4

As Ino stood outside the Uchiha clan house, she tried to remember why she was there in the first place. Thoughts flooded her mind: Naruto breaking down, the image of Hikaru crying, how they both put on a smile despite how much the betrayal of Sakura must have hurt. She scowled and the reason came to her. She had Naruto's side of the story, now she wanted Sakura's. Naruto was not one to lie about things but he sometimes left out information that could be crucial, like the time Sasuke put a Chidori through his chest and he didn't tell anyone. That set her to steaming again and she pounded on the door with all her might. She reasoned with herself that it was a big house and she wanted them to hear her even if she left a dent in the door. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was pissed all over again. Moments after her beating of the door it creaked open and revealed Sasuke in all his brooder glory. He was still a heartthrob: the classic black locks in a duck's ass hairdo, the perpetual scowl on his face, and the body of a genius. However, his looks just made Ino's scowl darken more as she thought back to how blindly she had followed him in her younger days. If she would have been a bit more observant then she might have seen how wonderful a person Naruto was and neither of them would have been alone. She was startled out of her thoughts by a buzzing in her ears.

"...you want? What do you want Ino?"

"I, uh, I want to speak to Sakura if I can."

Sasuke just nodded once and opened the door wide and ushered her in. After closing the door he motioned for her to follow him and led her into a large room where Sakura was playing with their two children. He grunted, letting her know he was there, and her head perked up and she glared when she saw Ino. Ino saw this and cleared her throat.

"Sakura, I've come to talk to you about the other day...alone?"

Seeing that he and his children were not needed here, Sasuke led them out and shut the door. 'Actually using some tact for once.' Thought Ino. Sakura sat on the floor with her legs crossed and an expectant look on her face. Ino crossed the floor and sat across from her. She didn't really know where to begin this but found out how when Sakura opened her mouth.

"So, come to apologize for the other day and tell me I'm right? I knew you'd come around eventually."

Ino's head shot up so quick you'd have thought her neck would snap. She glared at Sakura which made the pink haired woman gulp. Finding her resolve, Ino launched into a conversation that would change her views on several people.

"No I haven't changed my mind from the other day and I won't apologize. What I've come here for is a reason for what you said. We all know that the fox is sealed inside Naruto but he isn't the damn fox. I want to know why you divorced a very kind, loving, and noble man for an ice-cube like Sasuke. I want to know why you abandoned your son. I want to know why you hate Naruto now."

Instead of getting defensive, Sakura just sighed, which confused Ino greatly. When she raised her head, Ino saw tears in her eyes.

"Everything you've said about Naruto is true Ino. Yes he is kind, loyal, loving, and noble. He cares for Hikaru like nothing else. He loved me unconditionally. My life with him was content. I wanted for nothing while I was married to him. I don't hate Naruto the man, however. I hate Naruto the demon. You weren't there every time he lost control to the fox. He hurt me Ino. I was scared the last four years of our marriage. I'd go to sleep and wonder if I'd wake up the next morning. The only thing that kept me there was Hikaru."

"Then Sasuke came back and my love for him came hurtling back. I fell in love all over again with him. He was so handsome and he'd accomplished his dream of killing his brother and I wanted to help him restore his clan. I needed to help him restore his clan. No one else could love him the way I could. I immediately marched up and declared my love for him and you know what he did? He kissed me Ino and electricity shot through my body. I hadn't felt like that since...ever. Naruto never made me feel like that. I was safe and warm with Naruto, but with Sasuke I felt alive again and I felt needed. I was needed. Nobody else would let him marry their daughters and all of you had given up on him. Hell, even Naruto didn't want to save him anymore. I couldn't stay married to Naruto anymore Ino. Sasuke needed me more."

Ino sat back and let all this soak in. Somethings just didn't add up.

"So you never loved Naruto? What about Hikaru?"

"Of course I cared about Naruto. And I could never not love my son."

"I didn't ask if you cared about him. I asked if you loved him."

Silence answered her. Sakura's head hung down and then her eyes shot back up to lock onto Ino's.

"No. I never loved him. Not like that. I cared about him, yes, but I never loved him."

"Then why did you marry him? Give him a son? Give him hope?"

"Because I had no one else. He made me feel wanted. I didn't love him but I at least felt...assured that he wouldn't leave me. Hikaru was a mistake anyway. I didn't want to get pregnant by Naruto. I love Hikaru but I never wanted him."

