Of the Earth and Sea - Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Summary- (Suggestion by Blackfang2) Several years have passed since Tera Renard left her home country, wandering and alone, her life changed for the better. Though now her life takes a turn, feeling left behind by the hands of time, she’s left with an unexpected visit from her daughter and her fiancé. One that will change both her’s, and their lives forever. (Modern fic) 

Please leave me lots and lots of NICE reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Castlevania, or any other media I use in this story. They belong to their respective owners.

Age List:

Naruto- 19

Maria- 18Tera- 36

Of the Earth and Sea

Outside, the sun was shining.

The green trees rustled along the branches as a cool wind blew through the leaves and along the grass. As birds chirped off in the distance, robins, cardinals, and even a few sparrows, all of which were hungry for their next meal, hunted in the early afternoon, just as the saying went. The clouds hang in the sky, as if white balls akin to cotton. 

Nice weather, different from her homeland, though even she would say that it was not unpleasant. 

As she stood within her small residential home, in her living room, she folded a basket of laundry onto her couch, surrounded by several chairs, bookshelves, and a coffee table.

She was a fair woman, obviously Eastern European, with smooth, peach colored skin, pale blonde hair that was cut to shoulder length. She had startling green eyes that radiated with warmth, long eyelashes, and ruby red lips. For a wardrobe, she dressed moderately, wearing a simple black sleeved dress with a high collar, a blue skirt, and white leggings for the bottom. Though even with all she was wearing, it did nothing to hide her modest figure, which was mature and curved in all the right places. 

She was obviously very beautiful, even in her age, being the talk of the town wherever she went. 

Absent-mindedly, Tera hummed a tune to herself as she did her work. She was always good with these things, homemaking that is, as she developed the skill required to cook, clean, and do all the simple tasks required for such an environment, enjoying doing so. Though she would admit that even in the little time that she did spend on actually taking care of her home, she found that the number of actions required of her was decreasing, little by little. As of right now, she has found that she only needs to spend an hour out of her week to clean her whole house, a stark adjustment to previous days, when she would seem to clean all she could and still the job would never be finished. 

Being reminded of a small blonde-haired girl that came to the forefront within her mind, as she was surrounded by a brooding brown-haired young male, and of course, a young blonde boy with whiskers, running around to cause whatever trouble they may. A small smile formed across her face as she thought of them, as she couldn’t help but reminisce about those times, way back when. 

Even as she continued with her task, a fold inward, a fold outward, a crease at the sleeves, as she organised shirts, pants, skirts, socks, and unmentionables. Though even as she did so, she couldn’t quite get her mind off how things had changed, sitting in her desolate home.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

That was, of course, until a knock came at the door, spurring her attention away from her daydreaming.

“Hmmm? Whoever could that be at this hour?”  She murmured, not expecting any visitors, as she began placing the clothes down, heading towards the door, and opening it.

Instantly, her confusion turned into recognition as she spotted two figures. 

The first one was a tall young male, sitting at around 6ft in height, which was only a few more inches than she was. With blonde, almost golden spiky hair that seemed to move in all directions, reminding her of the sun. With tanned skin and a rather feminine—looking, though handsome face, with strange, whisker-like markings across each of his cheeks. As he was dressed in a set of casual clothes, which mainly consisted of a pair of blue jeans, some sneakers, and a plain T-shirt over a regular button-up that was unbuttoned. 

The second was a petite woman, a year younger, and shorter, sitting at a height of about 5’2, with pale blonde hair, much like her own. Though hers was considerably longer, sitting down to her upper thighs, as it was tied into a loose, low-hanging pony-tail with a cyan ribbon at her back, allowing quite a few strands to frame her face. Showing off her pale skin and emerald green eyes. She wore a pink and white strapped top as well as shorts, as well as matching flats and socks, showing off a small amount of her chest and legs. Giving her a rather cute appearance, like a girl shining in the golden years of her youth.

Immediately, as the two figures saw her, a bright smile erupted on both of their faces, as the blonde-haired girl greeted her first. 

“Mother!” she yelled, immediately going up to Tera as she hugged her, much to the woman’s disbelief.

“Naruto? Maria? I thought you two weren’t supposed to arrive until a few weeks from now, right? No, it can’t be May already?” The woman blinked, not understanding how the two were here.

