Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Slow dancing in a burning room ❯ Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the universe in which he resides (nor do I own the title of this fic)

 

 

{January 11th, 2008}

 

Chapter 1:

 

 

A ripple in the water distorted the image of an inquisitive seven-year old girl who was currently sitting on the edge of one of the many docks in the seaside village. Hands braced the wood beneath her as she languidly swung her legs back and forth. The image in the water returned, revealing a scrawny blue-eyed girl with long raven hair and a small smile on her face. A simple ribbon of cobalt bound the majority of her hair while allowing a few strands to frame her face. The right corner of her mouth raised as a few wisps of hair tickled her face in the salty breeze. The young girl's blue slippers rested next to her, allowing her toes the freedom to feel the wind. A few sea birds soared the skies above, ignorant of the child below as they hunted for their next meal.

 

“What happened next, chichiue?” inquired the girl. She brought a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear; a habit of hers since she was a toddler. Her cerulean eyes looked out over the horizon. Intense shades of yellow, orange, and red streaked the sky in a fiery blaze as the sun set in the distance.

 

“I came up with this amazing plan,” bragged her father, who was sitting indian-style to her right, slightly behind her.

 

“Hn, like the previous plan of `accidentally' spilling hot tea on Kakashi-sensei?” asked the girl. “Or maybe like your failed reconnaissance attempt. Although, there was potential in treating sensei to dinner at the ramen stand. Short and simple,” relented the child in a matter-of-fact tone laced with a hint of arrogance.

 

“Haruhi…” reprimanded her father with a growl-tinged tone, compliments of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

 

“Sumimasen.”

 

“Now where was I? Oh, my amazing plan. Yeah! Since we were at an onsen, I suggested we relax at the hot springs. So Sasuke and I proceeded to the changing rooms. We entered the springs in nothing but our bath towels." A look of comprehension crossed the young child's face.

 

“I see. It would appear strange if Kakaski-sensei went into the hot springs with his mask on,” replied the girl.

 

“We decided to relax in the water while we waited for Kakashi-sensei. Lowering ourselves in the water, we got comfortable. Our bodies adjusted to the heat, releasing the tension in our muscles from a long day of traveling. It was quiet, except for the occasional croak of a frog and the swishing of water. As far as I knew, we were alone.”

 

“Did you two kiss?” asked the girl seriously.

 

“Umm, no! That's not the point of the story.”

 

“Hmm, another missed opportunity, chichiue.”

 

“Missed opportunity?” asked her father, tilting his head in incomprehension.

 

“Romantic nighttime setting in the hot springs. The most handsome ninja of Konohagakure at your side…” provided his daughter.

 

“We were twelve. The only thing I was concerned with was surpassing Sasuke without killing him. And what is with this `romantic nighttime setting' thing? Have you been watching romance movies with Tsunami-san again?”

 

“No, but you are not the only one with stories to tell,” answered his daughter wisely.

 

“Well, I think you are too young for those stories,” countered the young man, exerting parental control of the situation. He gave a curt nod as he crossed his arms on his chest.

 

“And stories of bloody battles and war stricken villages are typical bedtime stories?” retorted the child, one eyebrow arched elegantly while a smirk adorned her face.

 

Naruto's breath caught in his throat as his heart pounded in his chest. His crossed arms slowly released only to fall unsurely in his lap.

 

[Calm down, gaki]

 

`I'm 23 years old and you still refer to me as `gaki'? Damn kitsune.'

 

[It has been eight years and yet, HE still haunts you.]

 

“Daijobu?”

 

Naruto flashed her a reassuring smile in hopes of quelling her fears. “I'm fine. It's late. Dinner should be soon,” answered the fox vessel as he stood up with a helping hand extended towards his daughter. “I'll finish the story tonight.” He pulled her to her feet.

 

Haruhi brushed superficial debris from her backside and straightened her summer blue yukata. She tucked her hair behind her ears again. Her raven tresses reached to just above her waist. She grabbed her father's hand and flashed him a beautiful smile, which he returned. The pair made their way back to their home, which they shared with Naruto's old friends from the past.

 

 

***************************************************************** *****

 

 

“Forgive me, Haruhi-chan. We got caught up in village news at the dinner table. How was your afternoon?” asked Tsunami-san.

 

“It went well. We walked along the shore and rested at the docks. Chichiue told me another story. He did not get to finish, but maybe he will finish tonight,” informed the child as she cleaned the dinner table.

 

Inari, Tsunami's twenty-year old son, entered the house exclaiming, “Where's the food? I'm starving.”

 

“Nari-ni,” cried an ecstatic girl as she ran into said man, clinging to his long legs.

 

“Haruhi-chan! How's my favorite girl?” he asked as he scooped the overjoyed girl in his arms.

 

“You're late. You missed dinner,” accused the girl with a cute pout adorning her face.

 

“Gomen, gomen. I lost track of time. It was busy at the station.”

 

“Catch a lot of bad guys?”

 

“Loads,” replied the rookie law enforcement officer.

