A Second Chance

Despite what some might think, Naruto Uzumaki is not a morning person, at least without reason. Most days he has a clear reason for wanting to get out of bed, for example training or another mission. This time however, he was rudely awakened by a loud knocking against his door, only to be greeted by his teammate Sakura Haruno.

"NARUTO! Open up in there, I know you have to be awake by now!" Said girl shouted.

Sluggishly making his way to the door, the orange and black clad shinobi opened it up, though it was a second too early as he ended up being clobbered in the head by Sakura's fist. "OW! What gives Sakura?! It's way too early to be up, and I know we don't have any missions or training planned." he rubbed the spot he was hit on.

"Sorry about that Naruto" the pink haired girl apologised. "But Lady Tsunade has called for you to go to the council chambers."

The yellow haired boy stopped rubbing his head, and instead tilted it in confusion. "Granny wants me to go where now?"

Sighing, Sakura stepped aside so that the now awake and fully dressed Naruto could leave his apartment. "Honestly, Naruto…will you ever stop calling Lady Tsunade that?" He shook his head with a grin "Anyway, you know, the council chambers? Located in the Hokage's tower?" He shook his head once again. "I would of thought that you would know where it is, seeing as you want to become Hokage once day…"

"Yeah, yeah…whatever. I can learn that later. Did granny say why she wants me there?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, she didn't, which I suppose is a bit weird. Guess you'll have to wait and see? Anyway, I'm gonna go prepare for my shift at the hospital. See ya later Naruto!"

Watching his first crush walk off, Naruto sighed as he started walking in the direction of the Hokage's tower. And that's how we find him, still confused at the doors to the council chamber.

"Hey Shizune, what are you doing here? Did granny call you for something as well?" Naruto asked, noticing the Hokage's assistant waiting outside the doors.

The jet black haired woman smiled at the sight of everyone's favourite teenage ninja "No, Naruto. I was told to notify Lady Tsunade of your arrival, speaking of which…" she knocked on the door and waited a second before entering. "Lady Tsunade, Naruto has arrived!"

Rubbing her temples in preparation for the probable eventual onslaught of complaints or questions from her godson, the 5th and current Hokage cleared her throat. "Took him long enough. Okay Shizune, send him in, and then you can go help Sakura out at the hospital."

Shizune nodded "Right away my lady. Naruto, you can come in." She then walked off towards the hospital.

Stepping into the room, Naruto yawned as he took a look around at who else was in there. First there was the Hokage of Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves, Tsunade Senju, who he had brought back to the village with his godfather Jiraiya not long after the Chūnin exams. Then there was some creepy old guy whose face was mostly covered in bandages. And finally, there was some cute, but grumpy looking, red-haired girl, who seemed oddly familiar, though Naruto couldn't figure out where she was from.

"Hey granny!" Naruto had to quickly dodge a pen thrown at full force by Tsunade. "Isn't this room a little big for only 4 people?"

Said woman then realised that the room was in fact too big for 4 people. It was supposed to be used for meetings between leaders from each of the village's clans, along with council members and any other higher ups who would usually attend them. "Yeah, well…shut it brat. It's too early for me to think properly. Plus, it was insisted upon that we meet here."

"So then, who's the old man? And that girl sat over there?" he asked, pointing to the both of them.

"Have some respect for your elders, boy! Do you have no decency?" Said old man shouted.

Feeling cranky, Naruto turned towards the bandaged man "Have no what now? I seriously don't get what's going on."

The blonde Hokage sighed. "Naruto, just take a seat and we'll explain everything." And so, Naruto sat down next to Tsunade, across from the redhead. "This is Danzo Shimura, one of the elders of Konoha who is on the villages council. And this is Tayuya, a kunoichi from Otogakure. We believe you've met her before."

"I have?" Naruto curiosly asked. Then, the cogs started slowly turning in his mind as he thought back through his life to where he could have met this Tayuya before. A sudden realisation came over his mind, and he shot straight up from his seat. "WAIT A SECOND! IT'S YOU! THAT GIRL WHO TOOK SASUKE FROM US AND NEARLY KILLED SHIKAMARU! I THOUGHT TEMARI KILLED YOU!"

The now identified Tayuya also shot up from her seat "AND SO WHAT IF I AM SHITHEAD? NOT MY FAULT YOUR DUMP OF A VILLAGE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO TRAIN ITS NINJA!"

Ignoring that distasteful comment about his home, and the name used in place of his, Naruto turned to Tsunade, though he didn't miss the few tears in her eyes, along with what looked like fear. "GRANNY WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?!"

Annoyed at the loud volume this early in the morning, the Senju Hokage punched Naruto in the gut, receiving a moaning "Oowww" from him. "Can't you sit still for just a second Naruto? If you give let us then we'll explain everything." Naruto sat back down in his seat. "Ok, this is probably going to be hard for you to hear, but you are one of the last remaining members, if not the last member, of a clan. The Uzumaki clan, to be specific."

"WAIT I HAVE A CLAN?! Or…had a clan…I guess…why was I never told about this?" The boy had never heard that he belonged to a clan, and so knowing that they were all dead was a huge bummer.

