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New Day

~~~Kushina~~~

Kushina awoke in a blushing heat. The kiss with Mikoto had been her last thought before falling asleep and the first when waking up, a hot, uncomfortable sweat over her. Seeing the ceiling over her bed – formerly Naruto's – materialize from a very cloudy dream involving another kiss that suffered no interruption aside from waking, she sat up quickly, the covers thrown from her body. Wide-eyed, she looked ahead at the wall, and then inspected the room. Everything in order; no Mikoto in sight… The mat on the floor that Naruto had taken out for his own comfort had been deserted; not made and put away, but jostled and empty.

She was left to assume that she was alone, for Naruto was too active to shuffle around the house for long. She took that with a heavy sigh. Good, she didn't want to see her son just yet, not so soon after a very vivid dream about his best friend's mother. Well, she was her best friend first, which laid claim to her before all else.

A new day! No other way to look at it, and nothing to lament so far, right? Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stretched out in her rouge button-up pajamas. "Okay!" she enthused herself, pumping her right arm and touching her muscle with her other hand like a contractor before a challenging job. "A new day," she reiterated. A new day to meet challenges! A new day for new victories! A new day… with Mikoto.

She flushed and giggled to herself, feeling spry. She hadn't felt like this since Minato rescued her from the Cloud rogues. After that gallant rescue, Kushina had developed quite the crush on him, though he had already confessed that his own feelings. She'd just been immature about it; some light-stalking, over-aggressive and disagreeable whenever they talked, wanting him to work for the catch. But he always smiled, and her sternness turned to jelly.

Her love for her husband was forever, but the flesh still yearned regardless of the heart. And will broke when the yearning persisted. Why not Mikoto, she thought giddily, picking out enticingly red underwear from her panty drawer. The come-hither underwear were purchased more for her own appeal, not to lure anyone, but with Mikoto, it wouldn't hurt to be alluring.

Who else but Mikoto should she go after, anyway?! Aside from Mebuki – whom she'd longed to spank and subvert from a childhood rivalry – Kushina's wanton feelings for the opposite sex had always fallen on Mikoto. Beautiful, charming, almost the female version of her husband… And now knowing that Mikoto had similar – maybe not as brazen – feelings for her, Kushina wanted to take that chance.

Mikoto was always drinking tea at the dango shop around this time, Kushina planned, heading for the restroom. And that was where she'd entice her!

The bathroom door – slightly ajar – was pushed open, and Kushina had just enough time to see her son's flaccid but meaty cock swing upward over his quickly-ascending boxers, slapping underneath his navel before swiftly disappearing beneath the waistband. "Mom!" shouted the surprised Naruto, his complexion ghostlike while his mom stalled, eyes trained to that particular area as the second layer came up hastily, buttoning and zipping to guard his already-ruined modesty.

"Na-Naruto!" she finally stammered out like Hinata. Finally, when it was already too late, she swung her eyes around and shielded them with a hand. "I thought you left already!"

"I was changing!" Naruto shouted back, facing the way opposite to Kushina's eyes. "Shikamaru and the others wanted to meet up today! You were supposed to knock!"

"I said I thought you were gone!" Kushina fussed, turning back to him, stomping a foot and throwing her fists down at her side like a scorned kid. "Why didn't you close the door all the way?!"

Naruto had no answer to that. Really, after years alone, it just was natural not to need privacy in his own house. He continued to avoid his mother's gaze, and she respectfully looked away while he edged along the wall. But this unnecessary method got on her nerves quickly, and before he passed her, her wrath spat fire at him. "Don't walk around me like I'm contagious, alright?!"

"Yeah," shouted an afraid Naruto. He leapt through the nearest exit – the opened window of the bedroom – and went to seek out his friends. Hopefully, this awkward morning could be put quickly behind him.

Kushina huffed, shaking her head at her boy's strange manner. Just like his father, she mused. In more ways than one, she thought too, which made her groan and try to put the image away.

She dressed quickly, and while she had turned into a stickler for balanced meals and their importance, she overlooked breakfast. It was late anyway; she could grab something at the restaurant whilst seducing Mikoto and convincing her to come over to her empty home.

She walked the dirt path with a very distinct bounce in her step, though her arms and fists stayed stiff at her side. Yesterday, Mikoto had rejected her, but that was because of the circumstances, the sudden arrival or Akimichi Buta, and her own shyness. A night's rest surely put her in a more receptive mood.

Kushina replayed that kiss; Mikoto's first, and then her own… The way Mikoto's breasts fell into her hands, the silken smoothness of her flesh, the gentle tickle of her patch… Kushina moved quicker then, chewing on her bottom lip. It wasn't just anticipation. She wanted to see Mikoto. And, if it was all that could be taken today, another kiss…

