Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ What it Means to be Loved ❯ Reunion ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Three years passed, but time ceased to move forward.  Konoha continued to change and rebuild itself a few times after a few wars took place.  What changed the most was were the people who inhabited Konoha.  Naruto noticed this change in Mori each year that passed.  She was growing into a successful Genin each day that she practiced and studied.  There was so much difference in her that it was hard to keep track of how much she has grown since her life in the Blossom House ended.  She grew out her curly hair to leave it down like her elder sister's.  Mori grew a few inches and was starting to become a lovely young lady.  Naruto decided he wouldn't travel with Jiraiya to stay with Mori and help her out as much as he could while he, too, tried to be a Chunin on his own.  Thankfully, Sakura helped Mori as much as she could as well and even promised to have Mori as one of Tsunade's apprentices as well.  

Everything was falling into place, well mostly.  Naruto was having a hard time accepting that Amaya wasn't coming back after all these years.  He didn't bring up the subject with Mori, ever.  It was a hard time for her alone just to understand that her sister may never come back.  Naruto decided it was best to just keep the pictures of Amaya in the house, just never say her name or ever bring her up in conversation.  What hit him even harder was that Sasuke left...for Orochimaru, the same man that took Amaya.  Did that mean he would see Amaya?  

Naruto was walking back to his home with Mori with ramen take-out.  He hadn't seen the girl all day and figured she might be hungry for dinner from training all day.  A small grin formed on his lips as he thought of Sakura training her.  It was interesting watching those two fight one another due to how similar their personalities were.  When he neared the home, he saw his old sensei leaning against the front gate like he did those three years ago, “Kakashi-sensei?”

“Good, you brought dinner,” Kakashi commented as he went towards the front door.

'Yeah, but not for you...' Naruto grimaced as he thought to himself.

Naruto entered the house where Kakashi was already making himself at home by glancing at the small pictures of Amaya.  It was a rare time when Naruto would look over at them, but he would occasionally notice Mori stare at them for sometime.  The one that Naruto sort of liked was one with Amaya wearing a traditional blue kimono with amber sakura petals stitched into the material.  It really brought out her bright, amber eyes that stood out.  Naruto sat the bags of take out ramen on the counter before joining Kakashi in the living room, “So what's brought you back here?  I haven't seen you in a few months.”

“I was just in the neighborhood,” Kakashi shrugged, turning around to face to Naruto, “Is it bad for an old teacher to see his old students?”

“It's strange for you,” Naruto pointed out, “So what brought you here?”
Kakashi remained silent before giving Naruto a solemn gaze, “She was found, Naruto.”

Naruto was about to ask who was 'she', but then it clicked.  Amaya had been found.  He took a step forward to ask where was she at and if he could go.  Kakashi noticed and murmured, “You can't go after her, Naruto.  She's not the same person you met three years ago.  They're examining her as we speak to see if she's a threat to anyone.”

“How is she a threat?  She was just a prostitute before and-”

“Remember who took her, Naruto.  Orochimaru taught her a few tricks and she has already attacked our men.  We need to know if she's a spy.  Look what happened with Kabuto,” Kakashi explained as he stood between Naruto and the door, “The only reason why i'm allowed to tell you is because of my confidence in you to keep Mori safe unless Amaya comes after her.”

Everything was happening so fast.  Amaya had been found.  Mori would be happy again.  Things were starting to look up.  Then, the thought that Amaya might not be the same worried Naruto.  Was she dangerous?  But..was Sasuke with her?  Naruto looked back at Kakashi and asked, “What about Sasuke?  Was he with her?  Does she know where he's at?”

“She's being questioned about that as well.  From what i've heard, she says she doesn't know,” Kakashi answered, “I'm going to go back and check on the men.  I'm warning you now, Naruto, don't leave Mori alone.  Don't let her know we found her.  Don't let her know Amaya is alive.  For all we know, Mori may be attacked or taken to Orochimaru to be a spy as well.”

