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Koiuta	By : dragonslover1 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1149 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. I am not profiting from this fanfiction.

Koiuta, Love Song

Sixteen Years Ago

Tasha felt eternally grateful for the items she received earlier. When it started getting later, she shooed Shino from their room, making him promise not to come back until eleven-thirty. At his suspicious expression, she couldn�t help but feed him a little of his own medicine.

�If you get to surprise me on my birthday, I get to do the same to you,� she reasoned.

He took a step out the door and said, �You�ll have to try hard to surprise me.�

�I have my ways,� she promised. The door shut.

She opened the closet, pulled out a box she�d stashed on the shelf. Inside was the beautiful sakura-flower kimono she�d wanted so much. She ran her hands over it, smiling, before getting to work. First thing first: she showered. With her new scented body wash, nonetheless. Lavender. Subtle.

Most of the reason to shower was to get her hair undone without it curling. Afterwards it took a long time to dry her hair, but with a little wind chakra as added help. . .

She figured Shino knew about the kimono. But she also knew he would have respected her enough not to take it out of the box. This was useful because it wasn�t the only thing in the box. She�d stashed lacy white under-things beneath it for just this day. It was sexy, she admitted, admiring herself in the bathroom mirror. Leaving plenty showing but still hiding what should be hidden. Both top and bottom had a clear pattern of flowers in the lace, the bottoms more briefs than average underwear. She thought it added a nice touch.

And draws eyes to my ass, she added, turning to the side. It definitely emphasized; she�d give it that much. Then again, that�s why she bought it.

The tricky part was styling her hair in a foggy mirror. She kept her brand-new four hairpins on the counter as she worked. She pulled a thin layer of hair up from ear to ear, split it in half -- and then came the hard part. It was an intricate thing, twisting the two strands together, but she did it. The four pins held it in place. The now much shorter strands disappeared into the rest of her hair. The twists itself resembled a bow, and she was glad it�d turned out as planned.

Next came the kimono and its three under-layers. It was difficult, putting them on by herself; normally a woman had help with this. Nonetheless, in the end she was very pleased with herself. She really resembled a princess now -- well, except that she didn�t have any makeup. A princess would usually put some on for special occasions, even if it was just lipstick. She shrugged it off. Shino wouldn�t mind.

Then again, he would probably be too distracted to comment on inconsistencies.

Oddly, she wanted more privacy than this room for what she had in mind. She knew it was silly -- if the other clansmen had any problems with things going bump in the night, they would have said something about it. Maybe not to her. . .perhaps not even to Shino, but certainly to Shibi. He was like a council member of the clan; either that or he demanded respect and so he received it. She was still curious about what he really did around here.

She was eying herself in the mirror critically when the door opened and Shino stepped inside. Her gaze went to the doorway in the mirror, saw him lean to look around the corner. Saw him freeze in place. A slow smile spread on her face.

She turned to face him, chin held high. �Eleven-thirty?� she asked.

�On the nose,� he answered, distracted. He took off the sunglasses, trailed his gaze down her and back up. �What is this?� he asked, gesturing her.

�Your present, silly,� she told him. �At midnight you get to unwrap it.�

He tensed in a way she recognized as biting back a groan. �Half an hour?� He sounded pained. He came closer, pulled her to him. �Do I really have to wait so long?�

She stuck her tongue out at him. �You forced me to do something I didn�t want to do,� she pointed out.

�You still enjoyed it,� he countered.

�So will you.�

She caught him there. She knew he hated to lose debates; he�d proven that fact more than once.

The next half hour was hard for him, she knew. Keeping his hands off her, away from her obi, to stop himself from unwrapping his �present� early. . .well, it was no small task, given how tempted he looked. And then, when she asked him where they could go that was even more private, the sweltering look in his eyes almost made her swoon.