Danzo spoke up. "Yes, boy. Well, in reality you are the closest living person we know to a being a proper Uzumaki. There are some, like Tsunade, who have Uzumaki blood, though they aren't members of the clan due to their more prominent bloodline."

"Granny, you've got Uzumaki blood? How come you never told me?" Naruto asked, looking towards his Hokage, though he took a second to spare a curious look at Tayuya.

"Because I didn't really think that it mattered since I'm not a full blooded Uzumaki. And there's the fact that if you knew before, then you could have ended up in some danger, so I wanted to protect you from that. Forgive me, Naruto, but it was in everyone's best interest that we kept it from you." She apologised.

Danzo coughed, drawing attention back to himself. "If you'll allow me to continue…the Uzumaki in fact had their own village, known as Uzushiogakure, otherwise known as the Hidden Eddy Village, which was located in a place known as the Land of Whirlpools which resided on an Island near the coast of the Land of Fire. It no longer exists, though, as it was destroyed many years ago."

Naruto was both shocked and wide eyed at this information. "Why was it destroyed?"

"Uzumaki were known to have long lives due to their blood, one example of this being Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the first Hokage. Despite being from many generations above yours, she lived well into your mother's years. Uzumaki were also well known for their fūinjutsu, and the seal for their most known is actually the same as found on most Konoha clothing, for example you own." Naruto turned his head to look for the seal, staring at it with wonder.

"Because of their vast knowledge of fūinjutsu, the Uzumaki were feared throughout the nations, and so during the second ninja world war, they were attacked by many of the villages, and despite their strong attempt at fighting back, were mostly destroyed, forcing members to scatter across the globe."

Taking in all the information, Naruto wondered about something that he was just told. "Wait...you mentioned my mother, so that must mean you know who she was…right?"

Tsunade took this as her cue to talk again "Yes Naruto, we did know who she was. I'm incredibly sorry that no one had told you until know, but this was for you own safety. But under these circumstances, it is only right we reveal who your mother was."

Naruto excitingly look at his Hokage. He was about to find out who his birth parents were for god's sake! "Go on then! Tell me! Tell me! Who were they?!"

Taking a breath, the large breasted kunoichi continued. "Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, the previous jinchūriki of the nine-tailed fox sealed within you. She was a very powerful and skilled woman, feared by many, but also loved, often gaining the affection of many men. And your father…" She took a break, and prepared herself for whatever reaction may come from Naruto. "your father, was Minato Namikaze, the 4th Hokage of the Leaf, and the one who sealed the fox into you."

Suddenly, the room fell silent as Tsunade, Danzo and Tayuya all took stared at Naruto, awaiting his reaction. Tayuya was honestly kind of interested at this information. She hadn't known about any Uzumaki clan, or what they were like. Though she did wonder why exactly that linked to her reason for being in the room.

Tsunade had expected some loud outburst of rage or tears from her godson, but not what actually happened.

"MY DAD WAS THE FREAKING FOURTH HOKAGE?! THAT'S AWESOME! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IM RELATED TO A HOKAGE! AND HE WAS THE YELLOW FLASH OF THE LEAF! WOOHOO! BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Everyone winced at his loud volume. It was definitely too loud for this time of day. Tayuya stared in curiosity at the boy, wondering how the son of a Hokage could be so pathetic, though the fact that he didn't know or have parents, like her, did probably have something to do with it.

"Yes Naruto, your father was the 4th Hokage get over it…" Tsunade sighed, rolling her eyes.

The (probably) over excited Naruto looked towards the woman. "Get over it? Granny I just learnt about how I'm from an awesome clan! And I just found out who my mother was! And that my father was the 4th Hokage!"

Knowing that this was massive for Naruto, but still being annoyed at him for calling her Granny, Tsunade shook it off like it was nothing. "So what? I'm a Hokage. My grandfather was the first Hokage, and my uncle was the second."

"Damnit granny can't you let me have my happiness for just a second?" She shook her head, and Naruto sighed. "Wait, so why are you telling me this? And what does this have to do with...her." he growled, looking over at the red head.

"That's precisely what we were going to tell you next, boy." Danzo informed them with. "I feel that the Uzumaki clan has been gone for far too long, and seeing as you are the only known member left, we want to force you into marriage with the prisoner, and have you impregnate her within the next 5 years."

"WHAT/THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY!" both teens shouted at the same time.

Naruto looked towards Tsunade "He…he's joking, right? There's no way in hell that he wants me and her to do that. Come on granny, say this is just a joke!"

"Yeah! Why the fuck would I want to make a baby with that jackass! I'm his enemy for god's sake! And I don't plan on having a baby with a random shithead from a shitty village!" Tayuya herself exclaimed.

"Im sorry, Naruto, but what Danzo says is true. This is the best thing for the Uzumaki clan, and the best way to get it back up." Tsunade apologised again.

Naruto was shocked at that. "But why her? Why can't I do it with Sakuraaaaa?" he drew out her name. Sakura Uzumaki always sounded nice to him.