“Of course it isn’t, but Naruto and I wanted to surprise you!” Maria said as she hugged her mother.

“It was Maria’s idea, she wanted to come home early, and I couldn’t say no,” Naruto smiled as well.

“Well, it certainly is a surprise,” Tera remarked, letting go of her daughter, as Naruto raised his arms for a hug as well. “Hello, Naruto,” she greeted. 

“Hey, Tera,” Naruto responded.

 As he hugged her, feeling her warmth, he pulled back. “You are looking as lovely as ever,” he complimented, looking at her beauty.

“Well, aren’t you sweet?” Tera said with a small smile and a dusting along her cheeks, as they left the embrace of the other.

“Yeah, and we’ve also got one more surprise for you, mother!” Maria sounded, drawing her mother’s attention.

“Oh?” 

“Yup, look!” her daughter sounded, showing off her fingers, or more specifically, a particular golden ring on her left hand with a diamond on it. An engagement ring.

“Is that…” Tera said, in utter disbelief. 

“It is, can you believe it?” Maria smiled, confirming what her mother thought it was. “Naruto asked me to marry him!” she announced excitedly.

“Uh-huh, I asked her just before we left. I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, so I decided to pop the question,” Naruto told her, wrapping an arm over his soon-to-be wife, who blushed up a storm at the compliment.

“That… that’s exactly what happened. Can you believe it, mother?” she asked, stars in her eyes.

“No, Maria, I cannot believe it…” Tera voiced, actually stunned by the revelation, after all, she assumed the two would be dating for a while, but she didn’t think that he would ask her so soon. Nevertheless, she recovered easily, forming a smile upon her face as she did so. “But that’s wonderful, I am very happy for you both.”

“Right, I just can’t believe it, I mean, I know we don’t plan on having the wedding for a while, but the thought that we’re having one is just…” Maria struggled to find the right words, riddled with excitement. 

“That’s wonderful,” her mother voiced, knowing exactly what her daughter meant. “Why don’t you two put your bags in your rooms? Naruto, you can have Richter’s room,” she told them.

“You don’t want us to go to a hotel, after all, we don’t want to intrude after how long we’ve been gone,” Naruto said, a little sheepish.

“Nonsense, Maria’s room is just how she left it, and you already know you have a home here,” Tera told him, leaving no room for an argument. 

“I-I… well, okay then,” Naruto smiled. 

“Alright, and while you do that, why don’t I prepare a special dinner for such an announcement? I’m sure both of you are hungry from such a long trip,” her mother said, happy for the two of them that their relationship was progressing. 

“Really, Mom, you’re the best!” Maria said, kissing her mom on the cheek as thanks for her cooking for them.

“Does that mean…” Naruto's voice, his own unasked question.

Tera just smiled, “Yes, Naruto… I’ll cook a batch of Ramen, just for you,” she told him in a motherly tone.

Maria just rolled her eyes, “Honestly, I can’t understand how you can eat all that stuff,” she said, her voice didn’t have any bitterness to it, as it held an undertone of affection.

Tera just laughed, “He’s a boy, bless him,” she giggled, cupping the male’s chin, much to his embarrassment. “You should be happy that he at least knows what he wants; that’s more than boys his age,” she said, as she walked off, ready to prepare her next meal, a smile across her ruby red lips. 

XXX

As they did just that, the couple settled into their respective rooms; meanwhile, Tera prepared a celebration meal for her daughter and future son-in-law, a new activity in mind, filling the void of what she would have done. 

After all, it had been a few months since they had last been with her, Maria having moved out to live with Naruto after she graduated, and she would have assumed that her daughter would then live on in the big city. Attending a prestigious college, her daughter was always bright in that way, and only the best would do. Though she knew that they would visit, she had assumed it wouldn’t be until much later, not that it was a bad thing. She needed something to do these days and enjoyed their company.

Of course, Maria tried to help her mother in cooking, though she had been vehemently denied in many of the actions that were too intensive for her. This was given that Maria was—much to her displeasure— a terrible cook, managing to burn nearly everything that she had come fifteen feet within. It was something that she disliked about herself, constantly wanting to change. Especially given the fact that she was planning on becoming Naruto’s wife sometime within the future, which meant that she needed to learn the distinct homemaking skills that her mother had to be good at them as well.

