Naruto : Monsters

It was the click-clack of wooden sandals that alerted me to her arrival. So when the weight slammed onto my back I was already ready for it and managed to stay on my feet, staggering only for a couple steps before regaining my balance. I didn't even need to think as I hooked my arms beneath the legs that appeared on either side of me, supporting her weight while making sure I didn't actually crush the bouquet that I held.

Deceptively thin arms wound their way around my neck, their owner using them to pull herself closer to me before she nuzzled the back of my neck.

"Hikaru~," Turning my head, I found myself staring into a set of sapphire eyes that sparkled in the sunlight, only a couple of inches away from my own. An infectious grin adorning her face, "I found ya."

"Idiot," I deadpanned at the grinning Naruto as she latched onto my back, piggybacking, "I'm the one who found you. You're late, I had to come looking for you."

"Ah, ahahaha," the blonde smiled sheepishly at that, one hand rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, the other still latching onto me. "Sorry, sorry, I kinda lost track of the time."

"It's fine," I assured the girl, looking away as I turned around and resumed walking, this time heading towards our destination. "It's not as if we're in any real hurry, we have all day. Just make sure not get your clothes all wrinkled up, you hear?"

"Got ya," sensing more than seeing her nod behind me.

It wasn't long before I felt the blonde shift behind, making herself more comfortable as she set her face on the top of my back, right between my shoulder blades. She nuzzled contently for a few seconds when she found the perfect spot to relax, and I knew without looking that she had already shut her eyes, almost as if she was about to fall asleep.

And maybe she would, it wouldn't have been the first time it happened.

We walked for a while in a comfortable silence as I navigated through the crowd of milling people, neither of us feeling the need to talk, and we just enjoyed the presence of each other's company.

The crowds didn't thin or disperse as I pushed my way through them, the people either not recognizing who rode on my back thanks to the way she was all dressed up or simply not caring. While I wouldn't go as far as to say that the ordinary citizens of Konoha had lost their fear of Naruto, or more specifically their fear of what she held in her belly, it wasn't as bad as it had been seven years ago.

There were still a lot of people who would cross to the other side of the street whenever they saw her approaching, but there were just as many that didn't. I guessed it goes to show that people could get used to anything if given enough time, even a demon container.

Still, it didn't make so much of a lick of difference to Naruto or me whether the average citizens of Konoha were scared of her or not. For me it had simply never mattered, I had never been particularly worried about what strangers thought about me, not in this life or my last, while Naruto herself had long since adopted a similar mindset to mine and had stopped caring what they thought of her entirely.

Soon the crowds began to thin out as I made my way farther away from the more populated area of the city and neared the outskirts. I was making good progress and before too long I found myself standing at the base of a grey stone staircase. It was set onto the side of a large grassy hill and went all the way up to the peak.

The hill was an unusual sight.

There weren't any buildings on it, no place for someone to live in, yet it was clearly well maintained. The stones the stair were crafted from were perfectly flat and in pristine condition, almost as if it had recently been scrubbed clean. There were also several paths ringing the hill, a good two dozen, all made from the same grey bricks the staircase was made from and all of them were only reachable by climbing the very same staircase.

Knowing that the path we needed to take was near the peak, I shifted Naruto's weight around a bit, making sure I had a proper better grip on her, before I ascended the first step and began the long trek up the hill.

The crowds were none existent here, as it usually was at this time of year, so it was only Naruto and me on the hill. Though the climb was a bit of a long one I knew it wouldn't tire me out. Not only was I in good enough shape but I had long ago gotten used to climbing this particular staircase. We came here almost every year, Naruto and me that is, and even with Naruto's weight added it was still an easy climb.

Naruto had always felt so light whenever I carried her that I barely noticed she was even there. It was hard to believe that this little wisp of a girl held all that power in her tiny body. I didn't know if that was because I had gotten stronger over the years or if I had just gotten so used to Naruto's presence in my life but these days I no longer noticed the extra whenever I had to carry her.

A few minutes later I noticed that we arrived at the level we needed to and took a left turn off the staircase and onto the path.

"Naruto," I called out as I slowly walked along the empty path. When I didn't hear a response I called out to her again, louder this time. "Naruto, we're almost there." Had she really fallen asleep?

"Hmm?" A groggy voice drifted from behind me, confirming my suspicion.

"I said we're almost there. Time to get up Naruto."

"Oh," came the lazy sounding reply, followed by a long drawn-out yawn, "Alright, I'm up, I'm up."

Naruto shifted around a bit on my back as she roused herself awake, almost causing me to lose my balance for a second, before I felt her place her hands on my shoulders and use them to push herself up, granting her a clear view of the place from over my head.

"Man, this place never changes does it?" She said as she looked around at all the stone monuments that lined either side of the road. After looking around a bit more she glanced down at me, "It looks exactly the same as it did last year, doesn't it Hikaru?"