Her heart stopped, and then swelled. There was Uchiha Mikoto, lovely as ever, sitting like the noble she was, elegantly sipping her tea with one hand grasping, the other cradling. She was so methodical, a creature of habit. The lips that Kushina had taken in the hot springs would taste like that tea, but they would burn hotter.

Unable to help herself, though her dress wouldn't allow a full sprint, Kushina dashed to her friend. "Mikoto," she called, waving her hand overhead, bringing attention to herself from more than just the Uchiha.

Mikoto met her eyes, and though Kushina was dazzling, she did not return the smile. Instead, her sight drooped as if lead, and then she halfway turned. She acknowledged Kushina, but she didn't look happy about it. Shame, Kushina guessed offhandedly; a noble shouldn't succumb so quickly to impulse, but Kushina didn't mind keeping the secret.

She giggled as she took the seat across from Mikoto, leaning in on her elbows and blushing in that cute way. "Good morning, Mikoto," she partly sang, her voice soft while the other diners returned to the solitude of their own conversation.

Mikoto's hands disappeared under the table, her tea left unattended. Again, her face moved just enough so that she wasn't looking at Kushina head on. "Good morning, Kushina," she politely offered back. Her onyx eyes came up and met Kushina's happiness head on. She shifted in her seat; a subtle move. "Have you plans for the day?"

"Nope" was the quick answer, and Kushina seemed most pleased about that. She leaned closer, an inch or two, yet Mikoto doubled that when she leaned back, now facing fully to the left and clearing her throat. This was not so subtle, and Kushina's joy dipped. "Um, I was just wondering…" Her finger moved out from her crossed arms to repeat a small circle on the table over and over. She looked up in that cute way again; that cute way that the Red-Hot Habanero could never make, the cute way that compelled Mikoto to let slip her desires for her longtime friend.

Kushina wasn't one to beat around the bush, but whenever she did, she regressed to a shy foreigner. She wanted to entice Mikoto to the hot springs again, but perhaps that was too straightforward and obvious of intention. "We haven't… gone to my place yet, y'know?" she forced out quickly. "I was thinking we could eat there." She looked up hopefully from her dizzying finger.

For a while, Mikoto was quiet, but not before giving a heavy sigh. "Kushina, I'm not sure that I should." She cut off, feeling something graze her knee. Was that…? She looked at Kushina, flabbergasted to see that the redhead had dipped dangerously low in order to reach a hand over to caress her friend's knee. The fingers danced and feathered higher up, Kushina not bothering to care how obvious and clearly her actions were to those around. Always the standout, Mikoto thought, huffing through her nose and sealing her mouth to a strict line. She harrumph softly, clearing her throat and turning her tight legs to the right, nearly sitting sidesaddle on her seat.

The abruptness of it and the obvious intention; Kushina drew back like a friendly dog had taken a snap at her fingers. Her wide eyes blinked several times, asking for an explanation. But the coldness of Mikoto's returned stare was enough for her. The surprise lessened, and Kushina held back the sneer that tried to make an appearance on her face. With a snort of her own, the hand that had touched Mikoto made a fist for her cheek to rest on as she turned away from her friend… or acquaintance, as it suddenly seemed.

She distractedly noticed that Anko and Kurenai were also in attendance at the restaurant; two friends as well. Wonder if they had complications like this, Kushina mentally scoffed. She was too busy to notice that Kurenai did not have her daughter in attendance; she knew even less that it'd become a chore of Konohamaru-chan's to watch the babe whenever his aunt wanted to get out of the house.

"Kushina," Mikoto said, her voice irritatingly soothing and mournful, "about yesterday, I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it, alright?" Kushina said outright, not giving her full attention. "It was your mistake." She wanted to goad Mikoto to act impulsively. The game of playing hard to get; Kushina didn't like it anymore. She wanted Mikoto to be honest and act honestly. If they had, without a care to their audience, Kushina would be across the table already with a hand shoved up Mikoto's dress.

But Mikoto's advantage was that she was more mature than to give into Kushina's bait. Gracefully, she stood up and conceded the uneaten dangos to Kushina. "It may be for the best that we spend some time apart."

And she walked away after that, even as Kushina turned on her with that sneer she'd been holding back. In her breast, her heart twisted. She'd not shed a tear since the first boy of Konoha shoved her to the ground. It'd been easier to shed blood, sending those boys and bullies home with busted jaws and bloody noses before she gave them so much as a snivel.

Eyebrows knitting, bottom lip pulling up and her chin crinkling, she shouted after the departing Uchiha, "Fine, alright?!" And at once, she helped herself to all of Mikoto's leftovers, even the half-finished tea.

The tea, she took her tip with, matching her lips to where Mikoto's had sipped, and just for a moment – even if stretched by her own imagination – they were touching again.