So she made a traditional Russian dinner, which usually consisted of a beet soup, some meat dumplings, and patties. And of course, a Japanese-style ramen, the kind Naruto’s mother used to make, a recipe she had long since kept standing. As they all sat around at the dinner table, the hours had passed smoothly, but even still, Naruto couldn’t help but be amazed at what she had produced.

“Wow, Tera, this all looks amazing!” Naruto couldn’t help but yell out as she brought out the food from the kitchen.

“It’s all a simple dish from what I had on hand, really it's nothing,” Tera said modestly. 

But even still, Naruto shook his head, “No, I mean it, I mean I’ve been practically everywhere when it comes to food, and your cooking is still number one in my heart!” Naruto complimented, causing the woman to flush a little.

“How kind…” she said, though she thought he was embellishing her skills a little. Naruto didn’t see it that way.

“I help too, just so you know,” Maria announced. “Well… a little,” she corrected. 

“Really? You think you could learn to cook just as well as your mother?” Naruto asked, hopeful.

Maria looked a little discouraged at that, “Well, that’s… I don’t…”

“Hmm, I’m sure she’ll do fine, and I wouldn’t mind teaching her sometime,” Tera announced, lifting her daughter’s spirits a little.

“Really? You’d do that?” Maria asked, wide-eyed.

“Of course,” her mother said lovingly. 

“That’s great, I just know you and Maria can be amazing together,” Naruto said, voice unwavering.

“Oh, you’re just saying that,” Tera brushed him off.

But Naruto pressed on, “No, I mean it, I mean you two are the most important women in my life, and I think you’re amazing together,” the blonde told them, shocking the two of them.

Leaving Maria’s face to heat up, and even Tera had a small dusting on her cheeks, having not expected the boy to voice such a thing. 

“I-I… Y-you… I mean it's just cooking ramen, it’s nothing special…” Maria said, looking down. It was odd, even if the two had been dating for quite some time, and even if they were said to be married, he could still get her like this. 

“Maybe, but Naruto’s always had such a way with words,” Tera said, and admittedly, he even had her going for a second, before she came back to reality. 

Maria would admit her mother was right; above all things, Naruto’s words were always her favorite. His speeches, his thoughts, growing up, she always thought that Naruto was rather dumb, but then she realized that wasn’t exactly true. While the blonde had always rated low when it came to academics, that didn’t always tell the true story. Naruto was actually pretty intelligent when it came to most things that interested him, and he had this ability, this strange quality to him that was able to spur anyone’s hearts. 

It was the quality that got her to fall for him.

“Dickhead…” she whispered, more so to herself. Didn’t he realize the effect his words had on her? Of course, he didn’t; he was just that much of an idiot.

Tera smiled affectionately at her daughter and future son-in-law, though there was a feeling, one strange feeling, in the back of her mind that she couldn’t quite figure out. Nevertheless, she suppressed it, pushing it deep down.

“Well, alright then, I suppose we don’t want the food to get cold, now do we?” her mother said, as Tera began passing out portions among the three of them and had prepared an extra-large helping of ramen for the whiskered blonde, who thanked her profusely.  As they said thanks for their meals and began digging in. 

Immediately, he melted. Naruto had to admit, he missed this, missed Tera’s good cooking, as nothing else he found could compare.

The three made for simple small talk as they ate, nothing too crazy, but that was how they liked it. It was comfortable, something that they had been lacking, a nice, home-cooked meal, and they were glad it happened.

XXX

As the hours passed, the time flew by, and the food on the table lessened, as the dishes piled up a bit. Maria is heading off to go and unpack their luggage, trying to find some semblance of order.

“Oh, I’ll get that for you!” Naruto offered, as Tera started taking the plates, from them.

Nevertheless, the blonde woman shook him off, “Nonsense, I wouldn’t be much of a hostess if I made you wash the dishes,” she told him.

“I mean, you’ve done more than enough, Tera,” he told her.

“The meal was a celebration, it was a gift…”

“Please, let me at least do this one thing.”

“I insist.”

“I insist on your insisting!”

“I’m not sure if that’s a real phrase,” Tera blinked.

“Well, it is now, I just made it up!” Naruto laughed. 

“You really do have quite the spirit, don’t you?” she told him.

