Part 21 – Talk in the Forest

What if she isn’t here? Does she even want to meet me? He wondered, stepping through the forest and almost stumbling over a tree root.

Soon enough, he arrived at their clearing and the only thing he saw was a huge white tiger and a small bit of red hair peeking out from above its back.

Slowly, he walked up to the tiger and as he tried stepping around it, it let out a deep growl as if warning him to take a step further.

Locking gazes with the tiger, he just smiled apologetically … and soon enough, the tiger laid its head down again, signifying that he had the right to walk around it.

Walking past the tiger, Naruto was finally able to lay his eyes upon Uzu.

Drawing?

Looking at the paper lying on her thighs as she pulled them up, he saw that the paper held a small rabbit toying in a clearing not unlike this one.

The grass was soft and seemed to move with the wind.

The huge trees carefully protected the small clearing and the sky was filled with beautiful and big clouds, though the sun was still visible as it softly shined onto the rabbit.

As he looked closer, he noticed that she was currently adding a small squirrel sitting on one tree’s branch.

The rabbit was a beautiful white, a sign of innocence and beauty, or so Naruto thought.

He was not expert in art either way, but he knew what he thought of as beautiful and what not.

Looking at the girl in front of him as she fully focused on drawing, even though she did not even acknowledge his presence, he was still happy about being with her again.

Admittedly, it might not have been the wisest idea to suddenly throw her into his group of friends only to leave her alone after that … but he just wanted them to get along.

Was that even still possible?

Once she finished the picture, she put the paper into her wrist storage seal and hugged her knees with one arm, the other lying close to him.

He wondered, should he touch it? They had both changed after these months of being away from each other … they needed to know what actually happened to each other … but would she even talk about it if he asked?

Perhaps he should ask about why she left first?

He nodded to himself and gathered his courage before speaking: “Uhm … Uzu?”

He got no reply at all, as if he were air.

What exactly did I do wrong?

“Uzu. Please tell me what I did … why do you ignore me?” Naruto asked, a slight hint of pain showing in his voice.

Getting no answer again, not even a mere glance to acknowledge his presence, he felt faint and scared and … cold.

She’s leaving me.

“Sorry …” Naruto whispered, a tear forming in the corner of his eye.

Uzu finally turned to face him.

He looked into her face, searching for a hint of emotion, finding none.

She’s back to what she was before …

There wasn’t even that fake-genuine smile on her face.

“Naruto, this isn’t about you. Or isn’t exactly about you. Don’t worry, you haven’t made a mistake. It’s just me. I’ll need some time okay?” Uzu said, making Naruto wince at the void her voice caused in him.

Seeing her walk away, he saw the shadows of his long-lost friends overlap with hers … even though that made no sense … she wasn’t going to … right?

No, her eyes weren’t like theirs … she wasn’t being consumed by the darkness.

When she vanished into the darkness of the forest, he knew, something was deeply wrong. And since he didn’t know what … he couldn’t even try really fixing it. He’d guess and wonder and worry. And … his words didn’t seem to help.

Maybe she really needs time?

Naruto let his back fall onto the grass and he soon closed his eyes, looking into the afternoon sky, feeling especially lonely and cold today.

…

Walking away from the clearing, Uzu nearly felt her heart stop. Keeping herself from crying had been so hard.

Suppressing emotions should be easy for her, no?! Wasn’t she really just a weapon, at the end of the day?!

She felt so cold after saying that to him … but she knew, it was needed.

How else was she going to be his friend? That’s what he wants, right?

He already has Hinata for that.

Arriving at her apartment, she entered and found Jiraiya randomly sitting on the couch.

He raised a hand saying: “Hi. Princess, what’s up? You seem down?”

“It’s nothing, I’ll go craft a few seals. I’ll be in my room.” She said, keeping her voice and face completely emotionless. She could still do that, but she couldn’t make her mind unfeeling anymore.

Somehow, after getting to know Tsunade, Naruto and Jiraiya … she couldn’t just cut off her emotions anymore. She couldn’t really suppress them anymore. They had broken her, in a different way.

Jiraiya just nodded and seemed unbothered.

Uzu left the living room and slowly strolled towards her own, before opening the door and stepping inside.

Upon letting the door fall close, she locked the door.

Let’s sleep.

Taking off her clothes, she slowly slipped under her covers enjoying their warmth and not feeling so cold anymore.

I know that this is jealousy. I’m not that stupid. I want him to be mine. And I want him to want to be mine … and then, and only then, will I be his as well.

But, if it won’t be like that, then I’ll give him up. I’m selfish.

