Hello! I hope everyone's new year is off to a great start. I apologize for the prolonged wait on this update. Life has been insanely busy, folks, and only getting more chaotic as I get further along in this pregnancy. -v-
But enough about that. You're here to read, yes? Well now, we're up to the Shippuden portion of Nozomi's story! Let's see what my girl's up to after the time skip, shall we?
It was another beautiful day in Konoha. The sun beamed down from a cloudless sky, casting scorching rays onto the world below. A soft, gentle breeze wafted through the streets, making the sweltering heat bearable for the villagers. It seemed that the warmth of the sun, coupled with the blessing of the wind had put everyone in an upbeat mood. Well, almost everyone.
"Not here, either." Golden eyes lowered to the ground, black cat ears pinning back as Nozomi left Ichiraku Ramen with a disappointed sigh.
'I wonder if Konohamaru was just messing with me.' She thought with a frown. The day before, she'd encountered her former classmate, who seemed more energetic than usual, and curiosity had led to her asking what was up.
"Big brother Naruto's back in the village!" Came the enthusiastic reply that had made Nozomi's world come to an abrupt standstill. Eyes widening, she'd asked him if he was positive and he informed her that he had seen it for himself, causing a wide smile to spread across the brunette's face.
After training she'd taken to the streets to look for him, but had little to no luck, and after hours of fruitless searching, she was forced to give in and head home. Still, she refused to give up, and had gone out searching this morning. Her spiky haired friend was still nowhere to be found, however, and it was nearly noon. If she didn't take a break and have lunch, she knew she'd be waiting until after training, and when it came to Saera, one never knew when a session would end.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Nozomi turned on her heel, heading out of the center of the village. Shortly after, she arrived in a neighborhood of apartment complexes and made her way down the line, finding hers and dashing up the steps. She opened the door and poked her head inside, calling out but as expected the place was empty.
'That means I really don't have much time.' She thought as she shrugged off her sandals by the door and entered, making a beeline for the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she decided that leftovers from the previous night's dinner would have to do and set them in the microwave, her claws clicking against the counter as she waited impatiently.
After what felt like too long a wait, the timer went off, and she snatched the meal out, taking it to the table. She made quick work of the food and took the empty dish to the sink, running enough water that it'd be easy to clean later.
Nozomi grabbed her weapons pouch and strapped it on, putting her shoes on once more before booking it out the front door, hoping her teacher hadn't been waiting for too long.
…..
Several moments later, she reached the training grounds and sighed. Despite being late already, she'd still gone slow enough to look for Naruto, and the fact that she hadn't even seen a speck of his trademark orange frustrated her. Where could he be hiding?
She didn't have time to think about it as Saera had spotted her, and suddenly stood just inches away, hands on her hips. "What took you so long?" she demanded, to which Nozomi responded with a toothy smile, her ears pinning back in embarrassment.
"I'm so-um..I mean..Something came up…" She trailed off, not really wanting to go into the real reason she'd taken so long getting there. "Anyways, I left as soon as I could. I'm here now, and ready to get started." She mentally patted herself for catching that apology, knowing just how bad that would have ended for her had it actually left her lips.
There was a slight twitch in Saera's eye as she had caught the near apology, but she let it go since Nozomi had stopped herself, fixing the girl with a knowing look. "Fine. Let's see if you remember any of what I taught you yesterday."
Without another word, the two kunoichi lunged away, putting a good distance between themselves as they each went into a defensive fighting stance. "Come at me…and Nozomi?" The blonde smirked slightly at the curious look her student gave her. "No holding back this time."
A sheepish chuckle left the younger girl's lips. Since her first transformation into what was now referred to as "KuroNozo", Nozomi was careful not to use too much of Kumoraku's chakra. Naturally, Saera had caught on and urged her not to go so easy on her, but the brunette still felt hesitant. Memories of the wounds she'd inflicted on her teacher still haunted her. Even if Saera's demon was powerful enough to subdue her, she wasn't eager for a repeat performance of that day.
Though, judging by her sensei's tone, it didn't sound like she had a choice. Anything less than her best would result in some sort of punishment, and the brunette didn't want to find out what extreme training method would be employed this time.
Realizing that she had yet to respond verbally, Nozomi nodded, giving the woman a serious look. "Alright, you asked for it."
Saera merely nodded, and the brunette launched into a front flip, propelling herself forward in an attempt to kick the blonde in the jaw. A shocked look briefly covered her features when her attack made contact, only to fade into disappointment when she realized Saera had probably let her hit her. Still, she had to give herself a little credit for using chakra to amplify her speed. She'd done it in such a subtle way, that it was likely Saera hadn't noticed!
'Naruto-kun is gonna be blown away with my progress!' A giddy smile appeared on her face at the thought. He'd have to admit she was much better than the girl who couldn't even land a punch last time. Her smile began to fade as a new thought occurred to her. 'That is, if I can find him. Naruto-kun..I wonder what you're doing right now..'
"Hey! Look alive!"
Realizing with a start that she'd lowered her guard, Nozomi's gaze shot upward, and she gasped, jumping back just seconds before Saera crashed down where she'd been standing; her red chakra engulfed fist smashed into the ground, cracking it slightly. Realizing how close she'd come to actually being injured, the brunette took another step back.
"What's the matter with you?" Saera demanded as she stood up straight, scowling at the girl. "You know not to let your guard down when we're going all out!"
