Chapter 55 : Heaven and Earth(3)

After debriefing with the Lord Hokage, Naruto and Kakashi went their separate ways. If you knew Kakashi the way Naruto did, you knew that he was probably on his way to the Memorial Stone.

The scarecrow always went there after missions to talk to his teammates that had already passed. He'd talk for hours about anything and everything, or just stay silent and keep them company. Kakashi was a man of his word, and even in death, he never abandoned his comrades.

Naruto on the other hand decided to take a walk up the Hokage Monument. Here, standing on his hero's, his father's head, he could think clearly. There was a lot on his mind.

He wanted Itachi out of the Akatsuki as quickly as possible. He, more than anyone, deserved a place in Konoha.

He wanted Sasuke to be at the point where he could be told the truth of his clan and Itachi. Every day Danzo still drew breath was infuriating. It was time for him to die.

He wanted to be with Mei, to feel her soft skin against his once again. He sometimes dreamt of her beautiful auburn hair. She was always on his mind, and he hated himself because of it.

He wanted to be with Anko, the way he knew she wanted. He could feel her, even outside of the village, all the time. He had synced with her, he knew her better than anyone else in the world. She was always on his mind, and he hated himself because of it.

He wanted a lot of things, but he found himself in a very mortal-like position; he didn't know how to acquire what he wanted.

Itachi needed to stay in the Akatsuki. Even though Naruto was most likely stronger than any of them, it was never okay to become arrogant. It would be unintelligent of him to just pull Itachi out. They needed someone on the inside.

Sasuke needed this time to get used to Naruto as a mentor, so telling him something like Itachi killed his entire family for his village probably wasn't the smartest idea right now. Once Sasuke was ready, he would be told the truth, about everything.

Mei and Anko were the only things he wasn't sure about. How could he be with both of them? He wasn't delusional, women didn't just share. Two women accepting one man to love at the same time was something you'd read in a crappy smut story.

This was real life, and he had no idea what he was going to do. He loved them both, and if he couldn't have them both, then he wouldn't have either of them. There was no way he could pick one over the other. And he didn't really know anyone he could talk to about it.

His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten in a while, and he was craving Hayate's food. That's when it hit him. Hayate had become very close to him, and had become someone he could trust. He needed another's opinion. He needed advice. He needed help, or he'd go crazy over it.

Obstacles that he couldn't just blast through were a new and not very pleasing experience for him.

His stomach growled again. He really needed to get home, for more reasons than one.

"So what do you think I should do?" Naruto had spent the better part of an hour describing his conflicting emotions about the two women he loved. The two of them were sitting in the kitchen again, a common accruing place they conversed in. An empty plate lay in front of Naruto on the dining table they were sitting at.

Hayate was a little blown away. He knew he was a lot closer to the blond, but for Naruto to come to him for advice was something he didn't think would happen. Ever. It was strange; the special jonin had always seen Naruto as a perfect soldier, someone who didn't have problems like this. And really, he didn't. Well, not until females came into his life.

"Well, to be honest, I have no experience in this kind of thing." He took a second to think. "I've only ever loved one woman in my entire life. Yeah, I've had girlfriends before, but love was something that came when I was older and met Yugao." Naruto couldn't help but smile at the way Hayate spoke about his nee-chan. "But two women at once…" He looked hesitant.

"Please, just speak your mind. I want to hear what you have to say, no matter how brutally honest it is." The Uzumaki said. He really wanted to hear the man's opinion.

"Well, to me, if you fall in love with two women, then the second one should be the obvious choice."

"And why's that?" Naruto asked.

"Because… if you truly loved the first woman, then you probably wouldn't have fallen in love with the second." Hayate finished. Naruto sighed – he'd have to show him then.

"May I show you something?" He asked, holding his hand out.

Hayate raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure." He gave the blond his hand.

When their hands touched, images that he had never seen washed into his mind. Smells that he had never smelled floated around in his nose. Feelings he had never felt for women that he was never close to found their way into his heart.

He could feel lips touch his own that he had never tasted before. It was the strangest thing in the whole world. It could be described in one word, it was love. Naruto had, somehow, shown his feeling for both Mei and Anko to the special jonin, and he had never felt such strong, and very much equal, love before in his life. No, that was a lie.

Naruto smiled. The link between the two was open both ways. When Yugao came up in Hayate's mind, all of the man's emotions for her came with it. Naruto was now absolutely sure that Hayate was the only man in the world who deserved her. His love for the moon-flower was just as much as Naruto's love for Mei and Anko.

There was an understanding between the two that night. Hayate had Naruto's blessing, and he knew it. And Naruto had another brother, and accepted it. His family was about to get a little bigger.

Looking into his eyes, Hayate knew what he needed to say to his soon to be brother-in-law. He smiled though, because he was sure Naruto already knew.

Don't let either of them go. Ever.

I won't.

They're worth fighting for.

I know.

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