He just wants a friend … and he’s suffered and lost so much … and yet I can’t just be his friend?

Pathetic. Selfish. Oh, I can actually call myself a bitch now, can’t I? Funny. She laughed wryly, feeling pained.

Feelings hurt. I totally know why I never wanted them, yet … without them, life is nothing. And, you only really realize that once you’re totally numb and practically already so damn gone.

Well, there’s two ways things are going to go now.

Either I distance myself and we break our bond … and he’ll probably break down. Jiraiya will hate me. But well, I’m selfish and I don’t care, I’ll be able to deal with that.

I really can.

Who am I kidding? I couldn’t deal with losing so many people at once … again.

Well, either that path, which will 100% hurt not only me but everyone else too.

Or. I get my damn feelings under control, just like I had in my past life. I know how to smile even better than I did in my past life. I can do this. I’ll feel cold for a while … but as long as … things stay the same, at least with Jiraiya and Tsunade, then I’ll be okay. Probably?

Also … if Jiraiya hates me, then he’ll move out, right? Or it’ll get really damn cold in this apartment … and if he moves out, then it’ll be Mom and me alone again … and that just as she got closer to Jiraiya too.

His influence on her is amazing. She is healing.

She is actually healing.

And that’s good. I can’t destroy that.

She sighed, vowing to at least try moving past her feelings. And, well, if it didn’t work … then … well … she’d just run? That’s what she always did. Just run. It always worked.

She’d hurt for a bit, but time heals every wound. And the only thing she really had was time. And it was endless for her.

Killing her wouldn’t be easy and her body did not age. Well. There you go.

Staring at the ceiling for a bit more before looking towards the outside evening sun, she noticed that it was already quite late and closed her eyes and dispelled the clones that had been quietly working in the background for a while.

She felt their memories and experiences rush through her body, heightening her skills in brush use and chakra-created-ink.

After the memories merged with hers, she finally slowly drifted off to sleep.

…

I can’t do this. I’m sorry.

She slowly turned around, deciding to not go to her favorite spot today after she had seen him just casually lying down. Accidentally, she had even met his gaze and he was already walking towards her.

“Uzu! Please, won’t you tell me what happened?! What did I do?” He shouted, making her wince.

He had never sounded this desperate before. And never this pained.

Should I just say what is bothering me? But even if I do … it would only make it worse.

“Nothing.” She found herself saying.

She watched as his head hung low.

Suddenly, his arms shot out, firmly grasping her shoulders.

…

Watching her frown, he knew that she did not like this.

But he needed her to tell him. Just what the hell did he do?

He had thought long and hard about it, but he just didn’t know.

Hadn’t everything been okay during the letters they’d written?

They had been so close before she left. And now?

“Why?” He asked no one in particular as he leaned his forehead against hers.

…

Why? Because you …

“Why? Because you seem very happy with your new friends.” She found herself saying before she could stop herself. That was said with so much venom that she couldn’t even begin to grasp how she had been capable of that.

She saw him look up, his eyes forming tears: “Yes, and what does that change about … us?” His voice was soft and whispery.

“It shouldn’t change anything. But it did because of me. Sorry, but I felt and still feel replaced and jealous and lonely. And I-“ want you all for myself. She finished her sentence in her mind, not daring to speak it out loud.

She watched as his eyes widened before they softened again. He spoke quietly and with relief filling his voice: “Well, how about you just try to get to know them? We can all be friends together.”

She sighed, feeling coldness spread within her as she laughed softly, as if mocking him or herself: “It doesn’t work that way for me. I can’t just trust any random person that I meet. It takes time. And I don’t like some of them. Though, most are quite nice. Two haven’t said a word in the time I was there (Kiba and Shino) and one was pretty … annoying. I don’t know why I should try befriending those people?”

He went silent.

“I know that you want to have friends. And I’m glad that you found some more. And I’m sure you’ll be okay. You’ll be okay. I’ll need some time to let go of my … jealousy. But maybe we can become friends after that … again.” She said, before taking his hands and moving them off her shoulders.

“See you soon, Naruto. Please make sure to use the bedroom in the Senju compound … you shouldn’t sleep alone in that apartment of yours.” Uzu said, faintly faking a smile before leaving.

…

Eh? What? He felt lost.

How could it have come to this anyway? He never really wanted to be her friend.

He wanted everything of hers, from the very beginning. But … perhaps because he was too much of a coward and fearful of rejection, he fucked up?

With all that he had done … hug, kiss, hold her hand … how could she even think that he only wanted to be her friend?

