A/N: Yes, I have randomly decided to rewrite RftS. There were just a lot of things bugging me, either that I screwed up or that I wanted to add except that I had gotten past that part. Besides that, I had a terrible fear that my characters were entering the realms of the unrealistic. This will be sporadically updated. I've got quite a bit prewritten but I need to revise and edit it, so please be patient with me. Please review! :)

Also, if you can, check out Narufan0001's fanfic with these OCs. She hasn't updated in a bit (or an eternity, depending on your view )= ) but it's really funny, what's she's got out at least.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only the plot of this fanfiction and my OC, Caitlin.

Caitlin's POV

Chapter 1: Courage

"I'm here because I want to be."

~Hyuuga Hinata~

Sunlight filtered through the trees above the blonde boy, and for the split second that his head was in the spot, his hair turned gold. Then, as the swing swung him away from the spot, his hair turned back to blonde. This continued for a long time as the girl just stared at him, too many thoughts contained in her head.

The matriarch of the orphanage, Yuki, had told her to stay away from the boy, yet he seemed normal enough. When he had been kicked out, she had called him a demon. He didn't look like a demon though. Caitlin had read enough books about such creatures when she had heard the whispers of the villagers. None of the books she had ever read had mentioned that defending yourself from schoolyard bullies was enough to get yourself kicked out of an orphanage, though she had read many horror stories about orphanages. It was enough to consider asking the Hokage to let her have her own apartment, but she didn't have the courage.

It seemed to her that she never had courage. She had seen many other children that looked like they needed a friend but she didn't have the courage to go up to them and ask them to play. It was just like she didn't have the courage to talk to the blonde boy. She knew Yuki wouldn't approve, and that it would detach her from the other children at the Academy. At least, it would do it to most. She had seen how Hinata was infatuated with him and how young and impressionable Kiba imitated him. She doubted Shikamaru would care, as long as one of them was good at shoji. Chouji appeared shy himself, and would probably welcome a couple of new friends. She wasn't too sure about Shino, and while she knew Ino would defend her and Naruto from Ami and other bullies, the other girl was too afraid of the repercussions of befriending them. The rest of the student weren't worth mentioning, unless you counted Sasuke. He had a rivalry with Naruto that seemed almost like a strange friendship.

Caitlin wanted to have courage and to have friends. While her nature was very reclusive and she already was good friends with Tenten, who lived at the orphanage with her and knew how she wanted to move out, she needed to know those kids just in case she ended up on a team with them. She would have to depend on her team, and even trust them with her life. She'd prefer them to actually be someone she felt that she could trust since at the moment, she didn't know any of them. She may be able to read body language well and tell what they were like by listening to them, it didn't mean that she would trust any of them, even sweet Hinata or reliable Chouji.

She waited until almost the end of their lunch period before she finally made her decision. Creeping through the shadows, she stopped behind the swing set, pausing before she took a deep breath, gathering her courage the way she gathered air into her lungs. Then she stepped out of the shadows, and standing behind the boy, pushed the swing forward, helping him in his flight.

Startled, he turned around, his blue eyes widened to an almost ludicrous size. She continued pushing him, not saying a word but feeling her cheeks turn red with embarrassment as he continued to stare at her. Just when she was beginning to believe that maybe his exile had been self-imposed, the boy smiled, and it lit up his face, changing it pleasantly and differently from the scowl he had worn before.

"Hi…," Caitlin murmured, meeting his eyes and trying not to let her courage falter.

The boy blinked, snapping out of his daze of shock and happiness as he stopped the swing and slid out of the seat. "I'm Naruto," he replied, putting his hands in his pockets when he realized that he had been fiddling with them nervously. He was gazing at her suspiciously, and Caitlin felt herself shrink away from the look.

"My name's Caitlin," the girl answered, bowing quickly as she remembered the manners taught to her by Yuki. "Nice to meet you."

"Right back acha," Naruto replied, giving her a tiny smile.

When Caitlin realized that they were going to keep on standing there staring at each other until she said or did something, she quietly suggested, "Do you want to swing? I could push you and then we can switch."

His eyes lit up again, this time even brighter. "Yeah, dattebayo! That'd be awesome!"

x~x~x

A month later, Caitlin was running across the village, trying to avoid bumping into people.

As she crashed into someone, she shouted out an apology as she heard angry shouts behind her. Normally, she would stop, but she was already annoyed and angry herself.