~~~Naruto~~~

"There's a hole at the hot springs!" Kiba (making his first appearance with the subtly of the 'Jaws' theme) laughed as copier straightens his bowtie and chortles pompously for his well-worked labors. Ayame's eyes flickered and her steady fingers flinched only for a moment, but she maintained her hostess' serenity as she set the pork ramen in front of him after already serving the other three at the bar.

Naruto sputter around his noodles, though Choji's gorging was noisier and covered up the telltale reaction. Not wanting to waste the precious ramen, though, he caught his breath and gulped the whole mouthful down before addressing Kiba. You know about that, he almost said, but that was too incriminating. Now wise to the Mothers Force, he had to be careful at what information he let slip. Hell, the head of the Force's son was sitting one seat over!

"I know," Shikamaru said flatly, letting Kiba's excited declaration fizzle. He prodded his soup with his chopsticks, ignoring Kiba's leer. "It's all my mom seems to talk about lately with the other moms."

"Your mom knows too?" Naruto stealthily interrogated, masking his interest behind another indulgence of noodles. Yet they held there expectantly as he waited.

"Yeah," Shikamaru answered, still pulling at his ramen. "It's really become a big issue, though Mom doesn't want Hokage-sama involved. Apparently they even bribed Anko-san to keep her silent and uninvolved. They want to catch the culprit and discipline him themselves."

Naruto breathed out in relief. Moms were easier to trick than a sadist whose fondness of sharp things and blood could make a man's blood run cold. Yoshino's power-hungry drive had done him a service!

"Heh! If they asked for my help, I could track down the one who made that hole, no problem!" Kiba boasted, concurred with by Akamaru's loud bark. "Of course, it wouldn't be for free. Let your mom know…"

"You're one of the prime suspects," Shikamaru ended Kiba's offer at once. Kiba's jaw dropped. "It shouldn't be surprising. You have been known to peek on women often. Second only to…" His eyes moved over to Naruto, and Naruto – who had been paying unusually close attention – immediately looked back to his food. A notion was formed in Shikamaru's brain, but he let it go with a sigh. Last thing he needed to do was start analyzing things like his mother. "It doesn't matter." At last, he began to eat, letting the topic of a hole carry on without him.

"Well, who cares who made it," Kiba blurted out thoughtlessly. He smirked, and as if to give the women of Konoha all the reason to suspect him, he leaned over toward Naruto, ignoring the annoyance on Shikamaru's face as his mealtime was crowded, and said, "How about we go check it out, Naruto? I think we'd be able to see something good." He snickered lecherously before a punishing ladle swung down on his skull.

"Don't make conspiracies to peep around a lady!" Ayame barked, the kindliness gone from her face as quick as her hand. Kiba recovered, wincing and rubbing his poor head. He gave an apology to her.

Naruto, regardless of Ayame's presence, replied to Kiba, "I don't think that'd be a good idea. Nee-chan is right." He smiled at her, and she smiled back with a compliment to his newfound maturity. She turned to help her father continue with the day's ingredient preparations, still none the wiser that it had been Naruto's glory that had overflowed in her mouth not too long ago at that mysterious portal.

"One of our moms could be bathing," Choji offered as well in his meek way. "It'd be best to give them privacy."