 

“Inari,” called Naruto as he came down the stairs. “What's up?”

 

“Hey,” replied Inari as he placed Haruhi back down.

 

“Inari. I left a plate of food for you in the refrigerator,” replied Tsunami-san.

 

“Arigatou, kaasan.”

 

“Haruhi, your bath is ready," informed the sunshine-blond man.

 

“Already? Nari-ni just got here.”

 

“You wanted to go into town tomorrow, remember? That means an earlier bedtime,” informed the whiskered man.

 

Haruhi sighed. “Oyasumi. Have a good day at work tomorrow, Nari-ni.” She kissed his cheek then hugged Tsunami-san. She then followed her dad upstairs.

 

Naruto, having already bathed and dressed for bed, proceeded to the counter to retrieve their toothbrushes and toothpaste. He squeezed a generous amount of toothpaste on his toothbrush and handed the tube to his daughter. Haruhi stood patiently on a step stool.

 

“Arigatou.” She squeezed a small amount onto her toothbrush and recapped the tube.

 

Naruto looked over at his daughter as he brushed, mouth extra foamy with a trail of it dribbling down his chin. On the contrary, Haruhi was the picture of grace and refinement. She had twisted her long hair around to her right shoulder so as not to get it in the way of her brushing. This too was clean, yet firm with not a trace of foam in sight. She reached a delicate hand out to grab her cup and fill it with water. Even the act of swishing water in her mouth and spitting it out was done with an air of elegance. She wiped her mouth gently with a washcloth. She stepped down from her step stool and looked at her father. She tilted her head and frowned at him, question in her azure eyes.

 

The look, reminiscent of another raven-haired pale youth, snapped Naruto back to reality. He quickly gargled some water, choking a bit while his daughter undressed and washed her body in the shower. “Do you need help, Haruhi? I can wash your back,” offered Naruto.

 

“I can manage, chichiue,” she answered as she lathered her hair with shampoo and massaged her scalp.

 

“Okay. Holler at me if you need something.”

 

Naruto began cleaning the counter and returned the items to their homes. His thoughts turned inward, back to times when Team 7 was whole and naïve to the realities of the world. When his rivalry with Sasuke was all that mattered; what drove him past his limit. He was the dobe, the screw-up, the class clown. Sasuke was an Uchiha, the #1 rookie, the genius. And yet he, Naruto, was his best friend. Sasuke never missed an opportunity to tease the fox-boy, to the point that Naruto wondered if Sasuke truly hated him. Although, Naruto was lucky enough to be graced with those rare smiles of the Uchiha prodigy.

 

“Chichiue, may I have a towel. I'm all pruny,” called Haruhi inspecting her hands.

 

“H-Hai,” called her father returning to the present. He grabbed a towel and walked to the tub. His daughter pulled the stopper from the drain and stood up. He wrapped the towel around her body and picked her up out of the water and set her done on the carpet. Haruhi quickly dried herself and put on the pajamas her father chose for her. She wore a long blue dressing gown with a small symbol on the back. The symbol was of her father's clan, which she sewed onto her gown herself. She wanted to sew the symbol on the rest of her wardrobe, but that defeated the purpose of being `in hiding'. Displaying the proud symbol of the once powerful Uchiha clan would have drawn unwanted attention. The girl wrapped the towel around her hair and followed her father to their room. She climbed on the bed and sat on her legs, drying her hair with the towel. Naruto retrieved a brush from the dresser and sat behind his daughter on the bed. Naruto took the towel from her and tossed it onto a nearby chair. Pulling her hair back, Naruto started to brush his daughter's hair; it was another one of their routines. When Haruhi insisted that she was old enough to get ready for bed at the tender age of four, her father quickly clung to certain aspects of their relationship, i.e. brushing her hair. They used to bathe together and he used to brush her teeth for her or carry her on his back. `She's growing up too fast.'

 

[I know, gaki. I know.]

 

The father-daughter duo talked about nearly anything and everything. They would talk while he brushed her hair and until she fell asleep. He usually told her stories of great ninjas, including stories about the hokages and senseis of his village. Of course, he told stories of himself and Team 7. Naruto's relationship with his daughter was a complex one, but a close-knit one. Raising a child at the age of 16 was and is hard. It is not like Naruto had a family to model his own after. His `family' consisted of fellow ninjas and senseis. Considering the circumstances, he couldn't exactly reach out to his `family'. There weren't a lot of options left for a missing- nin, not to mention a pregnant one.

 

The symptoms were odd, mostly because Naruto did not get sick. Kyuubi took care of any attacks on his person including bacterial, viral, and any cuts/bruises received by being a shinobi. So throwing up, plaguing headaches, abdominal pains, and severe lack of energy/chakra were unusual. But Naruto ignored the oddity in hopes of it just blowing over. His friends noticed the change in his performance and physical state. After two months of it occurring on and off, Naruto made the decision to see Tsunade-sama, the renowned medic nin turned hokage. He never made it there though, because Kyuubi (who was strangely silent for two months) decided to speak up and share some news concerning Naruto's condition. My god, the news! Naruto pregnant! How?! At first he did not believe the ancient fox, but Kyuubi was nothing if not brutally honest.