"That's fucked up Sakura. Neither of them deserved what you did. And how can you say you love your son when you left him all alone with someone you call a monster?"

"Because demons can't or won't hurt their own. I read up on demon lore. Naruto can't hurt his child in a life threatening way. The demon in him won't let him. Besides, Sasuke wouldn't have wanted Hikaru living here with our children."

Ino narrowed her eyes at her supposed best friend. This situation was becoming more and more fucked up by the second. In Sakura's mind she had done something normal. She didn't have any remorse because for some reason she had convinced herself that Naruto was a danger to her and everyone else. She wasn't any better than those ignorant assed villagers back in the day. Then a thought clicked in her mind.

"Do your children even know they have a brother?"

"Hikaru is not their brother. And I've told them to stay away from him."

"YOU BITCH! HE'S YOUR SON! AND YOU'RE ACTING NO BETTER THAN THOSE GODDAMN VILLAGERS!"

"Keep your voice down Ino. What goes on in here is between you and me. I don't want my children brought into this."

"Telling them to stay away. You saw what happened to Naruto in his childhood. You were on his team. For God's sake Sakura think of how it must have felt to him to be ostracized for no reason. Why would you do that?"

"Because Sasuke said...."

She immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. She'd said too much. Ino's eyes burned with a ferocity that would have torched the Uchiha compound if they would have burst from her. After a few deep breaths, she was able to get herself under control and locked her icy gaze on Sakura, leaving the other kunoichi very uncomfortable.

"Because Sasuke said so, huh? That's low Sakura. I thought you were over your fan girl days. That's ignorant and very shitty of you. In fact, as of right now, I'm through with you. I don't want anything to do with you. And just to let you know, that I am going to be with Naruto. I'm...I'm starting to fall for him, Sakura. He's everything I've ever wanted in a man. Hikaru is such a kind, polite little boy and when he was telling me what all he knew do you know what I felt? I felt a pride in him, a sort of motherly pride that I shouldn't feel because I don't know him yet. But I'm going to change that Sakura. I'm going to get to know the both of them."

"And Sakura I want you to know. No one was happy with your decision to leave Naruto. You were hated for quite a while. Sasuke has never been fully reaccepted. What he did when he left this village should have resulted in a death penalty. I got over my thing for Sasuke long ago. You had a good man Sakura, one of the best. And you let him go because of a childish crush that you think is love. You have two children by an iceberg of emotion that doesn't even know what love is. You want my advice Sakura? Stay away from Naruto and Hikaru. Raise your children with your love because I don't think they'll get any from Sasuke. Make sure that they don't become like him. Before I go I want you to ask yourself one question. Just one. Has Sasuke ever even said that he loves you? In three years has he ever said that he loves you? Or have you taken that for granted? I used to hear Naruto say he loves you every day. I could see it in his eyes. You fucked up Sakura, and you fucked up big. Goodbye Sakura. This is our last goodbye."

Ino turned and opened the door and walked out leaving it open. She passed Sasuke on her way out and gave him a cold stare. He raised an eyebrow at her and watched her walk by. He'd never gotten the cold shoulder from any girl, let alone Ino. She used to hang off every word he said. He continued on into the room where he had left the two of them and saw Sakura sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up close to her and her chin resting on her hands. He crossed the floor and stood in front of her.

"I take it your talk didn't go well?"

"No not at all. I lost another friend today."

"Something to do with the dobe eh? I thought as much. Stay away from her Sakura. She'll be nothing but trouble. Perhaps I can do something about her when I become Hokage."

Sakura looked up at him with a bewildered stare. Why would he try to hurt Ino because of Naruto? He shouldn't care about him anymore. Putting her head back on her knees she stared straight ahead and caught him leaving out of the corner of her eyes.

"Sasuke I have a couple questions for you dear?"

"What is it? I have much to do. I don't have time to stand around all day for you."

She winced at the tone and the use of words. A tiny glimmer of doubt ignited in her heart for the first time in three years. She had always taken his words in stride but after her conversation with Ino she was more down than normal. Usually the glow of being Uchiha Sakura was enough to keep her going. She formed her words carefully.

"Do you...do you love me?"

He gave her a stare that could have melted steel and offered up one of his classic 'Hns' and walked out the door leaving an unusually quiet Sakura. He didn't answer her but then again he never answers her. Why should now be any different. He'd never really said he loved her, but she always knew he did. Why then, did his silence hurt so much more than before? Naruto had always made her feel special when he said 'I Love You' like she was the only girl in the world. She missed that feeling and wanted it back. But it was too late. Ino was right, she had fucked up. At that moment she felt two pressures on her back and leaned back to see her two children with their arms wrapped around her. She put on a fake smile and hugged them back.

