A/N: An idea that came into my head one day was… why don't I write a fanfiction of a small romance between Kurenai and Naruto? I don't own Naruto, so please don't either flame or sue me.
The Way I Want You Tonight
By antiassasinguy
Part One: An Unlikely Man
Kurenai was sitting on a tree branch overlooking a cliff. At twenty-seven, she still had not found a man to call her own. It was not depressing to her, in any sense, but she needed someone to cry on, someone to kiss and tell her she was beautiful. She needed to love. No matter how hard the ninjas of any village; even from Sound; they couldn't avoid love forever.
Kurenai considered the men that she had already known throughout her life.
She had not gone on any dates before; rejecting all the boys that had tried to ask her out.
They were creeps anyway, she thought as she crossed off at least fifty men off her mind.
First, there was Kakashi. He looked like the type that would make a good father, according to the way he manages his team. He looked like a candidate for her husband, except for the fact that she had been openly humiliated by him during her chuunin days, sparking their rivalry.
Then, there was Asuma. Now, he was a good guy, despite his addiction to tobacco, he was a very good choice for a husband. Caring, loving, kind-hearted and had good humour. All that was left was a ring with their names on it and they would be married. Definitely head of the table.
Gai was a little too hyper and upbeat for her taste. She couldn't bear being with him for a minute, let alone the rest of her life. Bottom of the table, definitely.
Kiba; he was her student, and a little smelly on the physical side.
Shino; he was slightly disgusting and a little too scary for her taste.
Adding all of the people mentioned by her mind, she currently saw Asuma as her number one candidate with Kakashi coming a close second. She smiled to herself at the two thoughts.
Her mind was too occupied with looking for love that she forgot to balance herself on the branch and fell.
'Eep!' the female jounin cried as she dropped from the tree and…
Into the arms of a blonde teenager.
'Kurenai-san? What are you doing here?' it was the loudmouth of the village, Naruto.
She recognized him by the whisker marks on his cheeks.
Kurenai took a look at her saviour. He had changed so much from when she last saw him.
Of course, she did not know about him being away for almost three years for training.
Naruto did not wear his forehead protector around his forehead anymore, but around his waist. His hair was not spiky anymore but was smooth and straight reaching his waist. He had the looks that could rival the best-looking men in the village.
He no longer wore the orange get up, but a black pair of pants and a zipped up blue jacket and a utility belt that was wrapped around his waist.
'Naruto? What are you doing here?' the woman began.
'This is where I always come to think.' The blonde boy said.
Naruto set her down. Kurenai saw that the young man was her height, but he was definitely shorter than most of the other male ninjas his age, except for maybe Rock Lee.
'So what are you here for, Naruto?' Kurenai asked him.
'I told you, I always come here to think. What are you here for?'
'Same thing here.' Kurenai replied to his question.
'Well, why don't we both sit down and think? Two heads are better than one.'
'Alright then.' Kurenai sat down; her back leaning against the tree.
Naruto joined her, sitting right next to her.
Kurenai was in deep thought; she needed a man to be with her for the rest of her life.
'Kurenai-san, would you care to tell me what made you come here?'
'Oh? It's stupid, really.' Kurenai said, grimacing at her thoughts.
'Well, why don't you just talk to me about it? Maybe it isn't stupid at all.'
'Naruto…' she could not continue as she had looked into Naruto's eager innocent eyes, and being a female not immune to them; she followed what he persisted, 'I came here to think about… men. You see, Naruto, I'm a full grown woman. In a couple of years I'll be thirty. I…'
'You are now thinking about your love life and looking for a man.'
'Yes. Yes, Naruto. It's something that none of us ninjas can't escape. It's a powerful thing.'
'I know, Kurenai-san.' Naruto said, grimacing now, 'But I don't think that I have ever felt any love or affection in my life. Because of… what I am…'
Naruto chose not to continue his sentence; scared he might scare her off.