For a guy from a clan whose main attribute was unreadability, his eyes were deceptively clear. Or maybe she was bringing that out in him. On the other hand, she had spent a long while doing just that: trying to read him. Maybe it was skill alone.

Then again, his thoughts tended to be fairly clear when sex was involved. He was a very hungry man.

There was no stopping him when midnight hit. They had just enough time to find a secluded area in the forest before he was upon her. She trusted his inner clock; he�d probably been counting the seconds. She had barely gotten the words �happy birthday� out before her mouth was occupied.

Part of his gift was her intention to taste him from head to toe, something she�d been wanting to do for a long time. She didn�t get very far. She knew there was no asking for patience once his control snapped, and snap it had.

He gave her a gift or two as well. She couldn�t be sure exactly what was a gift and what wasn�t, lost in the throws of passion. She contented herself with the thought that this was their joint birthday party, gifts included, and let herself go. It was well worth it.

- - -

�Come at me. You won�t hit me.�

That sounded far too much like a challenge.

She was training with Shino, since they both had hours of daylight open to them, and neither of them wanted to go back to the clan home just yet. So when he suggested seeing her bladed skill for himself, she�d tossed him one of her kodachi and drawn the other.

And then he had to go and underestimate her like that.

More playful than intent, she lunged at him, slashing the air. He was quicker than her, she knew, so it wasn�t hard to make herself turn up the skill level. Though his face was covered, she could see the faint changes in his expression better than ever; he was amused. This was fun for him -- or maybe just the part that she couldn�t quite touch him. When he parried her blow with the kodachi, she knew he�d done it out of fun, rather than need.

They were interrupted after a few minutes by a newcomer approaching them. They both knew it, ninja training pinpointing a man coming towards them, though she imagined Shino had known about him for longer. He wasn�t trying to be very stealthy.

She nearly got a heart attack when she saw who it was. As it was, her mouth fell open.

Shino sensed her distress in an instant and was in front of her even faster.

This man had black hair, very short, with a deep-set frown, an average set of clothes -- and a forehead protector blazing the Village of Rock�s symbol. Hiyoshi.

She hissed, �What are you doing here?�

�Is that any way to greet your father?� he retorted, tone disapproving. She recognized it instantly.

�This is your father?� Shino said to her in an aside.

�Give me one good reason why I should go on believing that,� she spat, half answering him.

Hiyoshi�s eyes narrowed. �I came to take you back. Your sensei told me you were being held against your will.�

She laughed once. �Is that so? Well, he�s a liar. I chose to stay here.� She stepped aside of Shino�s protection, pointing at her waist. Her forehead protector, showing her alliance with Konoha.

He glared at it before raising his gaze to hers. �Why do you never listen to me, Tasha?� he snapped. �You know how important you are to the clan --�

�Not anymore,� she laughed. �Don�t bother bringing up the jewel. It�s totally drained, no more than a representation of what it once was. Now it�s only good for decoration.�

His face glowed red. �What did you do?� he snarled, each word distinct.

Shino braced himself in response.

She put a hand on his arm in restraint. There was no point in fighting; her father was one of the weakest ninja she�d ever seen.

�Drained it,� she answered. �Sacrificed it. It was part of what I had to do to stay here.�

�What, the Hokage ordered you to?� Hiyoshi bit out.

�No. But you wouldn�t understand. Just go back, whoever you are.�

He flinched as her words bit into him. He said, �I�m your father, Tasha. Now come back. I�m ordering you to --�

�Bullshit,� she snapped. �You�re not my father. What, do you think I�m stupid?� she asked when he looked incredulous. She pointed at the jewel. �You said this jewel was limited to my bloodline. Well, I have positive proof that it absorbs chakra outside of the bloodline, so that can�t be true. Which means I�m not your daughter. Though,� she added, more thoughtful, �I do wonder where you found me.�

He struggled with words for a moment, and then Shino disappeared. An instant later, he was behind Hiyoshi, hands restrained, now on his knees.