"Yeah, why me? You can't make me have do that!" Tayuya shouted out.

Danzo cleared his throat. "Actually, we can and we will. Pushing aside the bad deeds from your past, and where you come from, you are the best candidate for this task."

Tayuya glared at Danzo with hatred. "Whaddya mean best candidate?" Naruto nodded at her question in agreement.

"We are unsure of which clan you come from, or if you even come from one, but we have performed several blood tests between your blood and the Uzumaki blood from Naruto, and have found results that would greatly benefit the child you produce, making it much stronger than the both of you." He replied.

Naruto slammed his fists on the table "Even so, you can't just force us into marriage and reproducing! Marriage is supposed to be special, between two people in love! Forced marriage is wrong, I wanna marry Sakura!"

"Naruto this is the only way for this to work!" said Tsunade

"But-"

"But nothing!" Danzo cut him off. "This is something you must do, and we haven't been keeping this girl prisoner for 3 years for nothing! If she doesn't comply, then we will just kill her and find the next best candidate. Whoever it is we chose, we are making them restart the Uzumaki clan with you!"

Tayuya then cradled her head in her lap, holding it up with her arms. "Nononononono… you can't be serious…I can't fucking do this…I just wanna go home…" she whispered under her breath.

"What?!" Naruto shouted out. "You can't just kill her for that! I don't care if she's an enemy, she's still a human being!"

"It's the only way, boy!" Danzo started tapping his foot in impatience at Naruto's non-understanding of the task. "Five years, you and Tayuya. Impregnate her or she dies."

Naruto then looked over at the girl. "But…this is all so sudden…and she's an enemy and she-" he then noticed the tears slowly dripping out of Tayuya's eyes, and that her body was slightly shaking. "Hey, can we have the room to ourselves for a few minutes?"

The two elders of the room then looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Tsunade was the one to answer. "Sure, Naruto. Take as long as you want."

Naruto watched as the two left the room, and waited for the door to close before looking back over towards his ex-enemy sat across from him. He then decided to walk around the table towards her.

"H-hey, Tayuya? You alright?" He asked, concern clear in his voice.

"J-Just…Just leave me alone!" She barked back, clearly angered by the situation. I mean who wouldn't? First, she was a member of Orochimaru's sound five, then she was defeated by some bitch from Sunagakure, then she was captured and kept prisoner for 3 years, and now she's being forced to marry and get impregnated by some shithead.

"Ok, geez I'm sorry. It's just that you don't look okay." He apologised, though he knew he didn't actually do anything wrong. Really neither of them were in the wrong. It was that creep, Danzo, who was.

Tayuya shot straight up and faced Naruto. "OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY! I WAS KEPT AS A FUCKING PRISONER FOR THREE FUCKING YEARS! A-AND NOW I-I'M BEING FORCED TO DO THIS. I…I…I CAN'T" she gasped "I CAN'T DO THIS!" at this point Tayuya broke down into tears, her eyes practically being a broken dam.

For some odd reason, despite knowing that Tayuya is, or rather was, an enemy, Naruto felt the need to hold the smaller girl close, and try to comfort her. And so, he did, pulling her right up against him so her face was buried into his chest. He started raking his free hand through her long hair. "Hey, hey…Tayuya…It'll be okay. I'm sure of it…"

"H-how can you say that? We-were you not listening to what that old fucker just said?" she cried, though her voice was muffled through the fabric in her face. Strangely she didn't even attempt to back off from the embrace, instead choosing to hold onto the front of Naruto's jacket. "We're being made to get married. And I've just been told to get pregnant!"

"I know…I know…don't worry Tayuya, I'm sure there's some way out of it…" he replied, continuing to let his hand dance through the red hair, taking note of how soft if felt despite the fact that she had been kept prisoner for the past few years.

"B-but t-there isn't a way out. A-and I'm probably gonna get abandoned like the lonely bitch I am. And the old fucker will abandon me, like I've the last time I was abandoned. And that old hag will leave me. And you'll probably abandon me, or use me to get your shitty clan back up and then leave me alone!" she continued to sob into Naruto's chest, dampening it.

Naruto grabbed Tayuya by the shoulders and stepped back, so that he could look into her eyes. "Hey, Tayuya…please stop crying…you looked p-prettier when you weren't." he said with a small blush on his face. Tayuya gasped at that, and gained a small blush of her own. "And don't worry, I'm not gonna force you into anything. And I won't abandon you either." That promise confused Naruto as he said it. Why was he saying it? This girl was an enemy! She stole his best friend and helped kill his previous Hokage! But it felt right to say it…maybe that's why.

"W-wha-…?" Tayuya whispered.

"If we have to do this, then if you want we can just not talk for the whole time. But I suppose I'll have to help you with the pregnancy." He suggested to the girl stood in front of him.

"W-wait…why are you being so nice to me jackass? I'm your enemy…I mean considering all I've done shouldn't you want to kill me? You have a perfect opportunity to do it right now…" Tayuya asked.

