316A/N: And so, after another long hiatus, I can finally present to you the next chapter of Hidden Sunray. I am sorry that I take so long to update, especially as (according to the stats) over 400 people are waiting for an update, which is actually really amazing. Thing is, I'm a terrible planner, so I get stuck on writer's block so often it's not even funny and when I've finally written something, I usually dislike it so much that I just scrap the entire thing. I'm finally happy with this chapter, so without further ado, I give you the chapter.
Warnings: Fluff. Lots and lots of fluff. Oh, and some angst. Also, something I think I should mention: dream scenes. I know a lot of people don't actually read dream scenes in stories (they just scan through it or skip it completely) - I confess, I sometimes do that too. But in this story the dream scenes are extremely important, so don't skip them!
Another thing; a couple of people have mentioned that I don't indicate thoughts clearly enough, so I thought I should point out that it is supposed to be that way. In this story, a specific scene will always be from only one person's POV. In other words, the way a scene plays off is how the specific character experiences it, not how it necessarily is. This is especially important in the Naruto POV's – those scenes are going to be disjointed, as it's a way to show how removed from reality Naruto is.
Now, enough from my side. Enjoy the chapter!
Hidden Sunray
Chapter 8
It is the same: the same quiet, the same corridor, the same uneasy feeling of wrongness. It is the same feeling of reasonless fear and anxiousness that surrounds him, threatening to engulf him completely as he follows the same preordained path down the long, endless corridor, opening and closing the constant, never-ending supply of mahogany doors.
It is the same, but different. Something - he can't quite pinpoint what, but it's there - is different, deviating from the pattern that never changes. So what is different? It is still the same doors, the same feelings, the same sights. It is still the same meaningless wandering towards that last, final door he knows he's en route to, but can never quite reach until he's opened every door before it.
Another door is opened, another room is viewed, another door is closed and he's onward to the next. Why is he doing it? Why is he obediently following the predetermined routine that never changes when he knows the answer lies in that last, final room, even though he doesn't know what the answer is?
And there's that subtle difference. He knows. Unlike the previous times he's done this, he actually knows where he is going, where the end of his aimless wandering is. He knows the path he should follow and yet, he is completely unable to do it. He has to open the meaningless doors before he can reach that one meaningful door.
Finally, finally he reaches that last door. On cue, the same previous feelings of meaningless fear and anxiety fills him as he lays his hand on the knob, hesitant fingers anxiously folding around it, afraid to finally open the door. He doesn't know what lies beyond the door, but he knows he won't like the answer, whatever it is.
Taking a deep breath, he faces his fear and turns the knob. Hauntingly familiar, the door takes a lifetime to open and reveal the contents of the room that is - predictably - exactly the same as all those others before it. The room has the same navy-blue curtains that billow out from the slight breeze entering the room through the window, the same dresser with the same photos, the same toy-box standing in the corner of the room and the same, perfectly made bed with its blue-and-orange covers that it has always had and just like before, he knows something is wrong with the room, but he doesn't know what. Again, his eyes sweep across the room, scanning over the familiar furniture and objects in the room until it stops at the perfectly-made bed, where he suddenly knows the fault lies.
With that simple thought, the image changes. Instead of a neatly-closed toy-box with its contents safely locked away, the floor is covered with various play-things, the lid of the toy-box standing open. The dresser with the never-changing photos standing on its top is suddenly open, its drawers in various stages of being drawn out with unfolded clothes hanging from the edges. The bed, which is normally empty and impeccably made without a wrinkle in sight, is suddenly an unmade mess of twisted blankets that does an admirable job in hiding the small, shivering figure that is curled up on the bed: a small figure that has the form of a young boy with shockingly bright blond hair that he knows is incredibly dear to him; his son.
Abruptly, his thoughts come to a complete halt. One thought rises up above the swirling mess of nonsensical thoughts that occupies his mind, fixating on that small figure lying shivering in the bed. His son needs him. Without a trace of hesitation, he crosses the room to reach his son's side, anxious to hold and comfort the small figure. As if he can sense his father is near, the boy stops shivering and turns his frightened face towards his father, his eyes pleading for comfort. A soft smile slips onto the elder's face as he reaches out with his hand to lay it on his son's hair in an attempt to reassure the boy of his presence, comfortable in the knowledge that he can finally be there for his son.