'Because you are the vessel for the nine-tailed demon fox.' she finished for him.
Naruto slowly nodded, expecting the woman to go away with some stupid excuse.
'I didn't know that you led such a life.' that was all she could say.
'Kurenai-san, I wish you luck in finding a person for your heart.' Naruto got up, smiling again, 'And I'm really sorry about just now.'
'You're sorry about what, Naruto?' Kurenai couldn't understand what he was saying.
'I thought that you were an angel that dropped out of the sky.' Naruto said, blushing.
As he walked away from the scene, he didn't see that Kurenai was blushing as well.
Kurenai had slept late the previous night, thinking about what Naruto had said to her the night before. Not that she had anything to do today as Kiba had a bad cold and called in sick, Shino was attending the wedding of one of his Uncles and Hinata was away with her father and sister for some intense personal training.
'Might as well go talk to Asuma.' she said, yawning.
She had exited her home wearing a jounin uniform as all her other everyday clothes were being washed.
'What a beautiful day,' Kurenai said as she looked at the clear blue sky.
She decided to walk around for some groceries before meeting up with Asuma as her stock would almost certainly be deleted after the next weekend. And she hadn't been on a mission for such a long time that she missed the good old days as a working jounin instead of a jounin instructor. No offence to any of her students, but she truly missed going on a tough mission.
Without her mind focusing on where she was looking, she bumped into someone.
'Oh, please forgive me!' she apologized, and saw that it was Naruto whom she bumped into.
'Good Morning, Kurenai-san.' Naruto said, smiling at the woman.
'G-Good Morning, Naruto.' She stuttered to say.
He was wearing the same ensemble as yesterday. Then, Kurenai noticed that he had a small fox in his arms, a kit actually, cuddled up and asleep.
'Naruto; is that a fox you've got in your hands?' Kurenai said suddenly.
'Yes, this is a fox, Kurenai-san. I named him Sai.' Naruto said, still smiling at her, 'I got him a week ago when I was in the nearby forests.'
She then noticed that the kit had a wound on its left front leg, which was wrapped by bandages.
'Could you tell me where Kiba is, Kurenai-san? Because I'm not a good animal doctor and as you can see, I think that Sai's wound is getting infected.'
'I'm sorry Naruto, but Kiba's sick today.' Kurenai said, observing the little kit in the arms of the young man as it cuddled into Naruto's chest, 'But I think that I can help you. I've tended to some of Akamaru's wounds before and this shouldn't be any different.'
'If you can, thank you, Kurenai-san.' Naruto said before looking at the baby fox in his arms.
'Why don't you come to my place, Naruto? I got some stuff that your fox could use.' She said to him, but as she finished her sentence, she noticed that there was something about his features.
She knew that now he wasn't the old Naruto anymore, that was for sure.
'All right, Kurenai-san, your house it is.' He said.
Kurenai turned on her heel to lead him to her house.
Naruto followed from behind, the baby fox in his arms resting.
The pair of them stopped in front of Kurenai's house.
Kurenai's home looked like a typical house in Konoha and had a fish pond out in front and a walkway made of stone leading to the entrance of her home. The house was quite big, with a garden of flowers out in front surrounding the pond.
'Come on in, Naruto.' She welcomed him into her home.
'Thank you, Kurenai-san,' Naruto said his thanks for welcoming him into her home.
Naruto walked in and saw that Kurenai's home was very well furnished with stalks of a cherry blossom tree in a vase on a table in her living area as the first things he saw upon entering.
There was a picture of Kurenai and her parents on the wall, with Kurenai looking about seventeen at the time and one picture of Kurenai in a white kimono at a festival.
'Bring him to the kitchen, Naruto.' Kurenai called out from the corresponding area.
'Okay, Kurenai-san.' He said and proceeded to the kitchen, where Kurenai had all sorts of things to help her with her work.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly at all the things that were set on the counter.