The lack of adventure and mischief sickened Kiba. He threw up his hands. "Well, my mom and sister are away! That means I'm free to do all the peeping I want! I'll let you know if one of your moms is there, so you won't look!" His idiocy got the ladle punishment again and another round of verbal chewing from lady Ayame.

Naruto gulped down the last remnants of his ramen and gave a heavy sigh. As if to prove himself ahead of Kiba in maturity, he clapped his hands together over the bowl with chopsticks ceremoniously placed across the rim and bowed his head in solemn reverence. "Thank you for the food, Nee-chan, Jii-san."

"Just one bowl? That's not like you, Naruto," Teuchi bellowed merrily as he took the dish back to be washed. He continued to smile at his best costumer. "I'll keep a bowl ready for you. If you don't come to get it, I'm sure your mom will!" Both he and Naruto snickered, but Naruto had to be off. He waved goodbye to all those he'd hung out with, though Kiba insisted that they hang out longer.

"Tch. Where does he have to be in such a hurry?" Kiba pouted and folded his arms. "Probably gonna peep without me." CLANK! "Ow!"

Maybe Naruto had nowhere in particular to go, but the matter of the hot springs was too engaging. Ayame-nee-chan was a woman apart from the Mothers Force, but a woman offended was a curse. He couldn't risk plotting or planning. And knowing that Kiba knew of the hole and blabbered about it also put stress on the situation. One good sniff, and he could point an accurate finger right at Naruto! Backed into a corner, what would Kiba be willing to do to escape punishment? He was already heading the list, right underneath Naruto himself. How long until they found some way to outright accuse the Inuzuka? How strong was his loyalty to his friends… his humanfriends? Was he as loyal as Konohamaru?

Naruto began to pick up the pace. Konohamaru, who he'd not seen since showing the Gloryhole Jutsu, who was a captive of the Mothers Force?! Not for his own protection, Naruto knew he had to free his most dedicated disciple! But where was he?!

"Oomph!"

One meets one's destiny on the path to avoid it, they say. Naruto just happened to meet Nara Yoshino at a crossroad, and she just happened to be hefting around a heavy bundle of blankets from the market. Their collision left clean sheets strewn across the dirt, though that paled in comparison when Naruto realized his haste had thrown Yoshino down too.

The matronly woman rubbed at her sore backside, aching from the sudden pitch. Naruto, having never had the best of relationships with her, stammered. Before she could open her eyes, he raced around and picked up each sheet from the ground, cradled it in the crook of one arm and offered his free hand to Yoshino. Yoshino glared, but accepted the assistance; not the apology that went with it.

"Naruto," she snapped, hands on hips in a way Naruto found far too familiar from his days of being the scholarly outcast. "What do you think you're doing running through a busy road?"

Naruto's eyes flashed left, then right; one old man hobbling westward and a stray cat snoozing on a crate in the east. Busy, it was not. The market was still a few corners down the way, and it never drew a racing crowd. Nonetheless, Naruto had learned when not to argue. All the same – though it was his fault – he apologized again. "Sorry, Yoshino-san." Gulping, he hoped his manners in this scenario would help mask the hot springs pervert's identity.

"Hmph! An apology doesn't get dirt out of blankets." She hissed softly, wincing as she rotated her wrist. Her hard eyes hammered against Naruto. "Well, you can make yourself useful and bring those blankets to my house." Without waiting, she headed towards the Nara household.

Naruto gulped and considered ditching her and the blankets. Hero, he was; savior of Konoha, but something warned him that Yoshino did not seem the type to be above an ambush. He heeded Buta's warnings well before plowing her. Konohamaru had been ambushed and caught. This could be an opportunity to free him… or join him.

"Actually," Naruto said with only half a thought, "I need to get home…"

To the hot springs…

"… because my mom…"

"Did she teach you poor manners too?" Yoshino barked over her shoulder, a vein crinkled at her temple.

Naruto flinched at her anger, his own provoked from the ill way she mentioned his mom. For her sake, if for no other reason, he steadied the loud mounted in his arms and followed. Eyes on her back, he observed her; not as an enemy, but as a woman. Hmm… The front wasn't much to brag about, not when mothers like Kurenai-sensei and Mikoto-san and his own mom strutted the streets.

