Riptide (Sequel to DwL)

Chapter Sixteen

Upon waking, Naruto burrowed himself into the warm, soft sheets. He rubbed the remainders of sleep from his eyes and gazed out at the horizon; its vivid light extended across a rosy sky.

He supposed this was something the majority of people would consider beautiful, but he found it strange, easy even, to find something so meaningful in something so every-day.

It's not like the sun wouldn't rise, it had, after all, been reliably happening since the beginning of time.

So what's so special about it?

He could feel the joy from it like others did, the magic that drew so many artists and photographers in. He just didn't understand it.

"Naruto..." He felt Hoshino shake his shoulders, causing him to roll over to stare up at him. "Good morning, sleepyhead." The blue haired boy greeted warmly, smiling down at the blond. "I spoke with Tsunade-Sama earlier and she said that we have the day off today."

"Really?" Naruto asked, sitting up.

Hoshino nodded in confirmation. "Sasuke's already up. Come on, I'll get breakfast ready."

He left the room for Naruto to change. As the blond dressed himself in his ninja uniform, he couldn't stop himself from smiling happily. Last night was the best night's sleep he had in long time. Now, he felt refreshed, energized and happy.

Once he emerged from the room, the smell of ramen made his nose perk up and his mouth watered. He followed the smell until he reached the kitchen. Sitting there were Hoshino's little siblings, his mother, and Sasuke. Sasuke and Iro were nursing cups of tea and Aoi and Ruri were drinking milk from large glasses.

Iro was the first to notice Naruto's approach. She lifted her head from her paperwork and smiled tiredly at the blond. "Ah, good morning, Naruto." She said.

Sasuke looked up as well and nodded at him.

But Aoi and Ruri had a much more energetic reaction.

"Naruto-Nii!" They shouted happily, running up to him and throwing themselves at him in huge, Genin-sized hugs.

Naruto felt happiness swell up inside him like a balloon as he wrapped his arms around the two Mizu siblings. "Hey, guys! Been a while! You've gotten so big!"

Aoi grinned up at him in pride. "And we're Genin now!" He informed the older ninja energetically. He pointed at the headband on his forehead. Ruri had followed her older brother's example and tied hers around her waist. Although, Hoshino had now taken to wrapping it around his wrist.

"That's great, you two! Congrats!" Naruto replied, ruffling their hair.

Hoshino then walked in, carrying a tray. "Oh, hi, Naruto!" He said cheerfully, setting the tray down on the table. "Okay, everyone, dig in! I did my best, but I regret to inform you that its probably not as good as okaa-san's."

Iro rolled her eyes. "Stop spouting nonsense, Hoshino. Everything looks great to me."

"Yeah, nii-san, don't be so critical of yourself!" Ruri said, throwing a fake glare in her older brother's direction.

Hoshino laughed in defeat, putting his hands in the air with a mock sigh. "Okay, okay. I won't."

"So, what are we going to do for our day off?" Naruto asked over his ramen.

"Well... Haku got back from his assignment last night, so I was thinking that all of Team Seven could spend the day together." Hoshino suggested. "And I mean everyone." He added sternly.

Naruto groaned, setting down his chopsticks. "You don't mean Sai too, right?"

"You two need to learn to get along." Hoshino scolded, his ice blue eyes serious. "He's actually a very nice person once you take the time to understand the meaning behind what he says. Just give it a chance, will you? Even Sasuke's already agreed."