Brown eyes stared into blue ones, as the boy with those blue eyes thought over his answer. Why was he being nice? "I guess it's because I'm just a nice person…I know what it's like to have a crappy life and have no friends…and I guess I can forgive people easily."

"But I took that dick with the hair that looks like a duck ass from you! And I nearly killed pineapple head. Not to mention I assisted in the killing of that old guy who was your Hokage" she sniffled, tears still dropping from her eyes, though it was a significantly smaller amount.

"Y-yeah, you did." Naruto's eyes dropped, before lightening up because he knew that this was the right thing to do, somehow. "But those things were orders from that snake bastard, Orochimaru. If I were you I'd probably do it without a question. I mean I've seen how strong and scary he is, and you were under direct orders so you had to do it, so I guess I forgive you. In terms of Sasuke, we're trying our best to track him down and get him back every day, I even made a promise to do it, so don't worry about that. As for you, I guess you're a part of the Leaf now, so I kinda have to be nice to you, because that makes you one of my precious people. I can't let you die now." The saying 'precious people' sent a warm wave to Tayuya's heart, making her feel better about herself.

The two stood in silence for a few seconds, before Tayuya asked a question, changing the subject. "Earlier, when you said I looked pretty…did…did you mean it?"

Naruto eyes then widened. He hadn't actually realised that he said it out loud. "U-uhh…yeah…I kinda did…heh…" he then took a moment to look over the slightly older girl. She had certainly grown over the past few years, and had gotten much prettier. She was taller, though not as much as he was now. Tayuya had that pretty, long red hair, that he for some reason liked. Unknown to him it was because his mother had the same kind of hair, but he just assumed he had a natural liking for the colour red. She had those brown eyes that he felt he could get lost in. Her body had become more woman like, and her face was very clean and cute.

Tayuya's face then gained a large blush spread across it, but she didn't try to hide it, instead taking a moment of her own to look over the boy. Naruto had grown a lot since she last saw him. Tayuya remembered being taller than him, but now he was at least a head taller than her. His face had lost the baby fat, and his cheeks were more accented. His eyes were a pretty shade of blue. He had those cute whisker marks on each of his cheeks, that she kind of wanted to touch and see how they felt. He had that yellowy blonde, spiky hair that Tayuya wanted to run her own fingers through at some point. All in all, Naruto was a very handsome man.

Tayuya then thought about what she was being made to do. She was being given a second chance at life. A second chance to grow up, and to have a family. To make a family. Truthfully Tayuya had always wanted to have children of her own. The thought had crossed her mind many times, but there was no way she would consider doing it with any of the little shits back in Oto. She thought about her team as prime examples. First there was that fat asshole, then there was the dick with way too many arms. Next was the shit face who had a second shit face attached to him, and finally there was that creepy fucker who apparently was never told that bones are supposed to stay in your body. Tayuya couldn't remember their names though, it had been too long, but those descriptions were enough for her. She then spared another glance at the blonde boy in front of her. He was good looking, and probably was strong, and according to what she now knew about his clan, would be a good husband and father.

The possibility of having a second chance and having a family with the blonde shithead in front of her suddenly didn't sound too bad. "Hey, shithead?" she asked, gaining his attention from looking over her. "What if...what if I do want this? What if I were up for being with…you…and doing…y'know…and making a baby?" Tayuya was very nervous from suggesting this.

"Y-you'd wanna have a b-baby? With me?" Naruto stuttered, receiving a nod. "I-I-I don't know what to say. I-I guess…I guess I'd be fine with that. Yeah…if what the old man said about our child being strong is true, then I guess I'm fine with it! And I bet you're actually pretty cool if I got to know you."

Tayuya looked up at Naruto, wide eyed with hope, trying to look for any signs of lying in his. She kept searching and searching, and found that there was none. "Really? And you'd wanna have a baby with me?" she asked, receiving a nod. Tayuya was overjoyed. Here was her second chance. Here was a chance at redemption, and at family. She didn't know how to react, so she took her first instinct which was to tackle Naruto to the ground in a hug.

"Hey! Hey!" he laughed. "Calm down, Tayuya!"

The girl then raised her head from his chest, planting her hands there to keep her steady. "Sorry shithead. I just…I just didn't know how to react. I'm just really happy!"

Naruto then pulled his future wife back against him, and chuckled in agreement. "Well I guess over the next few years we can get to know each other better, or whatever. I can take you out on dates and show you around the village, and stuff like that. We have plenty of time for this. Don't worry everything's gonna be just fine!" his future wife then nodded and nuzzled her face into his chest in agreement, while Naruto started to stroke his hand through her hair again.

The two then continued to lie there on the floor, talking out their future together for a little bit before Tayuya fell asleep in Naruto's arms, forgetting the fact that the old people from before were supposed to come back in at some point. Carefully picking her up bridal style, Naruto carried Tayuya over to a chair and sat down, keeping her in his arms. As a weird reflex, Tayuya curled up against him, her legs just barely hanging off the sides of the chair, while her chest slowly rose and fell as she took small breaths through a little gap in her mouth. Naruto took a few seconds to stare at the adorable sight right on top of him, thinking about how precious Tayuya looked right now.