“Yup, and I’m told I never back down, so I mean it, I can do this all day!” he challenged.

“That won’t be necessary… why don’t you and I both do it?” she proposed. If he wasn’t going to let her wash the dishes on her own, this would be the next best thing.

Naruto was satisfied with the suggestion, “Alright, let’s get to it!” 

As the two headed towards the kitchen, a satisfied smile upon Tera’s lips as they headed for the sink. Filling it with warm water and soap, they then got into a rhythm. Naruto was washing the dishes, and Tera was drying and putting them away because he didn’t actually know where everything was supposed to go. A silence overtakes them for a soft moment as they get comfortable, Tera even humming a small melody as she works. 

“That’s beautiful, you know,” Naruto spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Oh?” she hummed, not understanding what he meant.

“Your song, I mean, sometimes I hear Maria singing it, when she’s really focused on something, I guess it's a habit you passed on, y’know,” Naruto pointed out, monotonously.

Tera hadn’t ever thought about it before, she supposed; it was just a small habit she picked up back in her childhood, before… 

She supposed Maria might’ve picked it up now and then, it was the song she had sung to her as a baby after all.

“I’m sorry, but there’s been something that I’ve been meaning to say for a bit,” Naruto admitted, breaking her from her thoughts.

“Hmmm?”

“Well, it’s just… I mean…” Naruto struggled to find the words. “I just feel kind of guilty, y’know,” he said nervously. There was that tick again, the same one that he had had ever since childhood. She knew he didn’t use it much, and only knew that it was something he did when he was actually quite nervous.

What could the blonde be struggling to tell her? She questioned.

“I just…” Naruto said, before he took a deep breath. “I know I should have asked you about marrying Maria,” he admitted. 

“Oh… that,” Tera started to realize what he was referring to.

“I mean, it just felt like the right time, and my godfather was pressuring me to get the ring after I saw one I really liked and… I mean, I should have just asked you for permission before I proposed, it would’ve only been right,” he rambled. “I don’t know, maybe I’m thinking about it too much, or I’m just worried that things aren’t going to go well, I mean, it’s not like I’ve ever done this before. So truth be told, I’m kind of nervous and—” 

A hand landed on his shoulder; it was Tera’s, stopping his words in his tracks.

“Naruto,” the woman told him, and she couldn’t help but laugh a little at the face he made, utterly bewildered. It was kind of cute. “You’re a good man, and I know you’ll make Maria very happy,” she said motherly.

“I-I—” Naruto stuttered, his words leaving him, before he did the only thing he could do. He hugged the woman, who was like an aunt to him. 

This time, it was Tera’s turn to be stunned, as before she could realize, large, strong hands wrapped around her frame. 

“Oh?” she couldn’t help but voice, surprise filling her frame. 

Tera wouldn’t say it was a bad thing, as she found two hands wrapping around the small of her back, pressing into her. And if Tera really paid attention, she could smell his scent, catching a whiff of the male’s scent of both ramen and slight sweat, which was an odd mixture. Though to be perfectly honest, it was exactly right for the blonde, having a salty undertone, that she didn’t quite mind. Naruto was similarly sized to her, and as such, the hug wasn’t awkward or lopsided, or anything of the sort. It was actually quite pleasant.

“Thank you, Tera,” he sighed, relief sinking into his voice as he did so. He even laid a small, tentative kiss upon her head, as a son would upon his mother, stirring emotion within her. 

Naruto found Tera actually leaning into the hug, her surprise leaving her. She wrapped her arms around his frame as well. Naruto feels the warmth of her, left stunned at the touch, her blonde hair tickling his nose, as he rests his neck on her forehead. 

Tera let loose a breath she didn’t even know she was holding, as for her, it had been far too long since she had felt something like this, feeling at another’s touch. Being wrapped up in strong hands like she was, Naruto was an adult now, she realized. No, Naruto was a man now. 

He was fully grown, mature, thoughtful, and able to take care of himself, a far cry from the boy she once knew, even if she never realized it. 

That thought stirred her in her place, after all, it had been so long… so long since she had felt the touch of a man. She had…

Tera realized that her thoughts were leading her towards a place she’d rather not manifest. After all, this was her daughter’s fiancé, the boy set to be her son-in-law; it wouldn’t do for her to have any thoughts she shouldn’t be having. 