Clearing his throat to his own comparisons, he chose to omit his mom from the equation. Beautiful as she was, it might not have been the best idea to categorize her amongst the women he thought were the sexiest in the village. Especially not when she'd been exposed to his nudity that very morning…

It wasn't long to reach the apartment, though the hill and subsequent stairs were harder for Naruto to navigate with half his vision blocked by the cloth bulk. Yoshino opened up for him, ushering him inside with a sharp "No sandals." He rolled his eyes, as if he'd be rude enough to track dirt inside. He blindly kicked them off; one rolled over the threshold onto the porch, and he heard Yoshino grunt disapprovingly. All the same, she closed the door, nudging the one sandal inside to the designated edge. "Follow me. We need to get these washed."

It seemed more like Yoshino harnessed a baggage boy instead of enlisting his help. "I can't see," Naruto eventually confessed when he saw the narrow walkways lined with vases, pictures and other artifacts.

To this, at least Yoshino was not snide. She was even somewhat helpful by snagging Naruto's wrist and leading him briskly through the rooms and halls until they got to the dark and secluded laundry room. A snug space; hardly any room for two people and a boatload of blankets. Naruto could remember a time he wished to be cramped like this with Sakura-chan. With Yoshino, admittedly, he had mixed feelings. Obvious fantasy came to mind, but so did the woeful thoughts of ambush… Yoshino, when her face was relaxed and could look like she could give a smile, was very pretty. Naruto swallowed and looked off while she prepped the machine.

"What have you been up to lately, Naruto?" A simple base for small talk between an older woman and a teenage boy, but Naruto had been taught to look underneath the underneath. Honestly, as he hid a smirk from her, the attempt was halfhearted and worthy of fooling him years ago.

"Training a lot," he said, and then, more boldly than he should have, he tagged on, "so I've been going to the hot springs often."

And sure enough, the mask of indifference flashed away, and the washing machine and her blankets were the furthest from her attention. Just as he had guessed, playing the mothers of Konoha was easy. Just what would it take to get allowance to hoist Yoshino atop the dryer and hump her underneath her dress?

Yoshino leered, eyes noticeably narrowing. Her glower was intense enough even to make the cocky boy lose his smile. "Is that so?" The lid of the washer closed with a slam, and Yoshino turned on him with a hand on her hip. Maybe baiting her wasn't so smart; Naruto chastised his arrogance. "Were you aware that the hot springs had been defiled?"

Naruto hesitated. If he wanted a challenge from the Mothers Force, he'd so incidentally walked into one. Kiba would have a good laugh at this if he found out. But Naruto was quicker on his feet than that. Ero-Sennin, after all, did not instill mere fighting tactics in his prized pupil. "A shinobi's life is deception," Jiraiya had told him when he set Naruto up just outside the door leading to a women's private hot spring. The lesson here, as it turned out, was to convince all the naked ladies that he had walked in just on accident. "And you must grab four breasts," Jiraiya included to increase the challenge. Naruto had ultimately failed, stumbling out with a fat lip, a heavy cranial bump, and two black eyes; but the jig was only up after the third squeezed tit.

"My mom always wants to go," he lied outright to Yoshino, adding a shrug for emphasis. "It always has to be a quick visit. I barely get enough time to sit down."

Yoshino was unconvinced. This brat… this pervert… this lecher's disciple… he was guilty, even if he and his understudy denied it. She was out of practice from her younger years at the academy, but she could look underneath the underneath too. Hers and Naruto's stares clashed, and it was like they both stood atop respective columns amongst an angry sea, the storm of wills flashing and thundering between them. If this was his game, Yoshino thought, it meant Kushina was the key to finding out.

Their silent, pensive stare contest ended abruptly with a sequence of knocks on the front door. Company? Not that Yoshino was expecting any… Huffing, feeling as if this interrogation was outright ruined, she took the load from Naruto's arms and told him to see who was knocking. "You can go then," she ended their interaction.

Naruto was happy to oblige, saying a kind goodbye for good measure, and then wove back through the household to let in whoever was on the doorstep. Probably Shikamaru, he thought with a snicker, too lazy to turn the knob. But who it turned out to be caught him off guard. "Mikoto?"

