Who Are You?

14

"So what happened last night?" Mai asked as we were watering the various flowers the next morning.

Her question had me fighting to keep the grin off my face. I looked over at her, only to see her smiling back at me, a glint in her eye. She knew! I decided to play a small prank on her and get her back.

I forced a tear to sting my eye and pretended to sniffle. "I-I don't want to talk about it, Mai-Chan. C-can we just... forget it?"

I heard her sharp intake of breath and I knew I got her. I felt her pat my shoulder and I turned to face her, seeing sympathy in her expression.

"I'm really sorry, Naruto-Chan! I thought for sure Hashirama-Sama's plan would work out..." her voice trailed off.

"What plan are you talking about? Is that why Madara-Sama seemed so surprised about the letter and flower when I mentioned them?"

She looked at me sadly. "Yeah... He thought that with the way you two were looking at each other, there was some spark and wanted to help you out. I guess he was wrong, though, judging by how heartbroken you seem."

I couldn't hold it anymore. I burst out laughing, startling her.

"Naruto-Chan?" Mai's eyes were wide.

"Mai-Chan, I'm sorry for tricking you, but I just had to do it! I couldn't allow you and Hashirama-Sama to get away with trying to set us up like that!"

"What are you talking about? Do you mean you're not really that upset?" She was befuddled, and I couldn't exactly blame her. I had just played a pretty cruel prank on her and since I hadn't actually done that to anyone in this time before now, it made sense that she didn't understand.

"In all honesty, Madara-Sama and I figured it out when I told him of the letter and flower. I was truthfully upset when he asked why I called him out, because according to the letter I had received, he was the one who wanted to meet me so it wasn't quite clear to me what he meant. When I told him about my own letter, he said Hashirama-Sama's name under his breath, and I knew instantly that it was his doing."

"So what truly happened last night?" Mai wondered aloud.

"As I was getting ready to leave due to feeling heartbroken, because I didn't understand what had happened, Madara-Sama grabbed me from behind and confessed his love to me, and then asked for permission to court me. It was quite romantic and sweet really. After we ate dinner, as we were about to go our separate ways for the rest of the night, he... he kissed my cheek. I could not get rid of the smile on my face for the rest of the night!" I responded excitedly.

Mai's eyes lit up brightly, and I could just see the joy in her expression. She was happy for the two of us.

We finished watering the rest of the flowers quickly, and then headed into the house for some lunch before I remembered that Madara-Sama had been in such a hurry that morning he forgot his own on the table. I decided it would be a great idea to bring it to his office, although that was mostly an excuse just to see him before he got home that night.

I asked Akashi to escort me there, and we set off, stopping to pick up the forgotten bento on the way in order to make my excuse believable.

When we reached what would one day be the Hokage tower, we both walked in, though he stayed out in the hallway when I knocked on Madara-Sama's door and entered the office.

"Naru-koi? What are you doing here? And what did I say about leaving the neighborhood without an escort?" Madara-Sama asked with clear concern and suspicion in his voice.

I simply pointed toward the door and then lifted the Bento. "You left your food on the table when you left this morning, so I thought I'd bring it to you. As for an escort, Akashi-kun is standing outside the door waiting to take me back later. He's just giving us privacy. Don't worry about it."

He stood up from behind his desk and walked closer to me. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead, causing me to let out a soft giggle. I never giggled before. It was an odd sensation. I didn't mind it though. He took his Bento from me and set it down on the desk before returning his arms around me. I laid my head on his chest and simply enjoyed his warmth.

"So what was your real reason for coming here today?" Madara-Sama asked. I cursed mentally. Somehow this man had figured me out too quickly.

"I wanted to see you..." my voice dropped lower, "and find out if you had a chance to talk to Hashirama-Sama about his tricks from last night."

I felt more than heard his chuckle as it rumbled through his chest.

"I did in fact have a chance to confront him about that. He said he was sorry for his tricks and won't be pulling them again."

'In other words, you tied your friend up and forced him to apologize, and he most likely will pull the same stunt at a later date,' I thought with a deadpan expression. Instead of saying it out loud, of course, I simply nodded at my potential mate, and stepped back.

"You should eat your bento before it goes bad," I said. 'Or before Hashirama-Sama decides to drop in for a visit and eats it himself,' went unsaid.

Madara-Sama gave me a nod and turned around, returning to his seat. I followed after him, wanting to do something before I left the room.

The second he sat down, I whispered in his ear, "I love you, Mada-Sama," before I kissed his cheek and swiftly left, my own cheeks aflame with heat. I couldn't believe I had actually done that! I grabbed Akashi's haori sleeve and dragged him along with me as I left the building, not wanting to deal with the embarrassment of my actions.

Six months later, Mada-Sama officially asked me to marry him and be his mate... And that's when shit started going downhill...