"Why are you crying momma? Did that blonde lady say something mean to you?"

"No dear, I was just remembering someone from my past. A friend that I treated wrong. But don't worry about that. Let's get some lunch. How about going to Ichiraku's for ramen?"

"But daddy said we couldn't have ramen. He said that only dobe's eat ramen."

'Oh Sasuke that wasn't right. Maybe I should apologize to Naruto and Hikaru. I want to see my little boy again. But I won't tell the kids right now. I need to iron these things out myself.'

The two children, seeing their mother space out, began to wave their hands in front of her face. Once she noticed them again, she smile and stood up.

"So daddy says that ramen is for dobe's huh? Well guess what you two? Today we're going to be dobe's, at least for a little while. Mommy used to have a friend who was a dobe and he was one of the most special people she ever knew."

"Wow really mommy? Can you tell us about him?"

Sakura smiled and thought back to her childhood days. This would make the trip to Ichiraku's more pleasant.

"Of course I can. Once upon a time, there was a dobe in my class named Naruto..."

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Ino stomped through Konoha actually leaving indents in the ground. Women, children, and even full-grown men dove out of her way. She hadn't been this angry since it was revealed that Sasuke had left and nearly gotten two of her best friends killed. She was going to go home and vent but she had to pass by Naruto's estate to get there and her anger melted when she heard the sounds of battle coming from his backyard. Fearing an attack on Hikaru she bounded over the gates and ran to the corner of the house. Leaning around the corner she witnessed an astounding sight.

All around Hikaru were bunshins of Naruto while Hikaru stood in the middle with a blindfold on. Naruto and Genmaki stood off to the side while Naruto shouted out directions for Hikaru. Ino was worried for the boy until she saw him leap for one of the clones and kick it in the chest. He vaulted off the clone before it disappeared and punched another in the face. Placing his hand on its shoulder he twisted in midair and continued on until all the clones were destroyed, leaving a panting Hikaru and an amused Naruto and Genmaki. Walking forward, Naruto clapped his hand on Hikaru's shoulder and congratulated him.

"Very good son but you still have some flaws. You touched the ground on the next to last one. You know you're not supposed to touch the ground when training in this style. You're supposed to let the bodies of your enemies be a springboard onto more enemies, keeping them off balance and putting yourself on the high ground. Now let's try this again."

A sharp 'ahem' from Genmaki made Naruto turn his head and he saw some familiar blonde locks at the corner of the house. He looked down at his son and put his finger to his lips. The boy nodded and Naruto poofed behind Ino and put his hands around her waist. She squealed and struggled while Naruto tried to contain his laughter.

"Ino dammit, stop struggling. It's me. I just wanted to surprise you."

She apparently didn't hear him and kept cursing and struggling so he did the only thing he could think of to shut her up so the assault on his ears would cease. He spun her quickly and planted a kiss on her lips. Her eyes flew wide open and once she saw whom it was she closed her eyes and he could feel her smirk. Before he could even move away she had grabbed his hair in her hands and pulled him even further into the kiss while he waved his arms in dramatic fashion and tried to yank away from the lip lock. After satisfying herself she let him go and he leapt back while gasping for breath.

"Jesus Christ Ino. Have you been taking lessons from Anko on how to get a man? You don't try to suffocate him if you want him to stay around."

"Well I don't remember giving you permission to kiss me either. Nice trick by the way. I'll remember that one if you ever start rambling on me."

The sound of a throat clearing broke them out of their revelry and they both had the decency to blush when they saw the two staring at them. Genmaki looked at both of them and then a gleam came to his eyes. Naruto began to get nervous when he saw the feral grin forming on Genmaki's face. That face never bode well for him in the end.

"Lord Naruto, go inside and get cleaned up. Leave some clones to work with Master Hikaru. Lady Yamanaka, please come with me. There is something I wish to discuss with you in private."

"Genmaki..."

"Do not fear my Lord. I shall not divulge your secret, no matter how much I feel you should just tell the young lady. Hikaru continue with your practice. And as for you my Lord, you get cleaned up and dressed appropriately for an evening out."

"And why would I do that? I don't remember having any engagements this evening?"