Tenten was being adopted. While it wasn't a bad thing, she knew that now there would be no one to make an excuse for her while she hung out with Naruto. And if Yuki found out, she would make her quit the Academy, and then she would never become a ninja.

She made it to the building the Hokage's office was located in, but stopped just short of entering.

I can't do this. I don't have a plan. How will I even tell the Hokage what I want? I mean, even if I can get out of the orphanage, this was my only chance at being adopted. I won't ever have a family if I leave and get an apartment.

But if I don't get an apartment, I won't be able to hang out with Naruto, or be a ninja.

What do I do?

x~x~x

"Grr! It can't be that hard to figure out where he lives," Caitlin complained to no one as she went up to an apartment door to ask about Naruto. Knocking, she waited for someone to answer.

And waited.

And waited.

There's someone in there. I can hear them moving around!

Finally the door opened and Caitlin blankly stared at the man that stood there.

"I waited. For an hour. Only to have a crazy old man open the door!" Caitlin whispered under her breath, nearing tears. I've been looking for Naruto for hours! And this is what I find!

"Hey!" the man protested. "I'm not old! I'll have you know I'm 19 year old!"

Caitlin once again stared at him blankly, tears disappearing as incredulity filled her expression. "A-huh. Keep telling yourself that."

"I'm not old! I'm nineteen! Nineteen!" he snapped, his one uncovered eye twitching.

"Okay, Jiji," the blonde girl said, fiddling with her fingers as she became nervous. "D-do you have any idea where a person by the name of Naruto lives?"

"Yeah. Why?" the silver haired man demanded after he sighed. Caitlin fidgeted as she stared at him, wondering why he was asking.

"He's my friend," Caitlin replied. "A-and I wanted him to… to come with me to talk to the Hokage."

"What do you want to talk to the Hokage about?"

"I-I want to get my own apartment… because I don't want to stay at the orphanage anymore…" she hesitantly replied.

"Well, I suppose I can take you there then," he said as he closed the door and walked around her and out into the street. She followed, staring at him curiously. She suspect he was a ninja by the way he closed his face off, but the lazy slouch made her think he was harmless. He had to be good then. Only a really good ninja could make someone think he was harmless like that and be confident enough of his ability to have such posture.

"How do you know Naruto?" the girl questioned. The man gave no reaction but a shrug.

Caitlin pouted. "Why won't you tell me?!"

He still didn't answer.

"Please!"

She finally gave up after five minutes and moved on to another question, since he didn't want to answer the one.

"What's your name?" Caitlin asked at they stopped at a door.

The man stared at her and then answered, "Maito Gai."

Caitlin's brow furrowed. "You're not-," She was interrupted by the man disappearing in a cloud of smoke. –Maito Gai. I should know since he's one of my idols.

Sighing, she simply turned to the door and knocked on it. Soon enough, the blonde boy opened it, blinking sleepily. He jolted when he realized it was his new friend.

"Caitlin!" he yelped as she stepped inside. He frantically began picking up ramen cartons from off the table and throwing them away.

"Eto... It's fine Naruto," Caitlin murmured, looking slightly disturbed at the energetic boy.

"Er… Are you sure?" Naruto asked, pausing in his work.

"Yeah, I'm sure," the girl replied, trying not to laugh at his worry. "Um, there was something that I wanted to ask you…"

Naruto set down the noodles cup down on the table. "What is it?"

Caitlin hesitated, and then asked in one huge rush, "Could you help me get my own apartment?"

Naruto blinked as he tried to determine what she had said, and finally gaped at her, understanding. "Yeah, it's fine with me. Heck, you can even stay her while we look."

"Awesome," Caitlin said. "Now, since I'm going to temporarily live here, I'm going to clean!" she declared as she went to the overflowing sink and moved some of the dishes to wash. "I'll wash if you dry," Caitlin offered.

"Sure, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted as he rushed to the cabinets to find a towel to dry the dishes.

"Thanks!"

Question: What's the weirdest pet you've had?

My answer: An opossum named Tink. My dad hated (AKA was terrified of) the critter. (By the way, does anyone know if it should be an opossum or a opossum? Word thinks it's an, but I know Word's been wrong before, so…) Also, my family had a vole named JoJo. He was adorable, but loved my sister more than any of us. Every time someone took him away from her, he would start trying to scratch them.