"Hmm? Naruto-kun?" The Uchiha mother gave a genuine look of surprise, given that he was the last person she'd expect to find in Yoshino's house. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just helping Yoshino-san with bed stuff," he answered nonchalantly. He knelt down and grabbed his sandal and put it on; the other, he had to awkwardly shuffle by Mikoto – at waist-level – and snatch up from the ground. She smelled good, he noted while fastening his footwear. He jumped up then. "Uh, but I'll be going now. See ya, Mikoto!" He was just on his second step when Sasuke's mom called out to him. He turned, wondering what this refined lady wanted to say to him.

Nothing long, but something important. "Stay around your mother more often," Mikoto advised him. Her hands clasped in front of her hips, and her head gave a subtle tilt. "I think she'll like more company."

An odd and specific request, but Naruto didn't linger on it. He gave her his word that his mom would not be lonely if he could help it, and away he went, down the path leading to wherever his feet cared to take him.

~~~Yoshino~~~

Mikoto's deliverance of news did not sit well with Yoshino. Yet all the same, Mikoto said it twice. "I don't think Naruto-kun is the one who uses the hot springs."

Yoshino stiffened her mouth. The noise of the washer faded into the background. "Why do you think that?" she ultimately asked. She might've been quite the nag and hardnosed to younger people, but Mikoto was a woman of high respect; of course, she had to overlook that Mikoto was in league with the revolting Uchiha. But loyalties and revivals and all that… Best not to blow up that mess to add layer after layer of "What about…?" questions.

"Akimichi Buta-san attended the hot springs at around the same time Naruto-kun had. If he were truly the culprit, Buta-san would likely have seen something suspect. There were no other men in attendance, after all. Buta-san gave no mention at last night's meeting."

Yoshino's eye ticked out of annoyance. Maybe Mikoto was covering for the sake of her best friend's son, but she had more integrity than that. The more likely reason was softhearted, child-friendly Buta either hadn't noticed or chose to ignore some sign of Naruto's debauchery. She daren't entertain the thought that Buta, wife of Choza and mother of Choji, had become an accomplice. The idea was too outlandish for her rather prudish perception to conceive. Though this was all moot; Yoshino wouldn't accept testimony from Buta unless she had Naruto strung up at the ankle, calling for his castration.

"I would suggest keeping a closer eye on the Inuzuka boy, Kiba," Mikoto added. As a part of the perceptive clan of the Uchiha, she identified Kiba as a plausible suspect, even overhearing his chatter to teammates and friends about peeping and whatnot. "His father retired and left Konoha after an incident with another woman that Tsume-san found out about. It fits to reason."

Yoshino had to agree. She preferred Kiba to Naruto, as he was a good motivation for Shikamaru – but it was a habit her son did not mimic – and he had better and more reputable upbringing. Still, the odds were against him if Mikoto vouched for Naruto and put Kiba in the crosshairs. And the Inuzuka had always been a promiscuous clan; just look how the daughter dressed, with her cleavage out for all men to ogle. One of the reasons she was glad to pay off busty, bra-less Anko. Yoshino knew she was bra-less after dropping some coins on the ground at Anko's feet; coming back up, Yoshino inadvertently bumped her head on the underside of Anko's breasts, causing them to wobble freely in her fishnet. Rather than apologize or show some sort of decency and modesty, Anko just snickered and gave a light teasing.

Mikoto, having said her peace, turned halfway to the door, but it seemed as if there was something she was struggling with. Yoshino always saw her composed, so this slip of uncertainty was indeed unfounded. But in the end, Mikoto's mind was made up, and she spoke it; the last trivial thing that needed addressing. There'd be no going back from it, but Mikoto felt that her position – last woman of the Uchiha, mother to the illustrious Uchiha brothers – demanded fierce discipline. She needed it…

"Uzumaki Kushina," she started, looking downward. "I… I think it would be best to watch her whenever she goes to the hot springs too. Her impulsiveness…" She chose not to say 'childishness'. "… might provoke more people to the hole and instigate further mishaps."

Yoshino was surprised only that it was Mikoto delivering this news. No big secret was their friendship, yet Mikoto had readily given Yoshino further reason to distrust the Uzumaki. Despite her efforts, Mikoto just helped Yoshino put Naruto firmer at the top of her list.

Thanking Mikoto for her usefulness, Yoshino put the matter to rest and led her out. Aside from the Mothers Force, they two had not much to speak about; maybe the potential of their gifted sons, but no.

It must've been a very good day to visit the Nara household, normally barren save for the widowed wife, for the moment Mikoto opened the door to leave, another member of the Force made her appearance with a small satchel of tea herbs. "I was on my way back home from the shop, and I thought you'd might enjoy the herbs," said Yamanaka Kaori, her smile gentle as a flower's petal and her voice soft. Of course, she did not neglect Mikoto, whose presence had not been expected. She bowed formally and offered Mikoto an escort to her shop for some rarer samples. The Yamanaka dabbled in tea, though specialized in flowers. With Inoichi gone, the business would have to expand, after all.

But Mikoto politely declined, returning the bow but in a 'farewell' manner. "It was a pleasure talking to you both," she said, more out of courtesy than sincerity.

Yoshino and Kaori watched her go, and then turned to each other. Yoshino accepted the parcel, but did not bother with the trivialness of welcoming Kaori inside. She was on her way home, she had already said, after all.

"I trust you and Ino-chan are doing well?" she inquired, liking Ino and her explosive attitude more now that her Shikamaru was courting a more suitable, feet-on-the-ground girl.

Kaori nodded. "Yes, we have been well. After the war…" She cleared her throat and skipped the tragic loss both of them had suffered. "Well, Ino and I have started coming closer."

Yoshino couldn't say the same for Shikamaru, though his respect had started to present itself more brilliantly. "I'm glad to hear that. Mikoto has just given some news about the hole at the hot springs, and she believes the Inuzuka boy is a good suspect now."

Again, Kaori nodded and let her know that she and her daughter strove to be careful. True, she didn't relay the details to Ino, but she had set up a system to protect her. "We only go together," Kaori assured Yoshino. "We've made plans to go later."