It was a hard decision, but Naruto nodded.  Kakashi waited for a minute before leaving the house.  Naruto couldn't eat.  How could he not tell Mori?  He couldn't.  Glancing around the house, Naruto couldn't get Amaya out of his head.  What did she look like?  How did she act now?  Over the years of living with Mori, she told him a few stories here and there about Amaya, so it was as if Amaya was just a sibling living abroad somewhere else.  He had to sit down from all that was happening in less than an hour.

Soon, Mori walked into the house with Naruto sitting in the same armchair that he had sat in the first day he entered the home.  She walked over to him to see the bewilderment on his face, “Wow, you look like you just saw a ghost.  Are you ok?”

Naruto jumped to his feet, “Of course!  I just had to rest for a second!  Believe it!  Here's some ramen!  I thought you were hungry!”

“Can you stop yelling?  Sakura gave me an ear-full all day,” Mori complained as she walked into the kitchen, “Sweet!  You got us the deluxe!  Thanks a bunch!”

Naruto watched her eat for a few moments before eating his own ramen.  Thoughts rushed through his mind as he thought of what was going on with Amaya.  There was no way she could the same as she was before.  He had to wait though.  If she was somewhat normal, then she would be able to step foot back into Konoha.  Then again, if she weren't normal...  Naruto pushed the thought out of her mind.  The last thing he wanted to think about was someone dying because of what Orochimaru did.

“Naruto, wanna hear something weird?” Mori spoke up between bites of her ramen.

He looked up at her to see her eyes glazed over for a quick moment before glancing at him.  If he didn't know better, that was fairly weird on it's own.  Then, he gave a half nod before digging into his own ramen.  Mori continued, “I've been having this creepy dreams where this girl that looks like Amaya is wearing a white kimono, and she's just standing there.  She's staring at me and then she raises her hand to me while holding a pine-tree branch.  Isn't that weird?”

“I'd say that's more than just weird,” Naruto commented dryly, then glanced down at his nearly full bowl of ramen, “I'm not hungry.  You want mine?”

“Are you sure you're ok?  You've never let a bowl anywhere near full,” Mori pointed out, “Are you getting sick?”

“Probably,” Naruto stood up quickly, “I'm going to bed.  Goodnight.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Darkness surrounded her.  Freedom.  This is what she wanted, right?  She was free.  The hard, wooden chair they gave her was more the uncomfortable enough.  Wasn't she supposed to be the highest paid Blossom lady in Konoha and they gave her a wooden chair to sit on?  Then again, it's been three years since she had stepped into Konoha.  Three years...  What did Mori look like?  And the others?  What happened to them?  It was almost a blur to what her room used to look like.  Maybe they gave her room to a new girl.  She clung to her flute tightly as she heard the door open.  

“Ms. Amaya Hana, yes?” the man asked as he flipped a chart, “You've cleared all your tests, but it's still uncertain whether or not your mental health has changed.”

“I've been here for two weeks now.  I'd like to go home and rest after all that i've been through,” Amaya spoke up, “I want to see my sister.”

“Where did you like Ms. A-”

“Please, call me Amaya,” she interrupted him, “I lived in the Blossom House.  Do I still live there?”

“We called and a woman said she had your room replaced.  She has stated that she will open a new room for you due to your instant return,” the man answered, obviously uncomfortable knowing that Amaya wanted to go back to that life, “Are you sure you want to go back?  We have information saying you had previously bought your eleven year old sister a villa-”

“No,” Amaya stated sharply, “That is her home.  I will buy my own home by gaining my status back.”

It was no use trying to talk her out of going back.  The man soon gave up and started to prepare for her departure back to the village.  Amaya stood in a loose-fitting, white kimono as she held her flute carefully in her arms.  She glanced at a mirror and was horrified by her looks.  Her hair had gotten so long that it was nearly down to her calves.  Without any make up on, she looked like a walking ghost in the kimono they had given her.  The scars were so apparent all over her body that it was almost embarrassing to go back to her home looking like a corpse.  Amaya waited by the front door for her escort to arrive.  Then, the door opened and a man she recognized walked through.

