He's Back

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Naruto x ?

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Author's Note

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The first part of this story with M'gnn takes place a couple of weeks after Naruto left the team.

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Story Start

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She cried herself to sleep most nights now. Without him… It all felt wrong. M'gann waited every night. Just a few extra minutes before she fell asleep. Waiting, hoping, praying to hear his voice. Why did she doubt him? Why didn't she trust him? She missed his touch and his voice.

"I love you."

Whether passing through his lips or his mind those words comforted her. Though, if she had a choice, she would choose mentally hearing them. It made her feel closer to him. That connection, which would never be broken or at least that's what she thought.

The last time she saw him, she cried and pleaded with him, not to leave. Her hands tightly wrapped around his midsection, she pleaded him not to go. And just like that he was gone, disappearing from her arms, leaving her to said tears without so much as a goodbye. She could sense it, the heartbreak, sadness, anger, and betrayal.

As the days passed she hoped to hear the computer chime his destination or hear his voice. She sat on the edge of her bed, taking in her room in the Cave. The room she'd lived in since she'd joined the Team. Since she'd met him. Wishing things would go back to the way they were, but it wouldn't happen.

If only she had acted. If only she had made sure that the Naruto that was acting strangely was her Naruto. If only she had acted when she felt something was different about him. She could have made sure that monster would have never attacked Artemis or fragmented their team.

She knew that there was no way that would ever happen, though. He was gone and no amount of hoping and wishing would change that.

"I love you Naruto," she whispered to herself. She then wrapped herself in the blanket that they shared, the blanket caked in his scent. Those lonely nights were difficult, but each day it got a little easier. The sadness, the grief faded as it began to give birth to something else. Anger. Anger at the villains who kidnapped her Naruto, and placed his impersonator on the team. The one responsible for tearing the team apart, and everything else that happened. Never again will she allow villains to get away with a slap on the wrists. She would make them pay so no one else will have to suffer what she went through.

Maybe not now, but someday she would find him. She would show him, convince him how sorry she was and how much she wanted him back.

"Who was that?" Jade finally asked as she emerged from the bedroom clad in nothing but a robe. An assortment of breakfast food adorned the table as Naruto placed a plate full of fresh food in front of his lover.

"Nightwing, he's extended me an invitation to rejoin Young Justice."

"Wahd's yung juctice?" Lian asked with a mouth full of pancake.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Jade lectured the girl before pulling up a chair and sitting down. She turned her attention back to Naruto. "And?" she asked, prompting an answer for the blond.

"I accepted." He said, pouring syrup on his pancakes as a disapproving smile formed on Jade's face.

"You didn't think to run that by me first?" she asked as Naruto set down the syrup and sighed.

"I figured it would be pointless. The Earth is in danger Jade, there's an alien infiltration going on and I can't just sit by while my family is threatened. I know what you're about to say, why should I put my life on the line, but I feel better knowing that I'm personally out there fightingthese creatures instead of sitting on my behind doing nothing and not being aware what's going on and the magnitude of the danger out there."

"Actually, I was going to say it would have given me more time to figure who can babysit Lian." She responded as Naruto blinked in surprise.

"T-That's it?" he asked, surprised by how well Jade was taking this.

"Were you expecting me to become hysterical or lose my temper? I thought you would know me better than that." She remarked as she started eating the breakfast before it would get cold.

"Yeah well, this isn't some small argument or decision." He countered in defense.

"I am well aware of that. I understand your thought process behind this. I would be lying if I said I didn't expect you to eventually rejoin your old team, but you better come back alive or I will find a way to bring you back from the dead and skin you alive. I have no attention of becoming a single mother." She informed him before turning her attention to Lian who was coating her food in an overabundance of syrup. The last thing Jade felt like dealing with that morning was a hyper Lian. "Lian put that syrup bottle down!" she sharply and suddenly remarked, causing the child to jolt and knock over her cup of milk.

"I got it!" Lian replied as she hopped up to go and get a towel.

Naruto, who was quite the speedy eater, was already done. "Well I better hurry up and hop in the shower and get dressed." He remarked, picking up his plate. He went over to the sink and began doing his dishes. "So, who will we be leaving Lian with?" he asked.

"I could leave her with my sister." Jade remarked as she thought back to when she first introduced Lian to Artemis. She had broken into the West's home, which thankfully on housed the couple.

"So, how's Wally? I hope he isn't too fast."

"Cheshire!" Artemis quickly moved into a fighting position.

"Aaw, relax sis." Jade casually remarked. "I'm not here to start a fight. In fact, I got some work to do and need you to do a little favor for me." She said as she unstrapped something from her back. "Babysit my daughter for me, okay? Thanks." She said as Artemis's mouth dropped.

"Your what?"

"Owe you one bye."

"What…but how…what…who is…what is going on?" Artemis stammered.

"Bye bye Lian, have fun with Aunty Artemis!" Jade said to the one year old who was happily playing with Artemis's hair. "Picking her up at eight and if something happens to my daughter I will personally rip off your boyfriend's head and feed it to Kurama. Thanks." She said as Wally exited the bathroom.

"What the hell just happened? Was that Cheshire leaping through my window?"

"Yeah…I…I think I'm an aunt or something." Seconds later the two of them began to fuss over how adorable the baby was.

"Let's just leave her with Paula. As fond as I am of your sister, I question West's influence." Naruto simply remarked as he finished washing the dishes.

Jade merely groaned. She knew her mother was going to go on about why they didn't visit and bring Lian around more and how unloved she was. Her mother was a damn good actress and for some reason this was one of the thing's Naruto was susceptible to with his selective cluelessness.

Lian came running back into the room at the moment. "Hey sweetie, how would you like to spend the day with Grandma!"

"Yaay!" the little girl cheered.

"But no pretending to be ninja." Jade lectured as Lian pouted. The last thing they needed was more complaints about a four year old terrorizing people with kunai and rabbit masks.