It does not happen. His eyes widen in horror when instead of coming to a rest on the boy's head, his hand phases right through him. The entire world seems to stop and hang ominously in the air for a moment before it crashes down, dragging the suddenly overwhelming silence with it. The door closes with a thud as it slams into the frame, echoing through the suddenly impeccably neat again room. The curtains crash against the wall, forming a nonsensical rhythm with its repeated banging in response to the howling wind. Branches from trees beyond his sight groan in the wind, their twigs scratching out a tune against the window, forming a dissonant counter-melody to the banging of the curtains.
A soft whimpering voice sounds from the direction of the window.
"Daddy…"
He jerks his head up, searching for the origin of that voice and sure enough, his eyes come to a rest on the little boy standing by the window who is clutching his favourite stuffed animal to his chest. The large, cerulean eyes that belong to both him and his son stare desperately at him, pleading and begging for help.
"Daddy, help me. I'm afraid…"
Again, maddeningly, it is the same. It is the same feeling of helplessness that engulfs him as his rushes towards his son. It is the same force that prevents him from reaching his son in time as the boy slowly disappears with each step that brings him closer to his child. It is the same desperate try of reaching out with his hand to touch the boy that is futile as his son disappears completely mere millimetres away from his fingers. Again, it is the same soundless tears that stream down his cheeks as he stares at the same empty space that was occupied by his son only seconds ago.
Mockingly familiarly, his eyes drift towards the floor where the same stuffed animal lies forlornly, staring at him with the same empty beady eyes. Completing the preordained pattern that never changes, he bends over slowly and picks up the stuffed toy, holding it between his hands. Just like all the other previous times, something breaks deep inside his heart and he sinks sobbingly down to his knees on the bedroom floor, clutching the stuffed animal to his heart.
"Naruto..."
Minato shot up in his bed, gasping for breath. He stared unseeingly at the wall on the opposite side of his and Kushina's room as he waited for his breath to calm down and the last remnants of the nightmare to disappear. He took a deep breath and clenched his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to calm down.
The dream had changed: it had never done that before. The dreams had always been exactly the same: he walked along the corridor, opening endless doors until he reached the last room where the bed was always empty. The dream that was still lingering in his eyes was the first one ever to contain an occupied bed.
He inhaled deeply and slowly released the breath before his eyes shot open. Naruto. What if something happened to him? What if he wasn't in his room anymore? What if –
Minato shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts. It wouldn't help him to panic. With a smooth motion, he stood up from the bed and grabbed the robe that was hanging across the back of a chair, consumed by the need to check up on Naruto. He was halfway across the room before a voice interrupted his movements.
"Minato?" Kushina asked sleepily from the direction of the bed. Minato turned around and met Kushina's grey eyes which were staring questioningly at him. He flashed her a tight smile, trying to reassure her.
"It's okay. Go back to sleep," he ordered her softly. "I'm just going to check in on Naruto," he explained, answering the unspoken question in her eyes, causing her to become more alert.
"Why? Did something happen?" Kushina asked concernedly, her tone filled with worry as she half-rose from her position on the bed. Minato shook his head, arresting her motion midway.
"Nothing's happened," he reassured her quickly. "I'm just…" Minato glanced away, trying to avoid her questioning gaze. He bit his lip softly, trying to find the words to describe his need to see their son adequately. "I just need to see him; make sure he's still here," he finally whispered softly, hesitantly raising his eyes to meet Kushina's, wordlessly asking her to understand.
Comprehension lit Kushina's eyes.
"You had another dream," she stated, her grey eyes staring penetratingly at him. "One of those dreams," she clarified.
Minato hesitated for a second before nodding slightly. The muscles around Kushina's eyes softened slightly as a sympathetic expression slipped onto her face.
"Do you want me to come along?" Kushina asked him softly, offering her support through more than just her words. Gratitude filled him at her offer. It wasn't that he needed her support; he was just grateful to know that he had it; that no matter what the situation was, she was there for him to lean on.
He smiled at her, his eyes warm with love and gratitude, before shaking his head.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry," he reassured her. She studied his eyes for a couple of seconds before relaxing, satisfied with what she found.
"Okay," she agreed and nestled herself back into the cocoon of blankets she usually weaved around her and closed her eyes, seemingly going back to sleep.
Minato gave her one last glance before exiting the room, anxiety rising once again in his chest. He knew it was unreasonable, but he simply couldn't shake the thought that Naruto might be gone. Again. For a split second, he thought he was back in the dream as he stared at the corridor stretched out in front of him.