�Talk,� Shino ordered, and Tasha came close to shivering at the fierce ring of his voice. It was a delicious sound.

The pretender struggled feebly, then slumped forward. �Fine,� he agreed. �But it�s a long story.�

�Edit,� she suggested.

He sighed. �I don�t know your parents,� he started. �Eighteen years ago, I was exiled from Iwagakure. Too weak for a ninja. They couldn�t use me. So I wandered, always just outside the border, for years. About sixteen years ago, I thought of a way to get back into the village, but I had to time it right.

�Your parents were a godsend. There they were, a family of four, with a baby at just the right age.� He flinched then, and she guessed Shino had hurt him. �I killed the father first, the son second. Saved the mother for last. I offered her a chance first: pretend to be my wife, that the baby was ours. She refused, said she�d rather die first. So I killed her and returned to Iwagakure with a baby girl, claiming her as mine. No one had seen me in so long, no one could argue.

�This plan only worked because I knew how sterile our bloodline is. Very difficult to have children. You were necessary to continue the life of the chakra jewel, so we put it on you. I didn�t know your name, so when I was asked for it, I said the first thing that came to mind. No one questioned me.

�You�ve been my daughter ever since,� he finished. �And now you�ve betrayed me.�

She stalked forward with the full intent of severing his hand, hand clenched tight around her kodachi�s hilt. She hesitated when she reached him, though. He was the only father she knew; it felt wrong to deprive herself of what scraps of family she had.

She knelt down. �You killed my parents, and a brother I never knew. You think that entitled you to loyalty from a daughter you stole to get membership back from your hometown?� She scoffed. �You�re a bigger idiot than I thought, and that�s saying something.�

He scowled. �I didn�t just come here to chat with you. I�ll take you back with force if I have to --� He broke off with a cry of pain.

Though his face remained covered, she could see that Shino�s expression had turned murderous.

�There�s no point. No more chakra jewel. It�s nothing more than pretty dead weight.� She got up and stepped back, turning to retrieve the kodachi Shino had abandoned. She sheathed them both.

�I have no desire to kill you, oddly enough,� she said as she turned to face him again. �But I won�t object to your death, either way. The tall, scary guy holding you still is my future husband. I�ll leave your fate to him, whatever it is.�

Hiyoshi sputtered, true fear touching him, pinching his face. �Wait, Tasha -- mercy? Mercy to the man who raised you?�

She wavered. No, he was a bastard, but she didn�t want him dead. Not really. Still, he had wronged her. She wondered if vengeance was applicable at this point. She had no memories of her parents or brother; was it right to avenge their deaths? These three strangers?

A part of her said �yes� while another said �no�. The negative half was all for sparing this man�s life. Maybe he wasn�t the best father, but he�d been her father all the same. She was alive now because he�d taken care of her, even if he had done so out of selfishness. She didn�t know where her life would have taken her, had things not happened in exactly the order they had.

Would she be here now, with Shino, in love?

That was the largest argument in mercy�s favor. Without his actions, she would likely have never come to Konoha. She would never had endured so many trials in the face of love. She would never have known what it was like to love a man more for every ordeal they went through together.

She shook her head. �Don�t ask mercy from me. Ask it from him. And I suggest you phrase yourself very carefully.� She didn�t wait for the verdict, merely giving Shino a nod. I�ll not blame you for whatever decision you make, she thought. Kill him or spare him. Just make it so I never have to see him again.

She turned and left, sprinting off fast enough that she was a streak of blurs for a moment.

She kept running for a long while, trying to clear her head. It helped a little. Instinctively, she was doing her best to cover her tracks -- which meant, of course, that Shino had no trouble finding her later. It probably had something to do with the tiny bug on her shoulder.

She was lounging on a tree branch when he caught up with her. He joined her on the branch, and from the set of his drawn-in brows, she assumed he�d chosen to kill.