"Of course it does," I snickered at the idea of this place ever changing. "It's not like the people here can redecorate the place even if they wanted to, can they? Now," I halted in my tracks, "get off and let me a good look at you. We're almost there and I need to make sure you look presentable."

"Alright," The hands on my shoulders pushed slightly and I released my hold on Naruto's legs and allowed her to slip to the ground. I heard her land softly behind me, followed by the click-clack of wooden sandals hitting the stone floor as she walked around to stand in front of me.

"Ta-dah!" Naruto exclaimed, holding her arms open so I can better examine her. "Well, how do I look?"

Like me, Naruto wasn't dressed up in her usual fare. In place of the orange and black suit that she loved to wear, Naruto was instead wearing a beautiful yellow kimono, one with orange flower petals decorating its surface. It was the same kimono that I had seen my mother force on her a couple of weeks earlier. 

Though her hair was styled differently than it had been back then. Instead of having it freely falling down her back as she usually did, or the French braids she wore that day, today her golden locks was done up in an elaborate design, fashioned and held in place over her head with a comb that was decorated with pink flowers.

"Well," She repeated, a little shyly this time, fidgeting slightly as I looked her over. As it was fashionable these days, the sleeves of her kimono were a little on the long side so it half-covered her hands, and she had to fold her fingers over the edge of the sleeves to hold them in place. "How do I look?"

"Perfect," I told her truthfully, her smile turning back to her usual confident one at my praise, "Looks like my mother did a good job."

"Of course she did," Naruto smirked, nodded proudly, "She had a good model to work with."

Seeing that we were both ready, I began making my way down the stone path and covered the last stretch of distance until our destination. Glancing to my right where Naruto was following alongside me, I asked, "My mum didn't give you any trouble did she?"

Instead of walking like a normal person would, Naruto was practically skipping. She hopped in place once, then spun around so that she was walking backwards beside me, the click-clack of the traditional wooden sandals she wore filling the air.

"Nah," She shook her head, before pausing. After thinking over a bit, she gained a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, not too much anyway. I kinda had a bit of trouble leaving. Mio-san didn't seem to want to let go of me once she finished helping me dress up." 

Naruto gave an embarrassed sounding chuckle when I deadpanned at her, still rubbing the back of her head. "I had trouble convincing her to release me from her hug but when I reminded her you were waiting she let me off easy. It was kinda why I was a little late."

"Of course it was," rolling my eyes at the thought of my mother, "I should have figured as much."

What Naruto didn't need to say was that by 'letting her off easy', it meant that my mother had restricted herself to only a good five minutes of cuddling with Naturo instead of her usual twenty.

Really, even in an alternate universe mothers were the same everywhere. They go through so much trouble making sure you're ready and all dressed up in time for your big day only to end up making you late because they refused to let you leave the house when the time came to go.

By this point I noticed that we were almost at our destination and slowed my pace down, stopping to a halt once we reached there. "Well," I began, glancing at my blonde companion to make sure she was alright, "we're here."

"Yeah," a tense smile fluttered on her lips, "we are."

"Here," I handed her the flowers, placing it directly into her hands. It was Naruto who asked me to buy these, getting that idea after asking my mother for suggestions. "Take it."

Naruto bit her lips, suddenly nervous, looking down at the lavender coloured flowers. "Do you think..." she began suddenly before stopping, her blue eyes usually so confident now wavered with uncertainty as they looked into my own, seeking reassurance. "Do you think she'll like them?"

"I think she'll love them." I told her, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "And don't worry, you look beautiful so just go and talk to her."

Though she gained a little dusting of red along her cheeks at my words, it still didn't do anything to relieve her from her nerves. "Alright." Naruto nodded and took a deep breath to gather her courage before she turned away from me and walked ahead, "Here I go, wish me luck."

"Good luck," I called out after her.

I watched from behind as she stepped forward, walking unsteadily towards the grave, closing the distance in three short steps. Reaching the tombstone, Naruto knelt down and held the flowers on her lap. For a time, she did nothing but stare down at flowers, her fingers dancing nervously on her lap, uncertain on what to do or say.

At last, she seemed to gather her courage and, after taking one final deep breath, she raised her eye and looked straight at the grave.

"Hi," She began, a watery smile on her lips. It looked so fragile, so weak that it felt like it could be washed away with the rain, so very different from her beaming smiles that I have gotten used to seeing on her over the years.

Lifting the lavender coloured flower Naruto held it forward and placed it before the tombstone. "These are for you."

Lilacs were the symbol of new love, that was true. But there was another meaning to that flower, one that was less well known and popular than the first.

A large gravestone stood before Naruto, and on its flat surface was engraved a single name.

Uzumaki Kushina

"Happy Birthday mum."

Purple Lilacs can also symbolize the love between a mother and child.

...

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