Konichiwa!! Hi everyone! I'm Kaida and I'm writing to you live from the basement of my mother's house! Just kidding, we don't have a basement... Anyway, This is my second OC story. Yes, it has OCs. As a matter of fact, it's based on OCs. So sit back and enjoy the story. If you have any questions, message or review, ask the question, and I'll message you back with that answer. Know why? Cuz I'm cool like that... Any way... Um... right! Disclaimers! Ok, If I owned Naruto, Konoha, or Ichiraku, do you think I'd be living in a trailor? I didn't think so. If your answer is 'Yes' then, my child, you've been gypped. Well, later!

Love Of My Life

Chapter 1-- Maikou's Return

I love you!!!!! She screamed in her head. I love you, why don't you love me back?!? Uri Kaida sat on her front doorstep, looking at all the people she knew. Naruto waved as he passed her, and she echoed his wave back. She thought back to six months before, where she had come that close to saying those words to the love of her life. Every time she saw him, she wanted to say it, but she could control herself enough to know that he would have enough decency to look at her funny then burst out laughing.

"You're joking, right?" he'd ask, with that silly little almost-serious smile on his face. She, of course, would reply with a simple, 'Duh, I'm just kidding around," then be on her way.

God, I'm such a wimp she thought to herself. If she just asked him how he felt about her- but no. She couldn't. They had tried that a few years ago, and were just getting back on speaking terms. Real, normal speaking, not the yelling that had gone on before.

"I guess it's true," she said aloud.

"What is?" asked her best friend, Miano Kieria.

"What?" asked Kai, confused. She hadn't realized she'd said this aloud, and immediately wanted to take it back, but she ignored the thoughts of doing a genjutsu on her friend to make her forget.

"You just said, 'I guess it's true,'" said the girl persistently.

"Oh, that? I was just thinking about how it's true that the later it is the more beautiful everything and everyone looks," she said, thinking quickly. She hadn't really been thinking that at all; rather, she'd thought, "Absence really must make the heart grow fonder."

Kai hadn't spoken to Maikou in person in several months before she met up with him again, being extra polite. He had a girlfriend, and she had decided that she'd just admire from afar. When she started going to Teen Fiends (a youth group especially for ninja) again, they'd begun talking; he broke up with the one Kaida called 'Bloody Blonde Bitch' (BBB for short). According to him, she'd cheated on him and had begged him to forgive her and go with him again, but no. He wanted to ruin her image forever, make sure all men knew what a slut she was.

Anyway, they then got onto what he called 'Neutral Terms', which basically meant that they weren't exactly friends yet, but he didn't hate her too much anymore. When he told her this, she was inwardly ecstatic.

I may have a chance with him yet! she'd thought with glee. She still did today, sitting out on the porch, but whatever. That was in the past. It had now been nearly two months since she had seen him, for he had been on various missions and such, but he was coming back soon. In a mere few days, she would stand on his doorstep and ask her other best friend, his sister, to get him so they could talk. She'd ask him if he wanted Ramen over at Ichiraku so they could discuss his missions, but to her it would be a date. My first, she giggled.

"Now what?" asked Kieria. "Geez, what's up with you, Kai-chan? You're acting all, you know, weird and stuff. I don't get you!!" Kaida snapped back to reality just in time to here a shout.

"They're back!" called someone from down the street. BBB was headed their way. "They're back, Maikou-kun and Nara-san and everyone else! They're back!" she cried, tears in her eyes. She saw Kaida and stopped short. "Can you believe it?" She said quietly. She knew that Kai had once gone out with Maikou, but she didn't think that she'd be competition.

"I'm glad," Kaida said truthfully. She smiled and looked towards the sun, the very sun that had been searing on her beloved's back for the past months, the very sun that reddened it now.

"Well, are you coming Kaida-san?" BBB asked hesitantly. Kaida looked at her for a moment, lost in thought, and then came back to her senses.

"Of course, Kalia-senpai," she said with as much happiness as she could muster towards the loathsome girl. "As a matter of fact," Kai said, looking at BBB slyly, "how about we make it a race? The one who wins can hug Maikou-cha- I mean, Maikou-kun, first. Sound good?"

Kalia looked at her with doubt in her eyes for a moment, but then said, "Definitely!"

"Ok, I'll start the countdown," said Kieria, "Five, four, threetwone!" she said, saying the last three numbers as if they were one. Kai was used to this style of counting; Kalia was not. Kaida shot ahead of her rival, racing up the streets of Konoha with such a speed that would shame a cheetah. She ran as fast as her feet would take her. She felt like she was flying.

She of course knew the consequences of going so fast and wasting her energy so, but she had no choice. Kalia was extremely fast, and never lost her breath, but Kai was faster if necessary. This was necessary.

Kaida got to the big gates that led into Konoha just as they opened. Maikou stood there looking hopelessly disheveled, yet triumphant. Kai couldn't stop; her legs and momentum were propelling her forward. She put out her arms, trying to block her head and vital organs from hitting the wall, when-

WHAM!!

The impact of something soft caught her. She looked up to see her one and only love looking down on her. He had stopped her from hitting the wall, just barely, but had succeeded nonetheless. They fell to the ground and she looked up at him for a moment, then burst out crying.

"Maikou! Maikou, I've missed you so much!!" she said, flinging her arms around his neck. People in the crowd looked disapproving, but that didn't matter. For a few precious moments, she was able to hug the one she loved without being reprimanded for 'disorderly conduct in public'. Then the hard blow came down on her head.

"Young lady!" said the woman with impeccable Japanese. "You should not even have left your home, why are you here?" Her 'lady-ness' coach had obviously followed her. Maikou looked appalled.

"Hey, what are you doing to her?" Maikou asked rather rudely, standing up. Kaida, who had landed on his lap when the two fell, was dumped to the ground. She looked at her true love and the one person she may have loathed more than Kalia (who had just arrived, by the way) arguing.

That's right! said a small voice in her head. He wasn't there when it had been decreed that all young ladies over the age of 8 was to be given proper training on how to be elegant, even if she were a ninja.

Lenora, for that was the coach's name (she was foreign) looked Maikou up and down then said, "Besides, Kaida, you shouldn't hang around with riff-raff like this absurdity." She spoke all this in English, which was also required to be learnt by all the women. Konoha wanted educated women.

Kai gasped, shocked at her sensei's rudeness.

"What did she just say?" asked Maikou in her ear. He obviously could not speak English of any sort.

"Nothing," replied Kai as calmly and quietly as possible. "She's just calling you names. Don't worry. I'll explain everything later tonight. Meet me at Ichiraku at 8, I'll sneak out." With that, Kaida got up from the ground, brushed the dirt from her skirt, and started walking back to her house, Lenora nagging her all the way.

It was going to be a looong night…

Katra; ONII-CHAN!!! I'm tired...
Kaida; Yes, Katra, we know.
Katra; And I'm bored!!
Kaida; Yes, Katra. We know.
Katra; And I'm hungry!
Kaida; Go make a sandwich, then.
Katra; Kaida...?
Kaida; Yes...?
Katra; MAKE ME A SAMMICH!!!

Kaida; Oy... Well, readers, hope you enjoyed chapter one. If you liked it, R&R. If you didn't, R&R. If you smell like peanuts... Well, let's just say you shouldn't hang around any elephants anytime soon, shall we? BTW, if we get two reviews, we'll put up the next chapter. You don't have to put the story on your alert or faves list, just review it. ok? Later, readers!