'Are you sure we need all of this stuff, Kurenai-san?' Naruto said, looking at a scalpel.
'No, Naruto. I'm just setting all this stuff out so I can find what your fox needs.'
'I thought you were going to cut him open or something.' Naruto said, smiling again.
'Of course not, Naruto.' the woman said to him, a smile plastered on her face as well.
Naruto set his pet kit on the kitchen counter (but quite a distance from the things that Kurenai had taken out front her kitchen cupboard). Kurenai took all the things she needed to mend the little fox's front leg. The adorable creature did not bite her or even try to claw her as she mended the wound. Naruto was quite impressed as most wounded animals would retaliate.
'You have a way with animals, Kurenai-san.' Naruto said as she finished with the wound.
'Thank you, Naruto.' She said to him in response to his praise, 'There. All finished.'
Kurenai lifted the little fox and put it in her arms as it cuddled into her chest.
'He likes you, Kurenai-san. Look at him.' Naruto said, smiling at the little kit in her arms.
'I guess he does like me.' Kurenai cradled the little fox in her arms.
Kurenai then set the kit down on the kitchen floor and it went to Naruto, who took it into his arms. Naruto gave Kurenai a smile as a token of his gratitude.
'I wish all my problems can be solved as easily healing your fox.' She said; a hint of sadness in her voice.
'Kurenai-san…' Naruto began, not sure of what to say to the jounin.
'It's alright, Naruto. It's not like I'm going to be like this forever.'
Kurenai walked into her living area and dropped herself onto her couch. She wiped away her tears that were streaming out from her eyes.
Tears?
Kurenai never showed her sensitive side to her peers, scared that they might think of her as weak. She was a person that put pride first. Nobody should see her in this state.
But she had thought of being alone for the rest of her life; with no one to be there for her.
'Kurenai-san?' Naruto had come to the living area, watching the tears stream down her face.
'Oh, Naruto.' She said, sniffing, 'Sorry you have to see me like this.'
'Kurenai-san, please don't cry, please…' Naruto said as she made her way to him and started to sob on his shoulder, 'Kurenai-san, I don't like to see anyone I care about cry, please…'
He had let it slip. He had said that he cared for her.
'Care? Naruto, you barely know me.' Kurenai said, grimacing, 'I mean…'
Naruto embraced her, surprising the jounin.
'Don't cry, please. I don't want to ever see you cry.' He whispered gently into her ear.'
She stroked her back and soothed her with soft words.
'Naruto,' Kurenai began, surprised at the actions of this young man, 'why are you doing all this? I-I barely know you, so why are you doing this?'
'Kurenai-san, did you know that I had a crush on you during my genin days?'
'Y-You what?' Kurenai was shocked by this piece of information, 'You had a crush on me?'
She drew back to see his face. And for the first time in her life, she saw Naruto as a person that shone brightly in her life. Right now, he was smiling at her and she had a confused look.
'Yeah. I saw you at the chuunin exams up close and personal for the first time.' Naruto started, wiping away some tears from her face, 'I thought you were beautiful. I never told anyone other than Tsunade-obaa-chan and Jiraiya-sensei, and they encouraged me to tell you, but I was too scared. Because, well; you were already a jounin and I was still a genin.'
I almost told you once, at the festival, but Hinata and Kiba came along, so I just bragged to you all about my ambitions and dreams, if you do recall.'
'And Kakashi came along, didn't he, Naruto? And that girl Sakura hit you on the head for being rude to us.' Kurenai smiled, remembering the day.
Naruto nodded, now looking into Kurenai's face.
'So you see, Kurenai. You're not unlucky in love. You're beautiful. You're what the woman in Konoha would change into if they had the chance. And I, well,' Naruto's face turned red before he continued, 'think that you'd be the perfect bride for anyone in this village.'
'T-Thank you, Naruto.' Kurenai said, wiping her tears off her face, and continued, 'But did you really have a crush on me all those years ago?'