Despite the peace of the situation, they had to let Tsunade and Danzo back in so they could say that they were fine with this and sign their names. Not wanting to get up, Naruto quickly put his hands into his all too familiar hand sign and summoned a single clone, mentally commanding it to let the others back in. The clone walked over to the door and quietly opened it, before dispelling itself. The elderly man and woman who had just re-entered the room looked at the sight in front of them, and then nodded at each other as if to say that they figured out what's going on.

"Naruto, mind waking Tayuya up?" Tsunade asked as she moved back to her seat, while Danzo did the same.

Naruto nodded and gently shook Tayuya, whispering into her ear. "Hey, wifey…it's time to wake up. We have to make this official." Tayuya then, after a few second, woke up and yawned, looking up into the clear blue eyes of the man she was going to be married to very soon. She then twisted in his lap and faced the elderly members of the room.

"I guess the decisions been made, correct?" Danzo asked, and a nod was sent by both teens, confirmed his suspicion, and so he pulled out a scroll from within his sleeve. "Good. Now I need you both to sign this with your chakra signatures, and then we can figure out the formalities."

The scroll was then passed over to Tayuya, who opened it and held it for both her and Naruto to see. After a quick read through of what it said, she sent some chakra through to her index finger and signed her name (only her first, since she didn't know her last), before handing it over to Naruto who did the same, but with his full name. And bam, they were married. It wasn't the dream wedding that Tayuya had always planned, but at least she was married, and it was to a decent person.

The now signed scroll was then handed back over to Danzo, and since the two teens, who were now married, figured that they were done here, they stood up from their shared seat. "Is it alright if you two do that by yourselves? I think I should probably take Tayuya to her new home and get her settled in."

"Yes, alright you do that Naruto" Tsunade agreed, giving permission for them to leave. "But before you do, to make this easier on everyone, make sure to address Tayuya as your girlfriend for now. It will bring up many suspicions if you are suddenly married, so it's for the best."

Naruto nodded, then turned to look at his wife, extending out a hand to her. "Ready to go home, Tayuya?"

Tayuya then placed her small hand into Naruto's larger one, and couldn't help the smile or the blush that now covered her cheeks. And with that, they started to head towards Naruto's apartment, or rather, their apartment. "So…Tayuya Uzumaki, huh?" The red head wondered out loud. "I like the sound of that." Her smile widened, and Naruto's did the same. And with that, they started to head towards Naruto's apartment, or rather, their apartment.

Despite the fact that letting Tayuya have a look around her new village would probably be a good idea, the two instead decided to just take the quickest route home and try and get a few more hours sleep since it was still early and most people were still sleeping. This didn't stop Tayuya from at least enjoying some of the sights, like actual open sunlight, no matter where you were, instead of the limited amount that you could only get from a hole in the ground in Oto, or from looking at the Hokage mountain with all 5 Kage heads modelled on it, from the 1st Hokage Hashirama Senju, to the 5th Tsunade Senju. All of it was a lot to take in for Tayuya, but she was glad that she happened to be worthy of this second chance.

After around 10 minutes of walking through the village (or rather, Naruto giving Tayuya a piggyback because she didn't know what that was, and she wanted to see what it was like. Naruto was more than happy to comply with this, trying to make his new wife feel as at home as one can be), they eventually made their way back to Naruto's apartment.

"Hey, Tayuya? Sorry if you don't like it, or anything. I don't really have much of an income, and you know, no family, so it's all I can afford. Old man Hokage bought it for me way back when I was young. And sorry if it's messy. I was out kinda late last night training and didn't have much time to clean."

Tayuya had an idea of who this 'Old man Hokage' was, but she wasn't sure, so she asked anyway. "Who's old man Hokage?"

Naruto gave a weird chuckle, seeing as it's the same Hokage she helped kill "Lord third, Hiruzen Sarutobi? The one you, you know…"

"Oh right, yeah. Anyway, who cares I'm sure it's better than what I had back with the snake fucker. And at least this time I've got someone nice to share it with." she quickly said, with a small blush. Naruto also gave a small blush.

The door to Naruto's…their apartment was unlocked, and to Tayuya's surprise it was actually mostly clean, since she was expecting it to be dirty because of what he apologised for. The only mess was a few used ramen cups lying around and some old clothes on the couch. "You said it was gonna be a mess in here."

"Well, yeah? I thought that to girls this counts as a mess. Sakura always says it is…just didn't want you to be mad, I guess." He apologised again.

Instead of accepting his apology, the fierce genjutsu user reached up and bashed him on the head. "Just because I'm a girl you think that I think that the smallest of messes is a disaster?!" Before Naruto had the chance to say sorry, she hit him onto the floor. "And who the fuck is this Sakura to tell you what to do? You've were talking about her earlier, and I don't give a damn what she thinks. I'm your wife, so whatever I say is what we go with, got it shithead?"