He fell onto his knees, feeling incredibly cold and empty.

“Cold.” He muttered, clutching at his chest.

…

As she walked away, she wondered, was this the best choice?

… (proofread until here)

Through mere coincidence, they hadn’t met for the past 5 days.

My one-week break from the scouting missions is nearly over … I’ll be out again … but this time, for months.

If I don’t tell her … then maybe I won’t ever get to see her again? She’ll really be gone?

Naruto struggled.

In the evening hours of his last day before the mission, he walked into the forest, hoping to find her there.

During the past few days, they had been avoiding each other, or so it seemed.

Walking into the clearing, he sees her walk up to him, on her way home, or so he deduced.

She stopped in front of him, looking at him with emotionless eyes, a fake smile on her face. It lacked even the false genuine nature it used to have before. This was just totally fake, and he knew it.

He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it.

…

Damn …, she cursed. I almost instinctively took it!

Looking up into his eyes, Uzu knew that he had seen her pull he hand away again.

Rejection. That’s what she had just given him. Something that she knew would scar him.

She watched his mouth open: “U-Uzu … please listen, okay? Just listen.”

He seemed to wait for her to answer and she did, she nodded.

“It hurts. Whatever is going on between us, it hurts. I’ve been so terribly cold lately, ever since I came back. I need you to know … I’ll have to leave again tomorrow morning. This was just a small break we have … so I’ll have to get this off my chest. Who knows what happens after this and who knows what happens when I do eventually come back, which would be months later.” He said.

Uzu watched him straighten his back, his eyes filling with determination.

“I-I love you!” He shouted.

Ah?

Uzu’s eyes widened and she froze in shock.

Her mouth tensed, feeling a bit of anger well up inside of her.

What are you playing at, you fool?

She frowned, saying: “Are you kidding? If you love me, then why do you play around with Hinata? Just so you know, I have no interest in playing games with you here … and I do not accept love triangles.”

She watched as his eyes widened before a smile suddenly wormed itself onto his face: “You love me too, don’t you~?”

Seeing a teasing expression on his face, she felt anger bubble up from deep inside of her, she nearly growled when she opened her mouth again: “You w-“

She felt the air leave her body as she was suddenly embraced in two big, warm and strong arms.

She tried struggling, but really … how could she, when she had craved this so much?!

Slowly she relaxed into his arms, not daring to hug him back though …

…

I love Hinata? Where? Why? How? Why don’t I know?

“The only one I’ve ever loved was you. Don’t you know …?” Naruto asked, fully knowing that she hadn’t known until now.

Seeing her remain quiet, he asked: “How can I prove it to you?”

…

She slowly moved her head to look him directly into the eyes. Encasing his face in her hands, she forced him to meet her eyes, this was the best way to make sure one caught any and all emotions on someone else’s face.

“You know, Naruto, if you want to be with me … then you need to promise me that you won’t ever be with anyone else. You can only be with me and with no one else! You can only love me!” She found herself almost shouting.

Seeing him nod, she felt her insides burn and her cheeks redden.

…

Seeing her finally smile, he couldn’t help but say: “I wouldn’t have it any other way~, but … if I can only be yours, then it would only be fair if you could only be mine too, right~?”

Seeing her nod, he moved in closer to her, whispering against her lips: “Everything of yours is mine and everything of mine is yours.”

Then he moved in, feeling her soft lips against his own and soon his tongue found its way into her very familiar mouth. Tasting her again was better than any food he had eaten in his life. And he was sure that it was better than anything he could find anywhere else.

He had wanted and waited for this for so long. He wouldn’t let her go until he was satisfied today …

…

Feeling his tongue invade her mouth and play with her own, she felt waves of warmth go through her body.

She couldn’t help but hug his neck with her arms, pushing herself against him and deepening the kiss.

The way he tasted so sweetly and the way he smelled like grass and nature both calmed her and lit a fire in her.

The way his hands moved over her body, leaving tingles wherever they went, especially on her back, made her feel weak and she soon couldn’t find the strength to stand on her own anymore.

She couldn’t think, not anymore. This was all that she needed and wanted all this time.

She had wanted him to hold her again and to kiss her again and just how many times had she dreamed about him saying what he said just now: “everything of mine is yours”.

I love him.

Finally, they let go. Both panting heavily and having flushed faces, they looked at each other, mumbling: “I love you …” Immediately afterwards, Uzu initiated their second kiss and took control of the movement of their tongues. Slowly she was getting a hang of where to move and instinctively she knew that she was doing things right when she heard him groan.