He took a deep breath to settle his thoughts before setting off towards the door leading into Naruto's room. The door looked exactly the same as the one in the dream and, just like in the dream, meaningless fear and anxiety rose up in his chest as he stared at the door. Logically, he knew what the scene was that awaited him: his son sleeping in his bed. Emotionally, he couldn't shake the thought that the scene that awaited him would be exactly the same as the one in the dream.
Hesitantly, Minato laid his hand on the doorknob before steeling himself and forcing his hand to turn the knob, opening the door and revealing the room behind it.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips at the scene that met him. The room was still painfully neat, like it had been for the past five years, but the bed was occupied. The shock of blond hair peeking out beneath the covers reassured him that Naruto was in fact still safe and present in the house.
Minato sank onto the bed, the sudden relief of finding his son safe leaving him exhausted. For a long moment, Minato just stared at Naruto, his eyes flitting over the boy's sleeping features. Warmth filled his eyes and a small smile slipped onto his face. Naruto was safe. His son was safe.
He laid his hand on Naruto's head, filled by the need to touch him. Again, for a split second, he feared that his hand would pass right through the boy, but the fear changed into relief as his hand landed softly on Naruto's hair, his fingers nestling slightly into the mess of strands. His son was still there. It was all that mattered.
Naruto's features scrunched up slightly at Minato's touch before his eyelids fluttered open, revealing sleepy blue eyes that stared incomprehensibly at Minato. Minato smiled at the sight, happy that he was able to see it. The years that had passed while his son had been lost had felt like an eternity of pain, but the sight in front of him was slowly starting to erase that pain.
"Daddy?" Naruto asked sleepily, still staring blearily at Minato from sleep-filled eyes. Minato smiled gently at Naruto and tenderly stroked his hair.
"Hey," he greeted the boy softly. "Did I wake you up?" Minato asked, his tone filled with care. Naruto blinked at the question and pressed his lips together slightly before wordlessly shaking his head.
"I wasn't sleeping," he confessed, causing Minato to frown slightly in concern.
"Why not?" Minato questioned, slightly worried. "Just couldn't sleep? Or were you having nightmares?"
Silence filled the room as Naruto averted his eyes from Minato's and wordlessly shook his head, seemingly hesitating to answer the question. Finally, after a long moment, he hesitantly answered.
"Sleeping means waking up again," he murmured softly. "I don't wanna wake up from…this," he whispered so softly that Minato almost didn't hear him.
Minato felt his heart clench in sorrow at Naruto's confession. Naruto still didn't believe it was real: he still believed that he would one day wake up and it would just be another dream. That knowledge made him wish that the people who had hurt his son so badly were burning in the deepest level of hell.
Minato swung his legs onto the bed, settling comfortably against the headboard. He placed his arm around Naruto's frail shoulders and pulled the boy closer to his side, wordlessly assuring the boy of his presence. Naruto gave in without any resistance, sighing contently as he snuggled closer to his dad, his hand softly clutching Minato's shirt. Minato laid his hand on Naruto's head, mindlessly stroking the boy's hair until he could feel his son relaxing a bit more.
"I won't disappear," he broke the comfortable silence that had settled around them after a while. "Even if you go to sleep now, I promise you that no matter what, I will be here when you wake up," he promised with confidence in his voice as he tried to reassure Naruto with more than words. "So it's okay to go to sleep. When you wake up again, you will still be here in your bed and I will still be here, holding you like this."
Silence followed his statement for so long that Minato wondered if Naruto had even heard him. That is, until Naruto's fist tightened slightly around the fabric in his hand, indicating that he had heard Minato's words and was thinking about them.
"Promise?" Naruto asked in a small, hesitant voice, causing sorrow to fill Minato's heart again. Minato tightened his hold around Naruto's shoulders, trying to relay his promise through his touch. The increased pressure around Naruto's shoulders seemed to succeed in calming the boy as some kind of tension appeared to leave Naruto's body.
"Promise," Minato repeated confidently. A shy smile appeared on Naruto's face at the assurance. He gazed shyly at Minato before nodding slightly and closing his eyes, snuggling closer to his dad's side. Within a couple of minutes, his breathing slowly evened out to the deep regular breaths of sleep.