'Yeah, that's why I always acted so much like an idiot around you, well, most of the time.'
He turned around to pick up Sai, his pet kit, which was on the floor staring at the two.
'Kurenai-san, I want to help you out of your depression, so why don't we go for a date at Konoha Park today?' Naruto said, his eyes looking innocent again.
Kurenai couldn't believe what Naruto had just said. He was slightly red as well.
Could this be a side that I've never seen before?
That was what Kurenai thought as she watched Naruto blush nervously.
'I guess you could reward me with that for fixing up your fox.' Kurenai said.
'That's great then; I'll be cooking for you, okay? So just dress up nice and I'll be here to pick you up by one.' He said cheerfully.
He bade her farewell and exited her home, his everyday grin in place once more.
'You here that, Sai? Kurenai-san's going out with us today.' The blonde teenager said to his pet.
Being lazy, the little orange fur ball just snuggled into his chest, not hearing a single word he said.
'I'm really starting to think I should change your name to Shikamaru the Second.'
He walked around for a while, drawing some strange stares from women that were passing by.
This must be how Sasuke feels every time he passes a girl, Naruto thought, grimacing at the same time.
Naruto's thoughts drifted to his former friend turned enemy, the so-called avenger of the Uchiha Clan. He had tried all he could to stop him, but now he was by Orochimaru's side.
He shrugged the thoughts off, not wanting to think about Sasuke anymore.
'Hey, Naruto!' Naruto spun around and found the source of the voice; Jiraiya.
'Hello, ero-sennin. How fares you on this beautiful day?' Naruto asked.
'I'm fine, Naruto. Hey, are you finished with that book yet? I'm pretty eager.'
'No, I haven't. I said that it would be finished by next week, not today.'
'But your illustrations are so good, Naruto! You must let me look at it again!'
'I'm sorry, ero-sennin, but you have to wait until next week; when the book is to be displayed to the extremely perverted general public.' Naruto said, smiling.
'Naruto, I taught you everything I know over the last few years and this is how you thank me?' Jiraiya put on a mock sad face, making the young ninja grin.
'Alright, ero-sensei, I'll give you a copy of my book tomorrow, okay? Stop it with the face.'
Jiraiya's face immediately lit up and Naruto could have sworn he floated away in happiness.
'Man, that guy definitely has to decrease his level of perverseness.' Naruto sighed.
He went straight to his house and got changed into more appropriate wear.
Naruto wore a dark blue shirt and black slacks that were once owned by Kakashi.
'Alright, time to cook for Kurenai-chan.' Naruto said, not realizing that he had just ended Kurenai's name with a –chan, a term that he reserved for the girls that he liked.
Though he didn't tell her, Naruto still had a crush on Kurenai.
He only told her that he did have a crush on her when he was still with Kakashi.
'Maybe I should make some bento or something for her.'
As Naruto toiled effortlessly to make lunch for both him and Kurenai, the latter was on her couch, thinking about what the blonde ninja had said to her just a while ago.
'So he had a crush on me, eh?' she said to herself, 'It's hard to believe…'
Kurenai stared at her ceiling for some time, and kept thinking.
Why was Naruto so nice to her? Why did he like her?
And why did she suddenly feel that Naruto was a person important to her?
She didn't know it, but right now, the jounin felt what most of us call first love.
Naruto waited in the park, sitting down cross-legged, the food for the date set on the blue cloth under him. He had a new reputation for being a good cook, thanks to a certain white-haired sannin who made him prepare meals everyday for the past few years.
Sai was on his lap, resting. It was a beautiful day, as Kurenai had said. There were very few clouds in the sky and in Konoha Park, several other couples were basking in the afternoon sun.
But there was still no sign of Kurenai. She was already twenty minutes late and the food might not be as warm as it had been.
'Naruto!' a feminine voice called from a distance, a tired look on the owner's face when she reached him.
