge, we can be sure that they won't be behind us when we enter."
"Cool, cool..." she trailed off before her smile turned mischievous, "Just now... did you stutter?"
"No." Haruto narrowed his eyes at her, "I did not."
Ruby couldn't keep the full blown grin from spreading across her face as she played with his mask.
"Oh Jashin-sama, you totally fuckin' did." She laughed, but much like her smile it wasn't scary, menacing, threatening or downright insane. It was a beautiful trilling noise that made Haruto's heart—or was it hearts?—twist and made the butterflies in his stomach flutter.
"You're going to hold this over my head, aren't you?" He sighed, allowing her to wear one of his many masks.
"Yes." She giggled, her laughter reverberating in Haruto's mask, "Yes I am."