“It's been awhile, Amaya,” Kakashi gave her a small wave, then glanced her up and down, “You've gotten taller.  How are you feeling?”

Amaya shrugged, “I'm tired, hungry, and sore.  It's been awhile since what happened.  How is my sister?”

She was pleased to see that Kakashi had much information for her about Mori.  It was nice of that blonde ninja to care for her sister for the past three years.  Just as Amaya had originally planned, Mori was excelling at being a Genin.  She knew that her sister would flourish under such a harsh regime.  As her escort, Kakashi guided her all the way back to the village as he told her how Mori was doing in her training and how everyone else was.  Amaya then noticed they stood before the large, wooden gates that held her home.  She held a short breath as she felt tears well up in her eyes.  Her hand went to her mouth as emotions over-whelmed her.  The gates slowly slid open as Kakashi softly took her arm to help her inside.

Just as fast as a split second passed, Kakashi was pinned to the ground by Amaya.  She had used her flute to smash into his throat to knock him down while she used the rest of her body to pin him.  A wide, frightened look appeared in Amaya's eyes, then disappeared when she realized who she had pinned.  Kakashi groaned slightly as pain swelled in his throat, “Was..that necessary?”

“I'm so sorry!” Amaya leaped off of him, “You must understand-!”

“It's fine...” Kakashi slowly stood up, “I wasn't expecting you to have much strength.”

Amaya dusted herself off as Kakashi led the way for her to the village.  She felt nervous to be back after all that had happened.  As soon as she walked into the village, her fear faded away.  Instead of coming home an abducted girl, she felt as if she had never left.  A vision of her as a famous artist, and prostitute, was painted in her mind.  That vision faded when she realized the crowd in front of her was merely on their way to their own jobs.  Kakashi placed a cautious hand on Amaya, “Let's get you settled in your home before we make a few other stops.”

With a swift nod, Amaya followed Kakashi to her old home...

“AIY-YA!  SHE'S BACK!!” Mama's croaked voice screeched as she lunged at Amaya, “I knew you'd return!  I knew you weren't a runaway!  Oh it's so good to see my most profitable woman has returned!”

“Excuse me, but-” Kakashi tried to intervene.

Amaya shot him a sharp gaze as she returned Mama's hug, “I promise upon my life that I did not run away, Mama.  But, I also beg of you to give me some time to cultivate my status now that i've returned.”

“Oh!  Of course!  Mama would never push one of her daughters back onto the streets after such a long journey!” Mama fanned herself dramatically.

The years had taken it's toll on Mama's face.  Her wrinkles sagged more and it was hard to tell if she ever had eyes.  Amaya glanced over to Kakashi and gave him a small smile.  He shrugged and waited outside the office.  After a few minutes of negotiating prices and what-not, Amaya exited the room with a loud sigh.  She pulled the door closed and glanced up at Kakashi, “Debating what my own price is much harder than I remembered.  She doesn't trust me to bring in more money.”

“Are you even sure you want to go back to this life?  I spoke to the shinobi that examined you and they found-”

“That's not what i'm meant to be,” Amaya held her flute tightly, “I'm not like that.  I'm an artist.  I create music that no one in this village wants to create.”

Her sharp, serious tone made Kakashi question whether or not she was ready for village life.  Then again, who was he to say that either?  Without another word, Kakashi led Amaya up to the room that was given back to her.  All of the furniture had been left behind and even decorated in a way that was said to be to her liking.  There was priceless perfume and make-up on the vanity.  A large bed where she could privately entertain customers.  A balcony where she could wake up each morning and have a cup of tea to watch the sunrise.  There were countless of clothes in the closet just waiting for her to wear.  Kakashi had to admit: this was definitely a spoiled life for a whore.

“I can see why you don't want to leave,” Kakashi commented as he glanced around the colorful room.