Getting up from the floor, Naruto cried out, though not fully as he's experience way worse hit's than that. Tayuya wasn't as strong as most kunoichi her age are, though that could do with the fact that she's a genjutsu user and was a prisoner so probably wasn't properly fed. "OW! TAYUYAAAAA! I'm soooorry…but don't hit me! I'm your husband, you can't hit me!"

"Exactly, you're my husband, so I can hit you all I want! And only I can hit you!" She argued. "Now, where's the fridge? I'm starved."

Tayuya stepped forward over the threshold, with Naruto following behind shortly after. "Uhh, the kitchen is just through there in the next room, and the bedroom is behind that door. Bathroom is on your right."

Making her way to the kitchen, Tayuya took notice of how at home she feels, despite not having a home in the past to compare it to. She then licked her lips in anticipation for food to come out the fridge, but was disappointed to find that there was only a half full carton of milk and a few eggs. "Shithead where's the fucking food?"

"There isn't any, I guess? Like I said I was out late training and so I didn't have any time to buy stuff. Plus, I pretty much just got back from a mission, so there's that."

His wife then twisted in place to face him. "Then go out and buy me something!"

Naruto gulped at the growl she gave. "It's still early out! None of the shops are gonna be open yet. Why does it matter though? I thought we came here to get some sleep, and then after we do that we can go out and get whatever you want!"

"Fiiine…but we ain't sleeping in the same bed, got it? You're taking the couch!" She ordered.

"But…but it's my apartment!" he complained.

Tayuya shot Naruto a glare. "It was your apartment, now it's ours. And I'm your wife so I get what I want!"

"But…"

"But nothing, shithead! Shut up and deal with it" the fierce little lady shouted as she walked into Naruto's bedroom. Said owner of the bedroom dropped himself to his couch with a frown on his face. It seemed that living with someone was harder than it sounded. And why was Tayuya suddenly acting this way?

A few minutes had passed and neither tenants of the apartment had managed to fall asleep. Naruto was constantly twisting and turning, trying (and failing) to find a comfortable position, while Tayuya found that she felt somehow uncomfortable with how she acted and with sleeping in someone else's bed, and just generally uncomfortable, though she hadn't been able to figure out what it was that made her feel that way. Clearly something had happened earlier that made her uncomfortable with lying alone, but what was it?

No…it couldn't have been…not shithead? It wasn't the natural warmth he gave off, right? There's no fucking way that by coming into contact with some random loser like him could have changed how Tayuya sleeps. That's downright impossible…but why did it feel like the truth? Maybe because she was now married? Maybe because she's never felt someone's warmth? Maybe because she knew that he would never abandon her? Maybe because…it was true? Eh, who the fuck cares for what the reason is. Tayuya was tired, and she needed her man to keep her comfortable.

"HEY, SHITHEAD!" she yelled from through the door. All she received was silence. "Shithead?" More silence came.

Now Tayuya was worried. Shithead wasn't supposed to abandon her. Shithead was supposed to be just outside the door, either sleeping or trying to get to sleep. Shithead hadn't mentioned going out for anything, and Tayuya hadn't heard anyone knocking at the door, so why the fuck was he not answering? Suddenly Tayuya felt her heart drop, and tears started to form in her eyes. But she wasn't a fucking pansy like those bitches she beat back in Oto for survival, no way! And so, she wiped and wiped away those tears, only to find more coming out than she could handle.

'No…I-I'm not like this…t-this…this isn't me…it's this dump of a village making me like this. I-it's Shitheads fucking fault for not answering me…' she thought to herself. Slowly the red-head made her way to the closed door of the bedroom. Tayuya then felt incredibly stupid, because she remembered that Shithead had a name other than Shithead, though she figured he would have answered anyway. Once she remembered what it was, she croaked it out through a wavy voice filled with the sounds of her sobbing. "N-n-Naru…Naru-to…?"

Within the second the male tenant of the apartment was in front of his wife, having quickly opened the door. Naruto had heard Tayuya call for him earlier, and he had heard her crying, but figured that since they were married she should try and call him by his actual name. It was a bit harsh, but if anything, it was good for the two of them. "T-Tayuya? Are you okay?" he asked, seeing a trail of tears behind her.

"Y-y-you c-could hear me…you f-fucking idiot…y-you…" Tayuya cried out, weakly hitting Naruto's chest, before being pulled flush against it. Naruto wrapped one hand around her shoulders, while the other went to hold Tayuya's head against his chest.

"Hey…hey, Tayuya. I told ya, I'm never gonna leave you, kay?" he whispered in a calm and soothing voice. Tayuya's sobs slowly softened, before coming to a stop. "Now come on, let's get you back to bed, alright?" Tayuya nodded, not saying a word.

Naruto then noticed the current attire Tayuya was sporting. By which he meant one of his shirts that, when worn by Tayuya, went down to just above her knees, covering her underwear. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks, something not missed by Tayuya. "W-what the fuck are you looking at?" she then followed his eyeline down to her clothing. "Oh, yeah, I borrowed one of your shirts. Your cool with that, right?"

"Y-yeah…y-you l-look…you look cute in it…" the yellow haired teen squeaked with a blush.