'Hello, Kurenai-san.' Naruto said and playfully added, 'You're beginning to act like Kakashi-sensei.'
Then, he noticed what Kurenai was wearing; a black tank top and a white leather skirt stopping at her lap. It was then he confirmed that this was exactly what all the men of Konoha wanted.
'I'm sorry I'm late, Naruto. I lost track of time.' the woman said, slightly panting.
'It's okay; Kakashi-sensei has been a lot later than this before, so don't mind it.'
Kurenai looked around and saw the food that Naruto had prepared for this date.
There were two bentos for them and what looked like a heap of soft drinks for them.
'You sure know how to prepare a lunch, Naruto.' was all that she could say.
'This is nothing; I've cooked harder meals before.' Naruto said modestly.
'I find that hard to believe. I heard that you can only boil ramen.'
Naruto laughed softly when she said this and Kurenai joined in on the laughter shortly after.
'Well, do you want to eat first, Kurenai-san?' Naruto asked.
Sai suddenly woke up from his slumber and charged at Kurenai, who picked the kit up.
'It's nice to see you again, Sai.' Kurenai greeted the baby fox, which yipped in return.
Kurenai set the young kit down on the blue cloth and looked to the blonde in front of her.
'Shall we, Kurenai-san?' Naruto said, gesturing to the food that lay on the blue cloth.
'Of course, Naruto. Let's.' Kurenai replied, smiling.
Naruto passed a plate that very much resembled a tray with cubicles filled with shrimp, fish, rice and a variety of mixed vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, onions and cabbages.
She took a spoonful of the food on her plate and her tastebuds entered heaven.
'Naruto, this is delicious.' she said, licking her lips after the spoonful of food.
'Thank you, Kurenai-san.' Naruto said as soon as he finished his mouthful.
'Maybe sometime you could teach me how to prepare a meal. I cook, but I'm not that good.'
'Sure, Kurenai-san. I'd be only too happy to teach you.'
Kurenai smiled at him and Naruto smiled back at her. Somehow, being around each other had put their minds at ease; away from it all.
'Naruto,' Kurenai began again, after finishing another spoonful of her meal, 'thank you.'
'For what, Kurenai-san?' Naruto questioned, looking at the woman with his innocent eyes.
'For helping me get… out of my depression…'
'That's alright, Kurenai-san. I know what it's like to be depressed and disappointed. I don't ever want anybody else, be it ero-sennin, Sakura-chan, or even Sasuke, to feel that.'
'Naruto…' she found herself speechless once more in front of this boy.
It seemed that Naruto too did not have anything to say to the raven-haired woman.
Kurenai had never seen this side to the boy before; so innocent, so caring, so fragile…
It was everything that she wanted in a man and more.
He doesn't deserve me, she thought, Hinata would be lucky to have him.
'Kurenai-san, I want to ask you a question, if it's not too personal…'
'Go ahead and ask me; I'll answer if I can.'
'Kurenai-san,' Naruto began his face slightly red, 'What do you want from a man?'
'Oh,' Kurenai turned red as well and Naruto was about to apologize, 'I don't want anything material from a man. Nothing. All I expect him to give me is love.'
'Love…' Naruto repeated the last word, as if he tasted it, 'I guess that is what all women want in the end.'
Kurenai nodded at the end of the blonde's sentence, smiling slightly and Naruto smiled back.
They finished their meal in silence, excluding the mischievous fox Sai, which kept yipping.
'Thank you, Naruto. That was a delicious meal.' Kurenai complimented.
'You are welcome, Kurenai-san. I hope we can do this often.'
Kurenai didn't say anything to reply him but thanked him again before boding him farewell.
'Naruto, whoever gets you is going to be a lucky girl.' she said to herself.
'Than I guess you are the lucky girl Kurenai-san.'
Kurenai quickly spun on her heel and found herself face-to-face with the owner of the voice; Hatake Kakashi and his three companions Jiraiya, Tsunade and Iruka.