Amaya took a relieved breath as she took a step to examine everything given to her.  On her dresser was a small mantel where she could place her flute.  Though it would bring the whole room together for herself, she decided to keep her flute with her.  It had remained in her care for three years.  To her, it was the only sanity she had where reality didn't mean her anymore harm.  Amaya turned to face Kakashi with an excited grin, “It's good to be home.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She had been found crawling in a field of large grass.  The reports say it was hard to distinguish whether or not she was actually Amaya Hana.  In the report, the details explain how each wound was severe enough to where infection had already taken place.  Everyone thought she had died.  But, the reports say that the medical-nin brought her back to life.  

Examinations were said to have been done without any break.  They checked her vitals and began to pump antibiotics through her system to keep any infection from spreading.  Throughout this entire ordeal...Amaya was not allowed to sleep because the doctors feared she may never wake-up.  They had asked her throughout her examinations of what happened while she was in Orochimaru's territory.  Each answer she gave was incoherent and that she only held her flute even tighter.  That was the main reason why the ANBU were reluctant to let her back into the village.  Amaya wouldn't give them any straight answer and was unwillingly placed in confinement for a week without any visitation from anyone.  It was a week later that the ANBU, along with Lady Hokage, decided Amaya Hana was safe to return to Konoha.  

Naruto read and reread each report he was given by Sakura.  It had been a day after Amaya's initial return.  As much as Naruto wanted to tell Mori, Kakashi had ordered him not to.  Instead, his old sensei agreed that the day after Amaya's arrival he could tell her.  At this point, almost everyone in the village knew Amaya had returned.  Some didn't mind, others were positive, and the rest were quite negative.  Naruto was a mix of emotions as he remembered the brave face she put on when they had arrived at the large house that turned into a nightmare of a trap.  He sat on the armchair as he finally handed the reports back to Sakura, “So...what do you think?”

“I think they shouldn't let her back in,” Sakura shrugged, “But keep her for questioning.  She might know where Sasuke is.”

“Yeah...” Naruto turned his gaze to the floor, “I..I don't really know.  Mori will be excited.  But these reports are saying that she has changed completely.  We have to trust her.  It's not like she acted like Sasuke and ran away, Amaya was taken.”

“Everyone knows that,” Sakura crossed her arms, “But she survived three years of Orochimaru under-going who knows what.  For all we know, she was brainwashed and has become his spy.”

As much as Naruto wanted to see this from a positive point of view, it was becoming increasingly hard.  He leaned back in the armchair as he thought of some way to take Mori to Amaya.  The Genin would be making her way home around this time.  Naruto glanced at the clock before asking, “Where's Mori at?”

“I didn't ask,” Sakura answered as she, too, looked up at the clock, “She said she had to run and get a pine branch.”

“That's weird.  She told me the other day about how she had a dream where her sister was giving her a pine branch,” Naruto commented as he turned his attention to the remote on the coffee table across from him.

“So...  She's planning on seeing Amaya then,” Sakura pointed out as she placed her hands on her hips, “You know that, right?  Mori has just found out that Amaya has returned and-”

“I'm out!” Naruto bolted out of the house, running as fast as he could towards the Blossom House.

He leaped from roof-top to roof-top in hopes of getting there before Mori.  As much as she wanted to trust Amaya, for Mori's sake he couldn't just yet.  Naruto finally reached the Blossom House and ran inside to see a small servant girl sweeping the front greeting room, “Hey, did a short girl with a ninja headband come here?  A girl named Mori?”

“No.  A Ms. Mori didn't come by.  Are you a customer, sir?” the servant girl turned her attention to him.

“Uh..n-no.  I'm here to..uh..see Amaya,” Naruto closed and locked the front door behind him, just in case.

“I see, then I shall lead you to her,” the servant girl placed the broom to the side and guided him up a flight of stairs.

Why did he feel such anticipation?  Why be excited to see a girl he hadn't seen in three years?  They weren't friends, just caring about Mori was all that they had in common.  With each step, Naruto felt his heart beat louder as he heard a dark melody echoing down the hallway.  The sound traveled slowly, as if each note played was enslaved to keep moving forward.  Each high note cried out while each deeper note vibrated around him.  This melody was...intoxicated.  It lulled him into a sense of false peace that he couldn't help but dive into.  Each step slowly lost the excitement as he followed the melody instead of the servant.  She had to be beckoning him.  She had to be calling for him to see her.  Her dark tune called for him to save her from the fate she had been given.