Tayuya stopped dead in her tracks, facing away from Naruto to hide her own blush. "F-fucking stop it…stop fucking saying nice things about me! I don't deserve it!"

"It's not my fault you're hot! I'm just pointing out what I see!" He argued.

"S-shut it!" She snapped back as she climbed back into Naruto's bed...her bed…their bed?

Naruto was about to step away, when he became confused at why Tayuya wanted him in the first place. "Hey Tayuya? Why'd you call for me anyway?"

Tayuya suddenly froze, remembering the reason why, and then noting how that meant sleeping next to Naruto. In the bed. Close together. Next to Naruto. In the bed. In the dark. Next to Naruto. In the bed. "I…I couldn't sleep…"

"Oh. Want me to get you a glass of milk, or something?" Naruto figured that would help. It always helped him, if his body being sore from training wasn't enough.

"N-no…I was…I was wondering if you…could sleep with me?" Tayuya than realised what that sounded like. "THA-THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! Not like sleep sleep…but like…sleep next to me? Keep me warm, That kinda thing?"

Figuring that they would probably have to do this eventually, and that they might as well get used to it, Naruto agreed with the idea. "Sure, I guess I can do that." He made his way to the side of the bed, gently lifting the covers. "You sure?"

"Yes, just get in here already!"

Naruto slipped under the covers, keeping a distance between him and Tayuya because he didn't want to be seen as perverted by her. Yet to his surprise, Tayuya backed up against him, so her back was right up against his chest. "Tayuya?"

"I said I wanted you to keep me warm! So, keep me warm shi…Naruto." Tayuya remembered that Naruto wouldn't enter the room without being called by his actual name earlier. "Hey, I'm uhh…sorry for how I acted earlier. I shouldn't have ordered you around like that…"

"No, there's no need to apologize. It's fine, you're just not used to this kinda thing. But if it helps, I forgive you." He cut her off. Letting a few seconds pass to see if his wife would try to say anything else, Naruto carefully snaked his open arm around Tayuya's waist, keeping her secure against him. She let out a little squeal at the unexpected manoeuvre, but she appreciated it so she didn't say anything. If this what having someone be there for you was like, then Tayuya could certainly get used to this. After whispering out a "Goodnight" to each other, both teens fell asleep with a smile on their face.

A few hours later Naruto was once again rudely awakened due to some loud knocking against his door. And because Naruto only knew once person who would knock that loud, he knew that Sakura would probably be here to ask him questions about why he was called to the council chambers.

Hoping that if he stayed silent long enough Sakura would go away, Naruto decided to do just that, though it was to no avail as the knocking continued.

"For fuck's sake Naruto, just answer the damn door already…" Tayuya complained, tightening her grip on Naruto's arms which were still wrapped around her, despite what she was telling him to do.

Naruto carefully removed himself from Tayuya, and sluggishly made his way over towards the door, already missing the feeling of being wrapped around her. Tayuya too missed the added warmth, so she followed him out of the bed, but chose to wait by the bedroom door to see who was doing the knocking in case she felt threatened by whoever it was.

Waiting for a pause in the knocking, Naruto placed his hand on the door handle, before opening it and readjusting his eyes to the sunlight. "Hey, Sakura. Whaddya doing here? I thought you were supposed to be working at the hospital."

"I'm on my morning break right now. I came over as soon as I could because I wanted to know why Lady Tsunade called for you so early." She replied.

'Called it!' Naruto let out a yawn. "Oh, right, yeah. That. Uhh…it's nothing important. Just some…personal stuff. Not sure if I'm allowed to tell you yet. Don't worry about it though, nothing's wrong. But I don't see why…" he drifted off as he noticed Sakura's eyes drop down to his waist.

"Naruto? Why do you have a second pair of arms? Whose arms are those around you?" Sakura asked, confused by why there even was another person in Naruto's apartment in the first place. Sakura had never actually stepped foot inside it, she had only gone to the door and that was it.

A warm and fuzzy feeling went through Naruto's chest at the sudden embrace from behind. He grinned and the lifted his arm to let Tayuya move around to his side. She did so and placed her head on his shoulder and one hand on his chest, and to keep her there Naruto wrapped his hand around her shoulders. "Sakura, I'd like you to meet Tayuya. Tayuya, Sakura."

"What's up pinkie?"

Ok now Sakura was really confused. First there was a second person in Naruto's apartment. Then it turns out that person is a girl, and a good looking one at that. Next, this girl and Naruto wrapped their arms around each other. And now that she mentioned it, the girl was wearing one of Naruto's shirts!

"I'm sorry Naruto, but…what's going on?"

The yellow haired shinobi sighed. Sakura was supposed to be the smart one, right? "This is Tayuya. She's my girlfriend and she lives here with me!"

Wait now he had a girlfriend who was living with him?!

"Wha-…H-how long has this been going on for?" The pink haired student of the 5th Hokage asked, still confused by the whole situation.

Tayuya spoke up. "I'd say 3, maybe 4 hours. Give or take. Why pinkie? You never had a boyfriend before?"