And apparently they were all grinning like there was no tomorrow.
'We watched the whole date.' Tsunade said; a tone of happiness (?) in her voice.
'Hokage-sama, it wasn't a date. He just wanted me to go out with him for today.'
'Than doesn't it qualify as a date if he asked you to go out with him?' Kakashi said.
'No, it doesn't qualify as a date because we both are not dating.' Kurenai answered.
'But you still went out with him! I am so proud of my student!' Jiraiya said happily.
'Could you all just give me a break? I just went out with him once!'
'No, we can't give you a break. Because we're all eager to see a wedding.' Iruka said.
Everyone except Kurenai, who turned a beet red, stared at the scarred chuunin.
'What? I'm just saying it.' Iruka said, smiling nervously.
'But seriously, Iruka. A wedding at Naruto's age?' Kakashi said, making Kurenai turn redder.
'It's possible as the minimum age for marriage is fourteen.' Tsunade said.
'So a wedding can be held?' Kakashi said, looking at the blonde woman, who nodded.
'SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!' Kurenai shouted at the four ninjas in front of her, 'I AM NOT GETTING MARRIED TO NARUTO, I AM NOT DATING HIM AND I AM NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS ANYMORE EVEN IF I DO THINK THAT HE IS DROP DEAD SEXY!'
Everyone within a hundred metre radius heard her shout all those words but only paid attention to the last five words of her speech: "He is drop dead sexy".
'So you think that Naruto's drop dead sexy, eh, Kurenai?' Kakashi said, apparently grinning.
'No!' Kurenai said, turning red again, 'What I mean to say is that he's sweet and caring…'
'So now he's sweet and caring, eh?' Kakashi said, his tone a teasing one, 'Well, I don't know how to put it, Kurenai-chan, but I'd say that you are in love with him.'
'I am not in love with him.' Kurenai said through gritted teeth.
And this was the man that she had considered a potential husband.
'Everyone, I'd like to talk with Kurenai in private for a while.' Tsunade said suddenly.
Thank you, Hokage-sama, Kurenai thought as she told the men to leave them.
'Well, now that those guys are gone…' Tsunade turned to the young woman, 'Walk with me for a while won't you, Kurenai-san.'
Kurenai nodded at the Godaime and walked with her for a while until they reached a bridge.
'What do you really think of Naruto, Kurenai-san?' Tsunade asked innocently.
'W-What do you mean "what do I really think of Naruto"?' Kurenai stammered.
'I mean; what do you really think about our very own infamous male blonde?'
'I-I…' Kurenai was thinking that must look like a duplicate of Hinata's now.
She breathed in and out to calm herself down.
'I think that he is a very good-hearted and caring person.' Kurenai said simply.
'Anything else, Kurenai?' Tsunade asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
'Of course not.' Kurenai said simply with a hint of steadiness in her tone.
A false tone of steadiness, anyway.
'So if you are not feeling anything for him, would you like me to tell him and break his heart?'
'No!' Kurenai shrilled at the Hokage, whose mouth formed an innocent smile.
'Kurenai, let me give you a hint or two about love. It comes from the places we least expect and the items we least seek out. Naruto is the place that you have least expected to return your love, but look at him now. A young stud that cares for you in the most tender of ways.'
'This morning, Naruto told me that he used to have a crush on me when he was still a genin.'
'Used to?' Tsunade repeated, laughing softly into her fist, 'He still does.'
Kurenai stared at the Hokage of Konoha, not showing any emotion.
'Kurenai let me tell you one last thing; Naruto has a crush on most of the girls he meets, but most of them just fade away after time; like his crush on his team-mate, Haruno Sakura.'
'I don't understand, Hokage-sama; what does he like me for? For my body?'
'Naruto doesn't look at trivial things like that, Kurenai. He has an ability that none of us have.'
'What is that, Hokage-sama?' Kurenai asked, puzzled by her words.