“Sir, this is her room,” the servant's voice brought Naruto back to normalcy.

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment before waiting for the girl to leave.  He stood outside Amaya's room for a few moments as he heard the dark melody die down behind the closed door.  Finally, as silence surrounded him, Naruto knocked on the door as he held his breath.

A faint, “Come in,” beckoned him to enter.

Naruto slowly slide the door open and took a step inside.  The cool, afternoon breeze wafted around him as his eyes became fixed on the slender woman standing at the balcony.  Her back faced him as her hair was blown by the wind.  Like a scene in a movie, Naruto could recall a few ninja movies where he had seen a damsel in distress and the hero finally met to realize they loved each other.  Though the scene looked a lot like the one he was in now, was there any possible way this could be real?  Was that really Amaya standing there?

Amaya turned around to see the ninja that had escorted the trap three years ago.  Seeing their sensei and this ninja brought back the painful memories of that day...  She leaned against the metal railing as she looked the young man up and down.  His face and name were all that she could remember.  Amaya lightly tapped her flute against her arm as she felt a mix of feelings rush through her.  This day could not have come sooner.  

She walked over to him as her smile widened.  It was obvious she caught him by surprise as she wrapped her arms around his neck, “I cannot thank you enough for keeping Mori safe for me, Naruto!  I am forever in your debt..”

“H-hey!  Wait just a second,” Naruto pulled away from her embrace, “I only took care of her because..well..  You know what i'm talking about, right?”

Amaya took a step back, as her smile warmed, “Of course, you thought I would die and you didn't want to leave Mori alone.  For awhile, I thought I was going to die too.  I'm glad I didn't.  I want to see my sister.”

“She should be coming soon,” Naruto glanced to the bedroom door, noticing it was now fully shut, “I..just came to see..  Well...”

The next thing he knew, Amaya had held him again.  This time..he felt her warm lips pressed against his.  What was she doing!?  Naruto felt the urge to step back, but was pulled in closer by Amaya.  His eyes widened slowly before he started to relax more and more into her kiss.  She smelled of lavender and spring mixed together, her skin was soft as silk.  Everything about her was intoxicating to him.  Naruto embraced her back as she led him to her bed.  He watched every movement she made as they made it to her bed where she slowly slid away from him to lay on top of her sheets.  

It was an out of body experience for him.  He saw himself crawl on top of her as she started to glide his ninja uniform off of him with her long, slender fingers.  As much as he wanted to will himself to stop before going too far, Naruto kept kissing each part of her skin he could find open to him.  Soon enough, she had peeled off her own white kimono to reveal her porcelain body for him.  Naruto held her close to him as he kissed in between her breasts, traveling his kisses up her neck to meet with her lips again.  Amaya ran her fingers through his blonde hair as she deepened the kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Was this feeling love?  He barely knew her.  Then again, he was already pulling the sheets over their nude bodies even though sweat was already starting to form on his brow.  What was he doing?  Was he about to have sex with her all because he took care of Mori for these years?  Naruto's thoughts ran off with each kiss Amaya gave him.  Her fingers traveled from his hair, down the nape of his neck, and gently scratched up his spine.  He sucked in a sharp breath, but the pain warped through him, sending a pleasurable warmth through his body.  When he opened his eyes to look at her, his heart skipped a beat.  Her large, amber eyes were gazing back at him with the same fear he had in their current situation.  Did she feel the same too?  Was she scared like him of what was going on?  Her body quivered beneath his, or was he the one shaking?  Naruto closed any space between them by resting his body on top of her own, wrapping an arm around her waist while the other beneath her head to pull her into a kiss.

