Fū sat at the edge of the pond with her back against a thick oak tree and let her legs dangle listlessly over the edge. Her bare toes dipped neatly into the cold waters, sending a pulse of ripples over its calm surface. She sat in silence, content to have the solitude of the emerald green waters and surrounding trees to herself. This was her own special place, her home away from home, secluded from the rest of the world. She spent most of her time here when she was 'away' from her home: Takigakure: Village Hidden by a Waterfall. Although this pond wasn't hidden by a waterfall, much of it was surrounded by thick oak trees -like the one she was leaning on- and disguised any entrances that one might attempt to find; if one even knew this place existed, of course. And she liked being alone. She never got along with anyone from Takigakure; let alone anyone from Konoha. The Chōmei sealed inside of me made sure of that, she thought bitterly. The only time she felt remotely alive was when she was with him. That energetic blond-haired boy that she had met sitting alone at a Ramen stand. Excited, she had thought that he was a fellow loner like herself, and something had instinctively drawn her towards him. The blond-haired boy had behaved weirdly, however, when she had plopped herself down on the chair next to him and forthrightly introduced herself. The boy had just stared at her, a little bewildered, before awkwardly telling her that his name was Naruto.
"Naruto.." Fu breathed his name wistfully through her lips. She felt a breeze pick up and closed her eyes, sighing as the wind played with her short mint-green hair. She had known instantly that the blond-haired boy was like her. Different, like her. She could sense the nine-tailed demon within him moments after she had first laid eyes on him. She felt like they belonged together through the connection of the demons sealed within them. She was determined to make Naruto her first and only friend. He was the only person that she could stand to be around, after all; and he was the first person that had ever really given her the time of day.
Fū tilted her head back against the cool bark, eyes still closed, and reminisced about the day before, when she had first met Naruto.
"You.. don't look familiar. Are you from around here?" Naruto said with a cautious tone. Fū shook her head bitterly and said "No, I'm not. But that's not important. I'm never going back."
Naruto gave her a quizzical look, and decided to say nothing. He clutched a pair of chopsticks in his right hand and looked confused, wondering why this strange girl was persistent on talking to him. "Okay.." he finally managed to say, and attempted to go back to his bowl of ramen noodles, but the girl pressed on, oblivious to his discomfort.
"So what's your name? I've given you mine, but you haven't told me yours yet," she said cheerfully. Naruto just turned to stare at her, bewildered.
"Um.. It's Naruto." He said slowly.
"Naruto," Fū gushed. "I love that name."
"Thanks," Naruto said carefully, unsure of what to make of this girl's forthrightness.
"You're welcome!" she beamed. Naruto tried once more to turn back to his bowl of ramen, but the girl continued.
"What are you eating?" Fū inquired, leaning in uncomfortably close to Naruto in an attempt to see into his bowl. "Ooooh, Ramen! I've heard about that stuff." she cooed, and after a moment of her hungrily staring at the food, Naruto gave in.
"Do you.. want to try some?" he offered lamely. Fū nodded her head eagerly and plucked the chopsticks from Naruto's hand, leaving him staring at his open palm in bewilderment as she dug into his bowl.
'This girl is a real wack-job' he thought to himself as she swiped her arm across her mouth. Just as he was about to come up with some excuse to get away from her, she looked at him with utmost seriousness.
"So is it hard.. having the Kyūbi sealed inside of you?" she asked, eyes wide and hard, watching him expectantly.
"How did you..?" Naruto stuttered, in shock. Fū just smiled knowingly at him.
"I can just tell. I have a demon sealed inside of me too, you know. We're the same, you and I." Even Fū was a bit unsure of how easily it was for her to share this information with a boy she had just met -But something instinctive inside of her told her that she could trust him.
"Oh." Was all Naruto said. He regarded her silently for a few moments, studying her face, which Fū didn't seem to mind in the least bit. In fact, she blatantly stared back at him, allowing him to observe her with ease.
"What kind of demon do you have sealed inside of you?" Naruto asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. An excited grin spread across Fū's dark-skinned face and she stood up suddenly, beckoning for him to follow her.
"Come with me for a walk, and I'll tell you." She said before turning on her heel. She was already walking away from the ramen stand, so Naruto quickly scrambled to pay for his meal and followed after her.