Minato kept his arm around Naruto with a slight smile on his face, content in the knowledge that he was able to comfort his son. It would take a long time for Naruto to recover from his experience in that place, but he would, eventually, recover. It was Minato's job as a parent to ensure that he did.
A soft sound from the door's direction caused him to look up, meeting Kushina's eyes. She was leaning against the doorframe with a small smile on her lips. Even from his position on the bed, Minato could see the happiness on her face.
She approached the bed and leaned over Minato to plant a kiss on Naruto's hair. Her braid slipped over her shoulder, coming to a rest on the bed in an imperfect red circle.
The moment felt perfect to Minato. That was all he ever really wanted: to be surrounded by his family.
Kushina's braid left the bed as she straightened again. Her hand came to a rest on Minato's shoulder as she gazed at her son with gentle eyes, seemingly studying his features. Apparently satisfied with what she found, the corners of her mouth lifted a bit more and the hand on Minato's shoulder tightened slightly before moving away as she slipped around the foot of the bed to the other side.
"He okay?" Kushina asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she laid down on Naruto's other side. Her fingers landed gently on Naruto's arm as she reached towards him, seemingly filled with the need to touch him, just like Minato himself had needed.
"For the moment," Minato replied in an equally soft voice and left it at that. The entire situation was simply too complex to add anything to his sentence and mercifully, Kushina accepted his answer. She hummed in reply before she raised her eyes to his, staring at him for a long moment before the corner of her mouth twitched upwards and her gaze lowered again, her eyes fixated upon the boy sleeping peacefully in the bed.
Silence settled comfortably around the three of them. Kushina softly caressed Naruto's arm with her thumb, her entire body radiating tranquillity. Before long, the soothing rhythm of Naruto's breathing lulled her to sleep as well.
Minato gazed at his family with soft eyes, basking in the moment. In his eyes, everything in that moment was absolutely perfect. With a smile on his face, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip into the soft darkness of sleep.
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Naruto laid in the dreamy haze between sleep and true wakefulness. He was pleasantly warm: he could feel a comfortable warmth pressing against him from both sides. It kind of reminded him of that time when Yumi-chan had missed her family and had held him the entire night. She had cried that night and he had been unable to do anything to make her stop. The more he had tried the worse her tears and sobs had gotten.
Maybe the pleasant warmth pressing against him was Yumi-chan. Maybe she was lonely again. Maybe she was crying again.
A single lucid thought jumped to the front of his mind. It couldn't be Yumi-chan, because Yumi-chan was...
("Please Naru-chan, don't look. Please, please don't look." A flash of red; crimson fluid dripping down begging brown eyes, sliding down white cheeks to meet rivulets of red flowing over blue blue lips.
"Please don't lose your innocence, Naru-chan. You're the only light we have left.")
Naruto's eyes shot open. An unfamiliar sight greeted him, causing him to blink in surprise. The warmth against his side was another person, but it wasn't Yumi-chan. It was...his dad? He continued to stare at the man, unable to comprehend what was going on. He had just woken up, which meant that he couldn't be dreaming. So why was his dad, who only appeared in his dreams, lying next to him?
"Naruto?"
He looked up, meeting his dad's eyes. He blinked a couple of times, trying to order his thoughts. He remembered dreaming about his dad comforting him, promising that he would be there when Naruto woke up - and he was. He was there. So did that mean...that it hadn't been a dream? That it had been real?
No, it couldn't have been real. Maybe he was still dreaming. Maybe he was only dreaming that he had woken up but in reality he was still sleeping in the cold cold room that somehow seemed to belong to him (or he belonged to it; he never was quite sure). Or maybe, he was going crazy. He had sometimes heard Kai-kun talking to Yumi-chan, saying that he was afraid of losing his mind and going crazy. Was this what going crazy felt like?
A strong, but strangely gentle pressure pressed him against his dad's side, causing his thoughts to come to an abrupt halt. It was so hard to remember that it was only a dream when it felt so real. He so desperately wanted to believe that it was real, but it couldn't be. It just couldn't be. Dreams didn't come true. They just didn't.
"Naruto? Are you okay?"
Naruto looked up, meeting his dad's eyes again. His dad was looking at him with concern in his eyes. It made his heart ache. Why did the dream have to feel so real? It would only make it worse when he had to wake up. He hated the dreams.