"Because I said so. You are taking Lady Yamanaka out this evening and I don't want to hear any arguments. Dress to kill because I want to see her jaw drop when we get back. Understood? I thought so. My Lady come with me. I wish to discuss some things with you."

Naruto walked inside his house mumbling about who was the master and who was the servant, which made Ino giggle until a 'harumph' from the fox made her head turn. He jerked his head motioning for her to follow and they walked into the forest. Once suitably out of sight Genmaki turned and spoke.

"Climb on my back. We are going to your apartment. I do not want any interruptions from Lord Naruto because of his insatiable curiosity."

After they had poofed out of existence, neither heard the clone swear because his mission had failed. Damned foxes and their trickery...

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Once in Ino's apartment she climbed off of Genmaki's back and sat on her couch, waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat once again (chronic throat problems is what he told her later, from yelling at Naruto and Hikaru so much, which sent her into a giggle fit) and addressed her.

"Lady Ino, may I call you Ino? Yes? Thank you. Lady Ino, I believe that you are falling in love with my Lord are you not?"

"Well I don't know about love, but yes I am very attracted to him."

"I see. I believe you are beginning to love him, even though you have known him only a short time. I want you to know that he is a very fragile person at heart. I am very loyal to Lord Naruto and if I believe that you are leading him on or intend to hurt him the way this...Sakura...did, I will not hesitate to hurt you. Do we have an understanding?"

"Of course. I would never hurt Naruto like that. I...I like him too much to do that."

"That is good. I hope that the two of you can become close. Perhaps mates even...""MATES? What the hell do you mean by mates?"

"Ah forgive me. Mates to foxes are the same as spouses to you humans. I wish for the two of you to achieve this. I believe in my heart that you will be good for him. Do you know what he has gone through in three years? He has basically killed his heart. In one night you broke through that wall of resistance and he opened up to you. I want that feeling nurtured more. If you promise to try to love him, I will help you to understand him better. Agreed?"

"Agreed. But I can't try to love someone. Either I will or I won't. It's as simple as that."

"Well be that as it may. We foxes however have a different way of thinking. You do not know it yet but you do love him, just as he loves you. It is an instinct that allows you to select your mate. This Sakura was not meant to be my Lord's mate, no matter how much he wanted her to be. It was not meant to be. You two are however. I will make you a deal. You try to heal my Lord's heart and at the same time fill the hole in your own, and I will tell you how to bring down one wall of resistance. Deal?"

"Deal. But how did you know that I was lacking companionship?"

"Your smell my dear. You haven't been with a male in a long time. You lack the scent of anyone but Lord Naruto on you. As for the method of breaking his wall, I would suggest you wait until the two of you are 'dating' as you call it, to use it. You've seen his birthmarks correct, on his cheeks? Those are not birthmarks, they are actual whiskers. And they work just like mine do. Rub them in a relaxing manner and he will become relaxed. Rub them when he's aroused and he'll be putty in your hands. Rub them violently and he'll more than likely kill you in a rage. In a relaxed state his henge will drop and reveal his true look to you. Do not be afraid. I believe he will be, how do you females put it, cute?"

"So those aren't birthmarks? And they'll do all that? Heehee, I know what to do with him now. I promise I won't use that trick until after we're dating however. And I will not be put off by his true appearance. I know that Naruto is a good man. I will not be frightened or disgusted. On my honor."

"Excellent. You are an excellent choice of mate. Strong willed. You will challenge my Lord. Now go get ready for your date. Make sure you dress to kill because I want to see his jaw drop when we get back."

"Isn't that what you told Naruto?"

Genmaki just grinned evilly and began to laugh.

"Of course it is. I just want to see you two fool's faces when you look at each other. I'm sure it will be quite the spectacle."

He never saw the copy of Icha Icha aimed at his head.

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That date was magical. And of course Genmaki got a good laugh at their expense when they both had to scrape their jaws off he floor. His reward was a Thousand Years of Death that sent him flying. After two months Naruto and Ino acknowledged their relationship to their friends and everyone was happy for them. Naruto was finally back to his old, cheerful self and everybody was happy. The sunshine of Konoha had come again. Tsunade was the first one he went to and their conversation was filled with tears, hugs, and much joy. She had refused to acknowledge Sasuke as her successor and had flat out refused to teach him anything about the job. The first day he showed up to be taught she had threatened to break his manhood off and send it to Sakura in a paper bag if he didn't leave her office. She never saw him again, although she did hear that he had complained to the council. Not that she cared. Normally the Hokage chooses their successor, but in this case the council had deemed Naruto unfit to serve. He was good enough to die for the village as a ninja, but not good enough to live for it as a Hokage.