Sakura blushed and looked to her feet, knowing that she had never had a boyfriend before. "N-no…" She was saving herself for Sasuke, and there was no way in hell that she was gonna accept one of Naruto's invitations for a date. Though since he had a girlfriend now that won't be happening again, she supposed. "WAIT I STILL DON'T GET IT! What on earth happened at that meeting Naruto?"

Both teens standing in the doorway sighed. "I told you. I was talked to about some personal stuff, and then I got a girlfriend!"

"How are you talking about it like it's normal?"

Tayuya decided to take this one. "Well I think we both know that Naruto's not exactly normal, pinkie." She answered, earning a small nudge from Naruto.

The female member of Team 7 gave up with asking these sorts of questions, because Tayuya was right. Naruto wasn't exactly normal, and so whatever happens around him most likely isn't normal either. "Sorry, what did you say your name was, again?" she asked. It sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place her finger on where it was from.

"Seriously, you forgot already? I thought medics were supposed to be smart" the red head mocked. "It's Tayuya."

Tayuya…Tayuya…why did that name sound so familiar? No…it couldn't be…she couldn't be THE Tayuya, the very same one that Sakura had heard about from Shikamaru. The very same genjutsu user who stole her precious Sasuke away from the village, away from her. But it was. This Tayuya stood next to Naruto was the same Tayuya from 3 years ago.

"You…" The pink haired medic started shaking with anger "…you bitch…" she whispered with a growl.

"Huh, what was that? You're gonna have to speak up. Just because I'm from the Sound Village doesn't mean I have better hearing." The red head commented.

Sakura channelled a bunch of chakra into her fist, stepping forward towards the couple in front of her. "YOU BITCH! YOU STOLE SASUKE FROM ME. HOW DARE YOU STAND THERE LIKE YOU DID NOTHING WRONG!" Sakura swung her fist forward, aiming for Tayuya's face, hoping to kill her for her crimes.

Tayuya froze in fear, not being able to move an inch. She was supposed to be pardoned of her crimes, and given a new chance at life here. Pain wasn't supposed to exist for her anymore, but here she was, with a fist headed her way.

All seemed like it was going to plan for Sakura, until at the very last second, her wrist was caught by Naruto. "HEY!" he threw Sakura onto the floor of the walkway outside the door, voice deep in a growl. "Don't you dare try to hurt my wife like that!"

Wait…now Naruto's girlfriend was his wife?! The hell was going on?

Sakura slowly and cautiously got up from the floor, the impact having caused quite a bit of pain, showing that the orange clad shinobi must have put a lot of force into his defense. "Ow, Naruto. That hurt!"

"So what if it did? You've hurt me tons of times before! And you tried to attack my wife!" Naruto growled back, his eyes looking more like red slits than the normal blue ones.

There it was again! He said wife, not girlfriend! "Did…did you just say wife?"

"I did?" he asked, receiving a nod from the female member of Team 7. "Aahh crap. Tayuya, I messed up!"

Under normal circumstances Tayuya would probably have punched him or shouted at him, but Naruto had just saved her life, and was providing her with love and care, so she decided to give him this one. "That's alright shithead. I probably would have done the same thing." His wife replied, hiding behind him.

"Ok, Sakura, I'm gonna need you to keep this a secret. I wasn't meant to tell you that Tayuya is my wife. It just slipped my tongue."

"B-but she…but she tried to kill Shikamaru…and she took Sasuke away" the medic weakly cried.

Naruto sighed, remembering that the girl he now had to protect was the one who had done those things. "I know."

"And she's evil! She's a criminal!"

"She was evil, and she was a criminal. Not anymore." He replied.

Sakura was at a loss for words. How could Naruto be so accepting of her despite what she had done. "So why are you looking after her? Why is she your wife?!"

"Because she just is!" was the answer. "I went to the meeting. I got told some stuff. I got married. That's all you're allowed to know, actually it's more than you should know."

The pink haired girl was still lost for words. Tayuya should have been killed years ago. She didn't deserve to live for what she had done. Naruto shouldn't be looking after her. "But I…"

"But nothing. Sakura, I need to you not tell anyone about this. Maybe one day I can tell you the details of what's going on, but for now that's all you will know. So please, don't tell anyone Tayuya is my wife. I'm pretty sure it's kinda illegal for anyone else to know. If you talk about her, say she's my girlfriend."

"But…"

Naruto sighed again. "Just stop it Sakura. Tayuya is my wife, and I won't allow you, or anyone else for that matter, to hurt her." Hearing that, Tayuya's cheeks became covered in a deep blush, and her stomach flipped. Naruto really was a great guy, seeing as he was already defending her like that. "Now if you excuse us, we're gonna get changed and then head out to do stuff." He closed the door in Sakura's face, leaving her to mull over the news given to her. After a minute, Sakura left to go find find someone to talk to about this. Or to find a tree to punch. Should she be happy for Naruto, now that he had someone in his life? Or should she stay mad, because Tayuya took her precious Sasuke away from her and the village? Sakura didn't know, and it frustrated her.