She was just tired, that’s it. Yeah… just tired.

Pulling away from the hug, she hadn’t actually realized how long they had been embracing each other, for what she could recall, it could be either less than a minute or several hours; she wasn’t quite sure. That was the part that scared her a little. 

If the discomfort was showing on her face, Naruto noticed it; as such, he had to ask, “Tera, are you feeling okay?” he wondered as he pressed his forehead on her own, trying to check her temperature. 

“O-Oh, I suppose I may be coming down with something,” she voiced, obviously strained. Why was her voice so strained as it was? She had to wonder. 

It was just that she was tired; that must have been it.

As the woman gently pushed herself off the man, allowing for some sort of breathing room. “Yes, I suppose I should head to bed, it is getting rather late,” Tera voiced, less sure of her words than she wanted to be. She cursed herself for such a result. 

“Okay, well, I hope you get better soon,” Naruto said, obviously concerned, but he didn’t want to press the matter. 

That just made the pang in her heart hurt a little worse, having not felt such concern in a long time. Naruto was always so considerate. 

As she left, Tera didn’t even pay attention to her daughter, Maria, who was leaning against the doorframe, catching the brunt of the interaction. The woman passed without a word as she headed to bed; she supposed that was the best course of action. 

Maria’s eyes turned to him as she left. “What did you say to her?” she questioned, somewhat accusingly.

“Huh? Oh, it was nothing, we just talked as we finished some dishes,” he said, blinkingly. 

“Hmmm, well, alright…” Maria muttered, though, truth be told, she didn’t quite like the answer he gave her. 

“Well, okay then,” Naruto smiled, as the blonde went up to kiss his girlfriend—now fiancée. Wrapping his arms around the smaller girl in a comforting embrace, all the while Maria had a thoughtful expression on her.. “Is everything alright?” he asked in concern, noticing that she seemed rather distant. 

 His words only barely got through to her. “Yes, I suppose it's nothing,” she told him, although she couldn’t help but think. Couldn’t help but reflect. 

Because when her mother passed her by, when her mother showed her face after her hug with her fiancé… 

A look of loneliness appeared in her eyes. 

She just had to wonder where such a look came from.

XXX

A Few hours later.

Tera had been right, sleep had been the best medicine for her, the tear in her heart having dissipated somewhat. Though she found herself still rising, within the long hours of the night. 

Emerald green eyes opened within her room, and immediately she sat up. A cool breeze strikes her in the night, chilling her lightly as the wind brushes against her green nightgown, one that goes down to her mid-thigh. It showed off a bit of her ample cleavage, which sagged a little because she was without a bra, and she realized that she needed to go to the bathroom. 

With a sigh, she drowsily rotated herself, feet finding the floor as they landed on clean hardwood, the dull light of the sky shining upon her, giving her skin an even more pale look than it usually did. 

She didn’t have trouble seeing in the dark and navigating around her room, having spent many a night under the moonlight and stars, her eyes adjusting well into the darkness. Tentatively, she stood up, being ever so careful not to cause any creaking of the floorboards, being ever so mindful of those who were asleep, as she exited through the door. Heading to the bathroom and relieving herself of her business, still moderately filled with tiredness, and ready to head to sleep once more.

However, absentmindedly, when she passed through the wall again, Tera noticed something; a small crack became apparent to her, her mind fixating on it as she paused. 

‘Oh? Isn’t that…’ she realized it was Richter’s room—where Naruto was staying, as the door had been left open, observing it to find that the room seemed to be empty, and without a person in sight to behold.

Where could he have gone? She had to wonder; it wasn’t a late-night trip to the bathroom, of course. Maybe he went to the kitchen for something?

“...”

Her questions were put on hold as Tera heard a small, muffled noise, indiscernible to her ears. Turning to where it came from, she noticed it came from Maria’s room, the light of the room seeping into the hallway in the darkness. Her curiosity piqued, Tera moved over to it, wondering just what was going on within the room, not expecting to find much. 

Cracking open the door, just slightly, she found…

AN: due to Patreon's ai detection system the rest of this fic is no longer allowed. If you would like to finish this chapter, you can visit:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14561423/1/Of-the-Earth-and-Sea

End Chapter.