'He can look into a person's heart. He can find kindness in someone.'
Kurenai still looked puzzled to Tsunade, so she gave her a little history lesson.
'Kurenai, do you want to know the real reason Naruto is kind to you?' Tsunade said, her face looking as if she was slightly worried of the outcome of this question.
'Yes. I want to know. I don't love him, Hokage-sama, but I want to know.'
'Do you remember what happened ten years ago in that playground over there?'
Tsunade pointed to a playground about a hundred metres away from them.
'No, I don't, Hokage-sama.' Kurenai began, honestly not remembering what she was talking about, then, 'Wait, I remember. It was raining…'
'And did you meet a little boy there? One about five or six years old?' Tsunade continued.
'Yes, he had blonde hair. ' Kurenai said, reminiscing, 'I couldn't see all of his face. He covered half of it with a blue scarf. His forehead was bleeding and I asked him what was wrong.
'He didn't answer me,' Kurenai continued, her eyes still in their dream-like state, 'He ran away from me, but he slipped on the mud and fell to the ground.'
Kurenai looked at Tsunade, who signalled for her to continue.
'He got up after that and I laughed at him and he turned and glared at me.' Kurenai giggled at the memory, 'He had such cute eyes. I checked his wound and used a healing jutsu to close it. He stared at me again and asked, "Why did you do that"?'
'And you answered because he had such cute eyes.' Tsunade finished for her, then asked her, 'Do you even know who that boy was, Kurenai?'
'No, Hokage-sama; all I remember is that he had-' Kurenai stopped in mid-sentence.
She looked at the Godaime again, her face that of someone who had just made a shocking discovery. Actually, that was what it was: a shocking discovery.
'Was that little boy…Naruto, Hokage-sama?' Kurenai questioned Tsunade.
'Took you long enough to guess, Kurenai.' Tsunade said, giggling.
'So is he just repaying me for the kindness that I did him then?'
'Kurenai, if you're too thick to realise it yourself let me set it straight for you.' Tsunade said, a tone of mock impatience in her voice, 'You-are-his-first-love.'
'Me? His first love? I didn't know him then; he didn't even know me.'
'Naruto isn't as simple-minded as everyone thinks. He doesn't look at a cute girl and says he likes her. He looks at the girl carefully, evaluating if she is the one or not and so on and so forth.
'And after all those years, the only one that isn't crossed off his love list is you; his first love.'
Kurenai didn't say anything to Tsunade, who just marked off another matchmaking mission on her list with a tick, meaning: mission accomplished.
'Now I want you to look deep into your heart and decide whether he is the one for you.'
Tsunade left the jounin to her thoughts, smiling to herself as she left.
Kurenai made her way home and flopped onto her couch, thinking as hard as she could.
'Why did his first love have to be me of all people?' Kurenai moaned, but her thoughts fought her moans and her groans on why it had to be her.
But he is a nice person, Kurenai, her brain argued.
Kurenai didn't respond to that naughty voice at the back of her head as it gave the reasons.
He's sweet, kind, generous, lovely, sometimes loud and absolutely adorable and loves you.
'What more could I ask from a man?' she said to herself.
The evening sun came after a while and Kurenai realized how late it was.
She still had to get her groceries. Without changing, she exited her home and ran to the marketplace. Lucky for her, the stands in the marketplace were still open.
Shopping for her food had taken faster than the amount of time she thought it would take.
She was now carrying four bags of groceries and girls don't have much strength, so…
'Eep!' Kurenai cried as she lost her balance and was about to fall again, when…
'You'd think that just because you're a ninja, you don't need any help with those?'
Naruto had come to the rescue yet again, catching the woman before she hit the ground.
'Naruto!' Kurenai exclaimed, looking at the boy with wide eyes.
'Let me help you with those; young girls shouldn't be allowed to carry heavy bags all by themselves.' Naruto said, giggling at the end of his sentence, making Kurenai blush.