�He�s dead?� she asked, to make sure

He nodded. �I couldn�t forgive him.� How odd that he sounded reproachful.

She relaxed further. �I had a brother once.� The thought made her look down in wonder. �I had a real name once. I never expected that.�

He said nothing. He probably didn�t know what would comfort her.

�Don�t worry, I�m not regretting anything,� she soothed. After all, she knew him -- knew he�d be thinking, right now, of what her life might have been. That he might be wishing for just that life, if only to save her from the pain she felt now, knowing what she�d lost.

�How could I,� she went on, leaning into him, �when the build-up of everything led me to you? How could I regret that?�

He hugged her, but the move was more automatic than willful. �I see your point,� he answered, and then was quiet once more.

It was strange to think of it, but for all that she�d lost and now knew she�d lost, she knew Shino�s thoughts were visiting darker places. Her elsewhere, with a mother and father and brother who loved her. Travelers? They had sounded like such a family the way her fa -- that man had described them. Taking a two, maybe three-year-old on the road demanded such a lifestyle.

Had she been two or three years old? With all of these unknowns, she couldn�t be sure. Had she been two when he found her? Maybe she was older than that. Maybe younger. Maybe April eighteenth wasn�t her birthday at all. And at that thought, she flinched mentally. That means her joint golden birthday party with Shino didn�t really include her at all. She supposed it was still good for him, but. . .

But that didn�t matter, measured against the rest of the information she�d received.

Had she lived that life with her deceased family, she might never have reached Konoha. In Shino�s head, she knew he�d be listing things: she would never have received the chakra jewel, never had her life endangered by his insects, never had to go through such a painful process to solve the problem, never had to spend weeks afterwards in recovery.

But with that life, she�d have been unknowingly empty. Shino filled her -- completed her -- in a way she couldn�t imagine living without. Compared to her kunoichi life before, she had never been more alive, even with all the near-death experiences. She was happy, here and now, in love with the greatest man in the world.

And, by some miracle, he loved her, too.

She hugged him tighter, smiling.

�I don�t envy that life, and I don�t deal in what ifs,� she told him. �If I�d had a choice in the matter, knowing what each future would offer me, I�m certain I would have chosen you.�

�You don�t know that,� he breathed, more quiet than usual. �Maybe your parents would have loved you so much you�d never have wanted anything else. Maybe your brother could have protected you where I failed to. Maybe you�d be in love now, with a man who wouldn�t --�

�If you say hurt me I will hurt you,� she warned. She looked up, fierce. �Maybe that could have happened,� she allowed, �but I can�t imagine anyone loving me more than you do, and I can imagine even less loving someone more than I love you. I�ll never want anything else but my life here with you.� She made the words a vow, sealing it with a kiss.

He returned the kiss easily enough, but she could tell he wasn�t convinced.

She sighed dramatically. �Alright, then. If you�re so unsure, I guess I�ll have to go back in time and change the course of history. How sad. And here I thought you�d never let me go. Yet here you�re shoving me away.� She made to get up.

He steeled his arms around her. �No,� he said, and the word was filled with venom.

She turned a smile up to him. Get it now?

His expression was more relaxed, so she guessed her point had been made. He confirmed it by replying, �Good point. No, you�re right. Even if you found a way to go back in time to change your future, I would never let you. I need you too much.�

She shivered at the words, then beamed. �So you say. Now you have to prove it.� Her eyes held no doubt of what she meant by that.

�Here and now?� he wondered. But while his voice was surprised, he didn�t have her fooled. He crushed her to him with a forceful kiss, and she envisioned that kiss as his own vow.

Though her full past was unexpected, she couldn�t bring herself to regret knowing it. One less mystery in the world. And this one had the added effect of strengthening her love for him, of their bond to one another. Now, she supposed, would be a good time to bring up. . .

�I guess I ought to tell you,� she said between kisses.

�Tell me what?�

�I�m pregnant.�

- - -

The End
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Koiuta