 

Apparently most of the kitsune's chakra was directed at keeping the baby alive and healthy. The pregnancy was a difficult one and Naruto almost lost his life, but a beautiful baby girl was brought into this world. When the tiny babe was placed in his arms, he vowed to love and protect her no matter the cost. He wanted her to have a true childhood; a happy childhood different from his own. He kept no secrets from her (as much as can be honored). She knew everything about him. He answered all her questions to the best of his abilities. She knew about Kyuubi and the reason for their life in hiding. It was not safe for a pregnant jinchuuriki. Akatsuki was not the only group he had to worry about. Danger was present right in his backyard. The council of elders would have aborted his pregnancy. The villagers, fueled by fear and hate, may have harmed him or his unborn child. Haruhi was told of his childhood and how lonely and neglected he was. He explained that his past made him who he was today and he was not ashamed of that fact. He was stronger for it.

 

Haruhi was also aware of the other DNA contributor. She had never met him but she did not hate him. He did not even know of her existence. The thing is lately, Haruhi was interested and curious of all things concerning her father (her otousan). Although it pained Naruto to have to talk about HIM, he answered her questions. Naruto was honest in describing her otousan. He related to her his faults and weaknesses, as well as his dreams and strengths. Their rivalry and his near-obsessive quest to save him were not spared. Naruto understood his daughter's need for answers. He remembered how frustrating it was to be kept in the dark (he was practically the last one to know about the kitsune within him). Not knowing the reason for the naked disdain/hatred or blantant dismissal/indifference was just...bullshit. Haruhi had a right to know the truth. But he suspected the reason for her level of interest in her otousan was because she felt closer to the stoic man. Haruhi reminded Naruto of Sasuke in many ways. It wasn't just the physical attributes passed on to her, but her mannerisms. The way she carried herself; it just screamed UCHIHA! Haruhi wasn't ashamed of her parentage or of the unusual aspect of her birth. She was proud to be an Uzumaki and an Uchiha; which Naruto ensured.

 

With her father's stories, she felt she knew the Uchiha as well as the other Konoha villagers close to her father. Haruhi was informed of Orochimaru and the curse seal. Sasuke had set himself a goal (to avenge his murdered clansmen) and he will never rest until it is fulfilled.

 

Unbeknownst to Naruto, Haruhi dreamed that they would one day be a complete family again…with a couple of siblings.

 

“Chichiue…” began Haruhi, clearly hesitant of her question.

 

“Hmm?” Naruto answered as he pulled the brush through her hair slowly.

 

“Umm…well…you did not finish the story,” she lamely covered.

 

Naruto was aware that she backed off from her question. “So Sasuke-teme and I called out for Kakashi-sensei. He was taking too long. Now, mind you, it was a moonless night. All source of light came from inside the bathhouse/inn. The steam was thick and billowed over the stone path towards the changing rooms. We heard a door slide open and noticed a brief addition of light nearby. I could see a faint shadow looming closer and I knew that Kakashi-sensei finally decided to join us. Sasuke and I stood up from the comfortable heat to greet him. All I could see was his tall shadowy form heading towards us. When he cleared the fog of bath steam, we sweat-dropped and nearly drowned.”

 

“He entered the hot springs with his face covered?” asked the girl half surprised.

 

“Uhuh.”

 

Haruhi laughed hard in child-like glee causing Naruto to join in. After a few minutes, Haruhi cleared her throat and prepared to ask her real question. Naruto returned the brush to the dresser as the child climbed under the covers.

 

“Chichiue…”

 

“Hai?” asked Naruto, bracing himself for her question as he climbed in next to her. Haruhi kissed her father goodnight then laid back down.

 

“D-Do you, um…still love otousan?” Her cerulean eyes glistened with the intensity of her emotions. The hope evident in her eyes suppressed any attempts of lying. Silence ensued for an unknown amount of time. Haruhi wondered if her father would answer. She was a perceptive child. She noticed the brief, unmasked glimpses of recognition then sadness cross her father's eyes when he looked at her or when she did something reminiscent of her otousan, his best friend and lover. She also knew her chichiue adored her. Haruhi released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and fumbled her fingers in her lap. As the silence continued, Haruhi turned her body to face the window to gaze at the starlit sky.

 

Naruto may have appeared calm, as he laid on his back with an arm on his chest, but his thoughts resembled the sea raging in a storm.

 

[Are you ready for the answer?]

 

A flash of coal-black eyes, deep enough to draw you in and break you down into smaller, insignificant parts, crossed his mind. What a fine frenzy his thoughts and emotions turned out to be. A smirk here and a feather-like caress there, and Naruto was lost.

 

 

 

 

“Yes. I'm still in love with him.”

 

 

 

 

 

***** TBC ******

 

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