His dad sighed and folded his arms around Naruto. Naruto could feel the warmness radiating from his dad's arms. It made him feel so safe; like nothing bad would ever happen to him. He loved the dreams, but he knew he was never safe; he had learned that the hard way. The dream couldn't protect him from reality. It never could.
Somebody else stirred on his other side. He looked at it and met the sight of his mom looking sleepily at him. A smile appeared on her lips and she reached out towards him, her hand landing on his hair.
"Hey honey," she murmured happily and yawned. "Slept well?"
He stared at her. Slept well? What kind of question was that? He was still sleeping, wasn't he? This was just a dream, wasn't it?
A maelstrom of emotions welled up in his chest.
He burst into tears. He couldn't take it anymore. He hated the dream. Why didn't it stop already? Hadn't he suffered enough?
He sniffled and tried to wipe the tears away, but the flood just didn't want to stop. The gestures and words from his dream-parents as they tried to console him only made it worse.
"Please, make it stop. I d-don't...I don't," he pleaded, but couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't want to...what? Stay in the dream where he was safe and content, but wasn't real? Or wake up in reality where he was cold and alone, but wasn't taunted by things that could never happen? He couldn't decide.
The dream of his mom pulled him onto her lap and pressed his head against her chest. He leaned eagerly against her, soaking up her warmth, but hated himself for being weak enough to fall deeper into the dream.
"Oh Naruto," his mom murmured, gently rubbing his back. Her voice was sad. Naruto didn't like that. It was a dream, and dreams were supposed to be happy, right? His mom couldn't be sad. He didn't want her to be sad.
Suddenly, he didn't care anymore. He didn't care that it was only a dream. He didn't care that he was being weak. He only cared that his mom was sad.
"Do you still think this is just a dream?" Naruto's dad asked from the other side of the bed, confusing Naruto. It was still just a dream.
He nodded slightly. "Yes," he murmured softly, because even though he had decided to live in the dream to keep his mom from being sad, he didn't want to lie to his parents, even if they were only dreams.
His dad sighed. "It's going to take some time," the man stated softly and received a soft agreement from Naruto's mom. Naruto didn't know what his dad meant with that, but it was fine. He wasn't listening. Not really. The dream was going to end too soon for him to wonder about things he didn't understand.
His mom's heartbeat lulled him. He was tired, but he didn't want to sleep. The dream was too pleasant; too safe. If he fell asleep, the dream would end.
Or maybe it already did. Maybe this was where people went when they fell into the never-ending sleep. Like Yumi-chan did. Maybe she too was in a place like this. He liked that thought. Yumi-chan was nice, so she deserved a nice place. Not like him. He wanted the dream to be real, but he knew it never would be, because he didn't deserve it. He knew there was only one place he belonged, and it wasn't in the dream.
Still, as his mom continued to rub his back and his dad continued to stroke his hair, he wished that, for just one second, he could belong.
He glanced hesitantly at his mom, unable to keep his eyes off the dream. She smiled reassuringly at him. He liked that. Hesitantly, he returned her smile, causing her entire face to light up as her own smile broadened even more. It filled his heart with warmth.
Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad to believe in the dream.
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Kushina continued to rub Naruto's back, saddened about his tears, but overjoyed that she could finally hold him again. The tension in his body gradually dissipated, causing the boy to relax against her. She looked down at him and felt her heart clench at the sight of the confusion in her son's eyes, so when he hesitantly glanced at her she couldn't help but to smile at him, hoping to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. It felt like the sun rose for the first time in a very long time when he hesitantly smiled back at her. She pulled him even closer to her, revelling in the fact that he was there. She only pulled away from him when she felt him tense up again, most likely uncomfortable with the prolonged contact. Somehow, she didn't think that he would've had much opportunity to be hugged a lot in the five years he had been missing.
"What do you say about some breakfast?" Kushina suggested with a cheerful smile, trying to get rid of the confused tension in the air. Naruto looked down at her words, his fingers playing nervously with the covers on his bed, but a shy smile was on his face.
"Okay," he replied shyly, still looking down. Kushina gave him another brief hug before she stood up.
"Why don't you get dressed? You can join me in the kitchen afterwards," she suggested. It would do the boy good to be up and active. "You can keep me company, or help me, if you want to."
Naruto looked uncertainly at her, softly chewing on his bottom lip. He glanced at Minato and only when he received a reassuring nod from his father did he agree.
"Okay," he repeated softly. Minato ruffled the boy's hair, causing another shy smile to appear on Naruto's face. Kushina couldn't stop the smile on her face from expanding at the sight. She gave the boy a soft kiss on his head.