That sound … more~ …

She loved that sound. It was proof of the fact that she was doing it right.

Well, no matter how much she wanted to hear it again, she was soon lifted up and felt her back hit the grass.

One of his legs was in between her two legs and her arms were pinned firmly to the ground by his own as he continued kissing her.

Soon enough, she felt a moan escape her lips and she could swear that she heard him chuckle slightly when it did.

Letting go of the kiss for a second, she exerted some strength, easily breaking his gentle hold on her, and flipped him onto his back, sitting down on his lower stomach.

She quickly undid his jacket’s zipper before moving a hand onto his chest and gently moved it on his muscled chest and stomach. She sensed a few shivers going through his body at her touch.

Moving in for another kiss, she felt his arms go around her back as he hugged her tight, pressing her body against his.

…

Fuck, her breasts are so …

He felt the fire that had long been lit in his stomach grow and grow and he could feel his need to touch her go off the charts.

Maybe … this is too fast thought.

He suddenly stopped moving his tongue, making Uzu look at him in bewilderment.

He found himself asking: “Are you sure about this?”

Hearing her soft giggle, his idiotic thoughts vanished, and he soon found himself taking off both her and his own clothes.

Well, and from then on it was just a … bit of heaven and hell at the same time.

Heaven because it happened, and he loved it and he knew that she did too and hell because it had to stop. As shinobi, stamina wouldn’t be a problem and definitely not as shinobi with their chakra levels.

…

Uzu found herself lying naked on his chest. One arm of his was securely wrapped around her waist.

She finally felt warm again. And she felt loved. And she was very satisfied. On a level that she hadn’t managed alone, and she probably wouldn’t ever manage alone.

Damn, a normal woman would be pregnant for sure with the way that he …

It’s slightly sad that we can’t have children, not that I particularly want any, but he might.

He probably knew that he couldn’t get children, so while he might be sad, he wouldn’t mind too much, or so she guessed.

And she was right.

After he woke up, they slowly washed themselves in the lake and took out a new pair of clothes, seeing that their other pairs were … not wearable right now.

She took that chance to tell him of her frozen body and the way that she wouldn’t age and that included the fact that she couldn’t get children, even if she somehow started aging again. Because this body was designed to not have offspring the normal way.

He just smiled at her and told her that it was fine. He was just so happy that they resolved matters between them and he said that he still couldn’t quite believe that she loved him too.

It was only after whispering ‘I love you’ into his ear ten times that he finally laughed and picked her up to kiss her silly once again.

…

Though, all that happiness was not long-lasting. He still needed to leave, no matter what had changed between them.

Standing at the edge of Konoha, she looked at him, a sad smile on her face: “Naruto, come here.”

She took out her brush. “Give me your left hand.” She said and he dutifully held out his left hand.

“Since you promised, then I’ll take everything, alright?” Uzu said, smiling sweetly.

“Sure~.” Naruto just smiled happily.

She drew onto the seal that was already on his palm and widened it, modifying it.

It soon covered his whole hand. The seal looked intricate and beautiful, making for a nice tattoo.

Upon finishing his, she moved onto her own left hand and completed the same procedure again.

Upon finishing, she pressed both of their hands together.

A part of each other’s chakra passed into the seal of the other and they connected even more deeply than before.

This allowed for telepathic communication between two connected people when both opened the communication channel only though.

“As long as you love me and only me, this seal is a blessing. Otherwise it’ll be a curse~.” Uzu said, smiling evilly.

“Heh~, I’ll be okay!” Naruto whispered before hugging her close and softly kissing her lips. This time, much less wild and rather slow and gentle. It was a kiss to say goodbye with.

When he let go, she saw him smile at her and she couldn’t help but give him a wide smile as well.

…

There it is, her crescent-eyed smile … that’s the one I love the most. She really is the most beautiful when she smiles … though, the tears of a beauty like her aren’t too bad either~.

…

She watched him grin slyly before he finally vanished with a body flicker.

Sensing his chakra presence slowly leave the city with 7 others, she suddenly felt lonely again.

She returned to her apartment before taking out the jacket she had ‘stolen’ from him.

She had decided to sleep in it later, as it would remind her of his smell and the warmth it gave would comfort her. She knew that she would need that, even if only for tonight.

…

A/N: Welp, there we go.

My very first lemon scene tbh … dunno how it turned out. Lemme know please! :3

I’ll continue working on the next chapter later! Though I can’t promise that it’ll come out today :c

Please make sure to heart this and if you aren't already, please read this on scribblehub! :3