She handed him her bags and thanked him for catching her.
'No worries, Kurenai-san. Anyone would take pleasure from catching you.' he said mischievously.
'Are you following me?' Kurenai asked him but Naruto just smiled at her.
'The answer to that question, Kurenai-san, would be up to you.'
Naruto's face was so sweet .She could just stare into his blue eyes and never look away.
'Where's Sai?' she asked the blonde, after observing him.
'Tsunade-obaa chan said that she wanted the little guy for company tonight.' he explained.
'Oh.' she said.
'Kurenai-san, you want me to teach you to cook, right?'
Kurenai looked at Naruto and nodded slowly, knowing where this would lead to.
'I'll come by tomorrow and give you a lesson on how to cook, okay?'
Once again, Kurenai nodded and Naruto kept watching her after she turned away.
They were on their way to Kurenai's home now as Naruto was helping her with her things.
About ten minutes later, they stopped in front of her house.
'Thank you for helping me with the groceries, Naruto.' she thanked him.
'You're welcome, Kurenai-san. I'll be here tomorrow, okay?' he said.
The blonde teenager turned around and whistled a tune as he walked away.
Before he retreated to his own way home, he cast a look over his shoulder to look at her.
I'll love you forever, Kurenai-san.
Another day was upon Kurenai as she woke up to find that the sun had risen up.
She smiled to herself and as the warm sunbeams touched her cold body, she was reminded of a certain someone that made her feel as warm.
She giggled to herself at the memory of the day before. Naruto had been so sweet and caring to her. He had prepared lunch for their "date" at the park and what a lunch it was.
And today, the blonde teenager was coming to her house to teach her some cooking techniques.
But she doubted if Naruto would enjoy being with her with the morning breath and all.
She entered her shower and thought about Naruto as long as she was in there
'He's caring, loving, a good father…' she said as the rain poured upon her skin.
Maybe I should consider Naruto as a husband, she thought.
Husband. Father to her babies. To be with her until the end of their lives.
'No, I shouldn't think like that!' she snapped herself back to reality, 'He's too young for me. And Hinata likes him. What would she think of all of this?'
All's fair in love and war.
That voice in her head was back again. And this time, with a vengeance.
Before she could counter the question, the doorbell rang.
Not now, I'm in the middle of arguing with my common sense.
She put on a towel and went to answer the door. She swung it open and: there was Naruto.
'Naruto! What are you doing here so early?' she questioned the teenager.
'Uh…' Naruto found himself speechless as he was facing a towel-clad Yuuhi Kurenai; one of the sexiest and attractive women in the village, 'Can… I…Come… In?'
'Of course you can, Naruto. Come on in.' she gestured him to come inside.
He came inside and realised that he had a bag slung over his shoulder.
'What's in the bag?' she asked, looking at the bag, which apparently had a tear on it.
'Do you, well…' Naruto was blushed a very dark shade of pink.
Want to rip of that towel and love me?
Apparently, Naruto had a voice at the back of his head as well.
'Before I teach you how to cook, why don't we go to the lake and have a swim?' Naruto said, and in response, Kurenai raise an eyebrow, 'I mean; it's such a beautiful day. And there are a lot of people there, too.'
'Alright, let me get changed first.' she said, smiling.
Naruto nodded slowly and as Kurenai went to her bedroom, he gazed longingly at her.
He flopped onto a couch in Kurenai's living are and wondered if this was such a good idea.
He had asked her out to the lake due to the pressure put on him by Tsunade and Jiraiya, who both assured him that nothing would go wrong there as they would be there to observe and guide him through everything. It was a risk worth taking and…
He could have sworn that both Kakashi and Iruka were listening through a window from outside. But he wasn't in the mood to check if it really was them.
He waited in silence for fifteen minutes…
'Alright, Naruto. Let's go.' Kurenai had come out from her room.
The End For Part 1 of 3