~~~Kaori~~~

It wasn't very long before dropping off the herbs at Yoshino's that the plans had been made with Ino. Her teenage daughter sighed pointedly at the counter, expressing her boredom. The stock of flowers had been separated, arranged, tended and snipped, analyzed, rotated, watered, groomed and whatever else botany required twice. And on an active day like today – she saw her teammates jaunting with Kiba and Akamaru earlier, and Naruto rushed by (twice), and his mom stormed by as if in a fit – it felt like the flower shop had become three sizes smaller; cramped and of no importance to anyone but those inside. The hustle for flowers had come not long after the war had concluded; mourners came in droves to buy the plant best suited to express their grief, and Ino had put down far too many for her father.

But when that grief passed, and she accepted that her father was still with her in a sense, she went back to mostly the same routine; maybe a bit more patience. But how much more patient should she be, cooped up in loneliness while her mom checked and ruffled with inventory. Every now and then, upon checking their wares, Ino could hear her say something along the lines of "I should give the other mothers a sample of this."

She just didn't want to be alone, Ino reflected sadly, knowing that her mom was a mousey woman, so quiet and unimportant that people knew her better as 'Ino's mom' than her actual name. "Mom," droned Ino, finally picking herself up from the counter to meander back and be with her mother. "It's past midday, and no one's even looked at the shop. I think it'd be better if we closed up and relaxed."

Kaori looked up from the little box of herbs she was currently swaddling for a personal delivery. "But, Ino, you know how important this shop was to your father," she contended in that weak fashion.

But Ino fought back firmly, holding up a finger while leaning forward so that her breasts gave a slight jump in the outfit that Kaori had called – on more than one occasion – too revealing. "Mom, you need to relax as much as I need a break! C'mon, let's just close up the shop and…" She thought for a moment. If she were with Choji, the bait would be food; Shikamaru was a nap in the meadow. An older gal like Kaori… Maybe… "Let's go to the hot springs!"

The mention of it made Kaori's eyes widen as if she'd been jabbed by an electric wire. "The… the hot springs?" she repeated as if there was a chance she misheard. Ino's smile remained, and Kaori mulled the idea over.

But… and copier makes the windup. There's a hole at the hot springs! Whoo! Yeah!

She could outright tell Ino the truth of her hesitation, or they could go in blissful ignorance and not let this moment of mother/daughter bonding be marred by a pervert's trap. It had been a long time since they had both gone to the hot springs, after all. Maybe it was needed. She did not deny Ino's hopeful smile; she said yes and asked her to help her close up.