He chuckled when he heard about how furious Gaara was and decided that he needed to check up on his old friend. His trip to Suna was short and he was surprised that even on the streets he was heralded as a hero. Gaara was very fond of him and the Kazekage considered him a brother, which brought his respect to the citizens of Suna to an all time high. His conversation with him was heartfelt and Gaara was infinitely sorry about all that had happened to him. To both of their delights, Hikaru and Gaara's daughter hit it off spectacularly. Gaara jokingly suggested a political marriage to which Naruto responded with a Hell No. If the two fell in love, that was one thing. Forced love was another. His trip to Suna ended all too soon and he was now back in Konoha.

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Their date had gone great and they were now back at Naruto's house. Genmaki had taken Hikaru on a camping trip to get him out of the house so Ino and Naruto could have some privacy. They were sitting on the couch making out when Ino remembered Genmaki's advice about their relationship. They were now four months into their confirmed relationship, making them together for a little over six months. She grinned in their kiss and pushed away from him. He gave her a confused look and she just smirked.

"Lie down on the floor. I'm gonna give you a massage."

He looked at her quizzically and shrugged. If she wanted to give him a massage, hey, who was he to complain? Besides it sounded really good. He laid down on the floor and was surprised when she raised his head and placed it in her lap. He looked up at her and raised his eyebrow.

"Since when does a massage go like this?"

"Since I'm giving it. Now shut up and enjoy Mr. Icha Icha."

With that she told him to close his eyes and relax. Not a hard thing to do when she began rubbing his chest causing him to moan. She grinned and told him to sit up and take off his shirt. Once the deed was done she went back to work. She ran her hands everywhere, appreciating his musculature and flawlessly unscarred body. Slowly she worked her way up his neck until she was sure that he didn't notice that her hands were on his cheeks. She began to stroke the whisker marks slowly and heard a weird noise. Listening more carefully, she soon discovered it was him purring. 'Oh this is too cute.' She thought. Continuing with her ministrations, she soon noticed the air around him beginning to waver. 'Here it comes.' Suddenly the henge dropped and his ears disappeared to be replaced with red fox ears and nine tails swirling underneath him. The smile on his face never disappeared as he was too far gone into the pleasure to notice.

Ino gaped at the tails and ears but remembered her promise not to judge his appearance. She kept stroking his cheeks and took in his new look. His hair was longer than usual and had red streaks at the end. His fangs and claws were more pronounced and overall he gave off an erotic, exotic aura. His purring had not ceased and his tails were wagging around. One of them was knocking against her leg in a happy wag, and she struggled hard not to giggle. She wasn't frightened by his appearance; she cared too much about him to be scared. Hell, to her he looked even more adorable than before and...oh what the hell, she had what she thought was the hottest guy around. And he was all hers. Not thinking, she took one hand off his cheeks, causing him to nuzzle into her other hand more, and began scratching his ears. She couldn't stifle the giggle when the tails thumped harder and his leg began to shake in a decidedly canine fashion. His smile grew larger and larger until she couldn't contain it anymore and laughed joyfully out loud. This brought him out of his stupor and he looked up at her lovingly until he saw the tails out of the corner of his peripheral vision. His hands shot to his mouth and he felt the fangs and the claws, which then moved to his ears. She stared at him confusedly and wondered why he was reacting this way until he looked up woefully at her. She felt her heartstrings tug and realized that he thought she would hate him. Before he could do anything she leant down and kissed him with as much passion as she could to let him know it was ok.

After he calmed down and began to kiss her back she sat back up and resumed scratching his ears. They remained silent for a while until he couldn't bear it anymore.

"So you're not freaked out by this? How can you not be?"

"Because...because I love you. And I promised Genmaki that I would love you unconditionally even if you looked different."

"He told you? Grrrr....that little asshole..."

"No Naruto, he didn't tell me. I found out on my own. In fact I love the way you look right now. You're very...exotic and hot."

This brought back his cockiness and the smirk on his face threatened to break it in two.

"Oh you think so do you?"

Her smirk was equally as big and she waggled her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah I do. Now are you gonna show me if those tails do more than wag or am I gonna hafta do everything tonight?"