"I'll be waiting in the kitchen," she stated and started to move away from the bed, but she found herself hindered when Naruto's hand shot out and grabbed her dress. She looked down at him, an unspoken question in her eyes.
"Don't go," he pleaded in a soft whisper. Kushina's heart clenched in sadness at the broken tone in her son's voice. She sank down to her knees, gazing deeply into her son's cerulean eyes and taking his hands in hers.
"It's okay," she said. "I'm not going far," she reassured him and gestured towards Minato with her head. "Your father will stay here while you get dressed, and then you'll both join me in the kitchen, okay?" Kushina said and reassuringly tightened her hold on his hands. He stared wordlessly at her, his eyes filled with unspoken emotions. A couple of seconds passed in silence before Naruto bit his lip softly and looked down again, giving her a silent nod. His hand released its grip on her dress, allowing her to step away.
Kushina met Minato's eyes with a silent plea. He nodded at her, reassuring her that he would take care of their son while she was gone.
A couple of minutes later, she was dressed in her everyday clothes and standing in the kitchen, starting to make breakfast. She lost herself in the normality of the task, but her thoughts kept returning to the boy upstairs. She wanted to make him feel completely at home, but she knew it would take time. He had been separated from them too long. She had no illusions that it was going to be easy. She knew that too much had changed; he had gone through too much to just settle in like nothing ever happened. It was up to her and Minato to make sure he settled with as little stress as possible.
The French toast was sizzling in the pan by the time the two men in her life entered the kitchen. She looked around when they entered and blinked in surprise at the sight. Minato was looking at her with a sheepish smile on his face and Naruto was hiding slightly behind Minato, looking shyly at her. He was dressed in a slightly off-white shirt that hung loosely around his frame and navy shorts that Kushina recognized from Minato's time in the Academy.
She blinked again and stared at Minato, a questioning look in her eyes. He rubbed the back of his head, the sheepish smile on his face broadening slightly.
"We…kinda forgot his own clothes don't fit anymore," he explained sheepishly. "This is the best I could do with what we had at hand."
Kushina blinked at his answer before nodding and turning her attention back to the food on the stove, taking his explanation in stride. She flipped the toast over before turning to the cupboard beneath the counter on her left.
"I'll get him some clothes today," she promised and took out a couple of plates, placing it on the counter beside her. "By the way, why on earth do you still have those shorts?" Kushina questioned with an amused tone in her voice, looking back at her husband to see his reaction. He blushed slightly and guided Naruto to the kitchen table, helping the boy to climb on the chair before joining him at the table.
"Honestly, I have no idea. I was just as surprised to find it as you, but it's helping our purposes right now," he explained. Kushina merely quirked an eyebrow at him before she turned her attention back to the food, accepting his answer. She dished the food onto the plates and placed it on the table in front of her family, joining them at the table.
"Well then," she stated and smiled at Naruto, "enjoy." Naruto ducked his head at the attention, but a small smile was on his face. Slowly and with much hesitation, he picked at his food before taking his first bite. His eyes widened in wonder at the taste and his hand shot to his mouth.
"It's good," he whispered in amazement, his gaze moving towards Kushina in awe. Kushina laughed at his expression before leaning over and ruffling his hair.
"Well, of course it is!" Kushina declared. "Did you think I'd give you food that tasted bad on your first day back with us?" Kushina asked jokingly. Naruto blushed slightly and dropped his gaze again, but the smile on his face broadened slightly, filling Kushina with joy.
She laughed again and shot a glance at Minato. He was smiling broadly, reflecting the same joy Kushina was feeling. For the first time in a very long time, they were whole again.
She knew it wouldn't last; she knew they were going to have problems later on, but for the moment, it was enough.
_~…end of chapter…~_
A/N: So, major family fluff. Still, I enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as well.
Now I have two requests from the readers:
If there is something you want to see happen in the story, you're welcome to leave a suggestion! As I said previously, I'm a terrible planner, so any suggestions as to what should happen in the story are welcome. I have a (very) basic plotline, so if your suggestions fit into the plot I will gladly incorporate it into the story.
In the next chapter, I'm planning to have an encounter with one of the Konoha 12. Who would you like the encounter to be with? Anyone of the Konoha 12 is acceptable, so it's up to you readers to decide who it's going to be.