He couldn't wait any longer.  By arching her back, finding the right spot, Naruto finally entered her in long, slow thrusts.  She gripped the sheets as Naruto grunted slightly with each thrust of his pelvis.  Amaya let a small gasp as she tilted her head back to release a short moan.  It was easy to tell he was a virgin by his disorganized motions, but he was doing perfectly fine.  His thrusts soon became shorter and harder as she tightened her thighs around his waist.  The fleeting moment of his orgasm sent a wave of pleasure and tremors throughout his body as Naruto froze as he felt his seed escape his erection.  Amaya lay flat on the bed as Naruto collapsed onto her, she held him beneath her thin sheets as she kissed his ear softly.

It was only moments later that he left her arms to pull his clothes back on.  Amaya sat nude on her bed, cross-legged as she rested her back against the wall.  She noticed Naruto glance at her, a small blush on his cheeks, and he had not said a word.  Amaya stood up slowly as Naruto inched away from her as casually as he could, “I don't..have any money, so...”

“I apologize,” Amaya placed her hand softly against his back, “I just needed to feel...intimate with someone.  You have no idea, after those years, how much hate I felt for myself and around me.  What happened was purely selfish, and i'm sorry if I scared you.”

She watched as Naruto turned around to look her in the eye.  His demeanor changed from that on a serious note, he seemed more willing to please since she mentioned a little more about herself.  Amaya gave him a small smile as she started to pull her silk kimono back on, “I would like to see my sister.  If you see her, let her know where I am.”

Naruto gave a small smile as he nodded, “Sure, no problem.”

He turned to head out, but Amaya grabbed his hand quickly, “And Naruto...come visit me again.”

This sent a cold wave down his spine when he felt her smooth skin against his.  Where, earlier, he would've wanted to go back to bed with her, now he felt more...heck, he didn't know what he felt.  In some confusion, he nodded awkwardly and quickly left her room.  Amaya stood in the middle of her room with her arms crossed.  She felt some confusion herself as she went back to her balcony and took a seat on a folded, metal chair.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Naruto had told Mori about Amaya.  He didn't expect Mori to come back home for the night as he sat in front of the television as he had his fourth bowl of ramen.  What happened earlier stayed in Naruto's mind as he tried to watch his usual shows, but nothing seemed to work.  He shut off the TV, brought out a few scrolls in hopes of pouring more information into his head, but that didn't work either.  The memory was, itself, a show he just couldn't erase.  Naruto hung his head in utter defeat.  What happened was great, he couldn't complain that Amaya's scent, skin, and everything else about her drove him crazy, but it wasn't what he wanted before she came back.  

“Naruto.”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Sakura and Kakashi appeared out of nowhere in his living room.  His bowl of ramen nearly hit the floor, but Kakashi easily caught it and sat it back on the table.  Sakura rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips, “Is Mori around?”

“..No...” Naruto took a few deep breaths, “Why do you two have to do that every time you two come over together!?”

“That's irrelevant,” Sakura waved off his question, “Kakashi has something he needs to say to you.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I said that's irrelevant!”

“But he just needs to tell me and-”

“Naruto, will you shut up!”

“Children, please,” Kakashi sighed, then looked back at Naruto, “I've been told some more information about Amaya.  It hasn't been disclosed whether or not if this information has been brainwashed.  Before I tell you, did you see Amaya today?”

“Uh, yeah.  I saw her before Mori saw her-”

“That's stupid, you should've let her see her first, Naruto...” Sakura interrupted, then noticed a sharp glare from Kakashi, “Sorry, sensei...”

“Anyways, I did see her.  She seemed fine to me.  Is something wrong with her?” Naruto answered as memories flashed with their intimate moment together through his mind.

“Well, like I said, it can't be proven if this is the act of brainwash or a jutsu, but Amaya believes we are to blame for her capture,” Kakashi admitted, “But it's hidden, from what the examiners say.  It was totally random when her spurts of anger came.  I'm not sure what she's fully capable of, but stay on the look out.  Lady Hokage has taken it upon herself to come up with a cure for whatever Amaya may be under.  Let's just hope that this is just a jutsu.”


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