Fairytale Happiness

Six

Naruto makes sure Naruka is bundled up as they go back to get into the car. Naruto didn't want to bring his daughter along for the visit but there was no way he was going to argue with Ino, Karin, Sakura and Ayame and win so he reluctantly agreed to bring his daughter along for the visit.

Its a whole lot more windy than it should have been today even with the sun shining brightly in the sky. But, Naruto didn't mind. The weather was perfect for him. This was the perfect weather see go and see his wife and so Naruka can see her mother for the first time since she was three.

He and Naruka stopped by the store to get a picnic basket along with some fruits, veggies, Shion's favorite wine (the same they drank at their wedding), before going back to the house to prepare a few dishes. He wanted everything to be perfect for his wife so she could be just as surprised as she would happy to see her husband and daughter.

Together, the two make sandwiches and snack trays with Naruto arguing with Naruka for her sneaking and eating some of the strawberries saying she's eating them all up from him. The little girl stuck her tongue out at her dad and Naruto couldn't help but smile and toss a grape at her.

Time came for them to leave out and Naruka chose to take a nap in the car so she could be wide awake when she sees her mother not wanting to miss a second of her presence.

The drive will take about an hour and a half so Naruto listens to some music while his daughter is asleep on the backseat.

As he drives, he thinks back on the conversation he had before he left the school earlier with his daughter's teacher.

"Where is Naruka-san's mother?" Hinata asks.

Naruto's eyes widen a bit and he doesn't answer her for a while. Hinata thinks she's offended him by asking and apologizes, "I'm sorry if I've overstepped my limitations sir."

Naruto shakes his head, "No no. It's fine. I'm just curious as to where that question came from all of a sudden."

Hinata looks at her favorite student, "Naruka-san speaks very highly of her daddy. She's loves you and you're her hero. She talks about how cheeky you are whenever you two talk. She says you apologize to her when you're running late from work even though she knows you're working hard for her."

Naruto's eyes widen at hearing this.

Hinata continues. "She jokes about how her aunts scold you all the time about running late but they always expect you to be late so they make sure to give her their attention in your absence. She brags about how when she's sick you refuse to go to work because you don't want anyone near her even though you don't really know what you're doing."

Hinata giggles and Naruto chuckles agreeing with her.

"And earlier today, she called me..." she pauses unsure if she should continue.

Naruto looks at her worriedly. "What? What did she call you?"

Hinata sighs and takes off her glasses still looking at the little girl. "...mommy." She then looks at Naruto with her delicate lavender eyes, "She called me mommy."

Naruto's whole world crashes. Not because of what Hinata has said. But because he sees first hand why Naruka thought Hinata was her mother. She is the splitting image of Shion just with midnight blue hair. Her eyes, the softness in her voice, her smile, it all reminds him of the love of his life. Naruto fights back a tear as he sees a flash of Shion when Hinata suddenly smiles at him.

He sighs and smiles but this time a smile he usually gives his daughter only. "I can clearly see why she would call you that. Everything about you reminds me just as much as her of her mother."

Hinata blushes a bit.

Naruto continues, "Don't take any offense to her calling you mommy. Maybe its a bond that is building between you two and she feels comfortable calling you that. If you don't mind, I don't mind. But if it makes you feel uncomfortable, I can make her stop."

Hinata interjects, "Oh. No. I don't feel that way. Its just...I was a bit caught off guard."

She then side glances at him, "Is her mother still around?"

Naruto sighs pulling into the gated community.

He arrives at his destination and lightly taps his daughter to wake her up. Naruka doesn't budge so he goes and sets up the picnic alone.

"Yeah. You can say that."

After setting everything up, he retrieves his still sleeping daughter and goes back to the blanket.

"So...where is she?"

Naruto gives Shion the flowers Naruka picked out for her and the woman smiles. "Thanks Naruto-kun. She's gotten big." Naruto nods and lies his daughter down on the blanket before turning back to his smiling wife.

"She's around."

He pours up a glass of wine for himself and then for his wife who gives him another smile. "I see you remembered."

He nods, "I'll never forget."

"Well, why doesn't Naruka-san get to see her very often?"

Naruto holds his wine glass up to toast his wife. "Happy Birthday my love."

"Because her mother died three years ago."

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Author's note: This was a very hard chapter to write because my research came from my god father and how he still feels about my late god mother.

To all of you Shion haters out there, I purposely chose Shion to be Naruto's girlfriend and wife from the start because I want you all the see the difference in the writing styles of myself and other authors. I can take two characters you guys hate (Shion and Karin) and turn them into two people you would adore.

Moral of the story: Don't hate the character. Hate their role in the story.