Ino hopped to it after swinging her arms around her frail-looking mother for a quick but loving embrace. She did what needed to be done, though she insisted that her mom leave now to make her own preparations for the bath. "You always take a long time getting ready anyway," Ino said, and Kaori agreed. Her daughter in a happy mood; there was reason for the mother to smile and shirk duty.

She entrusted the shop to Ino, promising to meet her in no more than an hour at the hot springs. Ino jibed that she'd be pruned if her mom took things at her usual pace. The brightness of the bush clover shown in beautiful purple. Kaori did not want to linger away from her, though a visit to Yoshino was not just necessary, it saved her a trip. She exchanged pleasantries with her and the unexpected Mikoto, dropped off the tea herbs, received the information about Inuzuka Kiba, and then went on her way. Ino would not be waiting long. Kaori found things easily; the shampoos, soaps, salts, whatever was needed for a good trip to the bathhouse.

It had been perhaps half of an hour when Ino's mom finally came to the hot springs. She was welcomed by the usual attendees at the front counter. "Your daughter has been waiting," said the one who recognized her. Kaori just smiled and shared the news that they were bonding today.

Ino's clothes were the only ones in the dressing room. A fine time to come; privacy and quiet. Also, a conservative woman, Kaori would feel more comfortable without her clothes. Thus, she began to unclothe herself. In spite of her solitude, she kept a towel raised to her sternum, hiding her figure from the room as it became uncovered. Layer after layer, her clothes peeled off with the grace of a fruit's skin, all stacked so neatly in her own home-brought basket with the Yamanaka insignia stitched into its weaves.

It took all of ten minutes, but she was finally ready for the relaxation. Carrying the toiletries she'd brought from home, she walked in to join her daughter. A towel wrapped snugly about her to compress the curves that hungry men's eyes feasted on, she opened the way to the bath. The steam was as heavy as ever, disorienting vision. Kaori's sleek almond eyes scoured the waters for her daughter, yet even as the far end came to view, she did not…

"Uh!"

That sound; Ino… Kaori's voice hitched, her eyes moving to the source of the sound. It came again, against the wall. Had just hurt herself? Stubbed a toe against the decorative rocks? Or…

The mist seemed to unfold in malevolent intent. The stream of platinum gold hung down from her bowed head, her posterior lifted and facing the wall in shameful expression. The towel meant to guard her modesty, thrown carelessly across one of the rocks that had concealed the infamous hole from plain sight.

Kaori felt frosty in the heat, frozen by it, shivering. Her daughter – beloved daughter and last, cherished piece of the tattered Yamanaka family – leaned on all fours, her back in a downward slant from the wall, fingers stretching to compensate for the height of her legs and the position of the hole. She stayed in place; her only duty to withstand the spearing of the cock stretching through the hole, connecting to her insides. In her headiness, she'd all but forgotten her mother was scheduled to arrive and acted as if nothing but her and her anonymous lover could invade the bathhouse.

Her plump breasts, firm with youth but heavy from blessing, swung slightly each time the cock pushed into her. She told him – whoever he was – that she was close, though her bated voice probably couldn't be heard past the wall. No matter; he already felt the compression of muscles coming to satisfaction.

The only thing that could end such a moment of bliss was the heavy clatter of a plastic tray and the scattering of soap bottles on the floor. Ino gasped and looked up, her already-flushed face turning several shades darker as she whispered out to her mom.

Kaori did not wait. She clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes squinting against the welling up tears of betrayal, and swung her path to the door, through the dressing room, as fast as her towel would let her move. The attendees were missing (for convenience) as she headed outdoor the establishment. Her breast heaved with anxiety. She'd seen too much; if only she'd taken her time…! Perhaps her beautiful daughter was not 'pure', but that was Ino's decision as a kunoichi and a woman to make!

"Ino," she wheezed, her feet moving her clockwise repeatedly, as if trying to catch up to her spinning world. But the roulette slowed, and so did she, and when she stopped, the perpetrator – equally anxious for an escape – ran into view.

She knew who had defiled the spring.

To Kaori's shock, what Mikoto had said to Yoshino; her theory was

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Quick note: this story is planned out in its entirety. There is no meanie-weeny review that will change the course of this story. And as many of you know, I am very specific when it comes to tags and such