A drop of sweat rolled down Nozomi's head as she fumbled for an excuse, grinning sheepishly. "Ah, nothing's wrong! I guess I'm just a little sleepy today. It won't happen again."
Saera nodded, seeming to buy her excuse. "Well, you better wake up, unless you want to get hurt!" The trademark smirk was in place as she quirked an eyebrow at her student. "Come on, I know you can do better than this."
"Of course I can!" Nozomi retorted, slightly annoyed by the woman's teasing tone. She clasped her hands together, looking somewhat pained when purple chakra began to emerge from her body. Concentrating hard, she directed the power to her arms until it had cloaked her from her elbows to her hands, forming large chakra claws at her fingertips.
"Try this on for size, Saera-sensei!" She cried, lunging at the woman as she swiped both sets of chakra claws at her.
"That's what I'm talking about, Nozomi!" Saera grinned and stepped back, narrowly dodging the attack, making the girl grin as she continued her assault.
'I wonder what Naruto-kun would think of these.' Once again, Nozomi was distracted as she pictured the boy's reaction, making her smile and lose focus. As a result, her timing was horribly off, enabling Saera to evade her attacks with ease, jumping out of range.
Before the brunette even realized what was happening, the woman summoned up her own demon chakra to her fist once more and charged forward. Her attack hit Nozomi square in the chest, bringing her back to reality with a strangled gasp as she was sent flying, her chakra claws disappearing.
Not wanting to hear another lecture, Nozomi quickly got back to her feet, wincing at the pain in her back. She had just formed her demon chakra claws again when Saera dashed forward, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks that she just barely managed to avoid. Though, in a matter of seconds she had gotten into a rhythm of dodging and countering. Things were looking up, it seemed. With the dulling pain from her last distraction keeping her focused, Nozomi was keeping up a steady fight, dodging when need be and taking any opening to attack; even creating some herself. As they continued to spar, the duo moved further into the training grounds, though neither of them paid much attention to their surroundings.
Then it happened. Nozomi glanced away briefly and spotted the tree where Naruto had helped her work on her kunai throwing. She'd nearly lost it and tried to attack imaginary Suoh, and had to have Naruto hold her back.
Golden eyes glazed over at the memory, but an incoming foot in her peripheral vision brought her back to attention, and she spun around, shooting her own leg forward to block the attack.
"Good." Saera commented with what the girl thought was a small smile, only to be wiped away quickly as the woman stepped forward, initiating another attack.
Smirking, Nozomi channeled chakra to her feet and crouched low, waiting until the blonde was in striking distance. With a chakra enhanced spring she pounced toward her sensei…only to go tumbling onto her face as the woman sidestepped away at the last possible second.
The brunette got up quickly, rubbing her nose with a groan before shooting her mentor a smile. "Nice dodge." She remarked, raising her fists once more, knowing the fight was far from done. Only when one of them surrendered would the fight end. Originally, she wasn't crazy about this method, but it had definitely upped her endurance; she could take more hits than she used to.
Nozomi kept a careful watch of her surroundings, knowing it wouldn't be beyond the woman to switch with a clone and wait for an opportunity to catch her off guard. She had no intention of giving her any such chance -she wanted to win for once! Sadly, it was not meant to be as she glanced around a few moments later and was captivated by the sight of a lake; the same lake that she and Naruto had gone swimming in years before.
"Hey, focus or I'll knock you on your tail again, Nozomi!" Saera shouted exasperatedly, but she couldn't bring herself to respond, too enthralled by her memories.
That day, she'd told him of her past relations with her clan, and he'd elected to help her move forward. The nickname he'd given her to re-purpose a hated one was quirky, and a bit annoying, but endearing, and soon hearing "Neko-chan" made her smile on the inside -not that she'd ever openly admit it!
"Nozomi!" Noticing that the girl was so lost in thought she'd released her chakra claws, Saera heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head. 'Damn...we were doing so well for a while, there. Oh well. Looks like another win for me.' Shaking her head, she thrust her leg forth in a powerful chakra filled front kick, and as expected, Nozomi didn't make any effort to block it.
With a pained cry, the brunette was sent flying backward into a tree, the impact of her landing cracking the trunk in half. "Ow..!" She moaned as she got up and rubbed her back, wincing. "Saera-sensei, why so rough?!" She demanded, casting an irritated glare at her sensei.
Saera narrowed her eyes at the statement as she approached, frowning. "That wasn't any harder than my normal kicks. You just weren't paying attention. Again."
"...Oh." Sweat dropping, Nozomi rubbed the back of her neck, looking uncomfortably at the ground. "M-my bad, then…"
Sapphire eyes rolled upwards briefly before zeroing in on the girl. "I'll ask again. What's the matter? You're really distracted right now for some reason…"
The brunette's face turned sheepish as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet her teacher's, laughing awkwardly. "Nothing's the matter! I guess I'm just really tired….I surrender."
A soft sigh left Saera's lips at her student's admittance of defeat, and she gazed up at the sky, raising a brow. "It is getting late. Let's call it a day then."
All at once, Nozomi's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Saera-sensei! I'm pretty hungry now, so I think I'll go get something to eat. See you at home!"
Saera watched as the brunette ran off, looking anything but tired, and a small smirk settled onto her face. "Like I don't know where you're really going."
A soft laugh escaped as she watched until her student was out of sight, and she shook her head in amusement. She'd also heard about Naruto's return, and judging from Nozomi's distracted behavior, it was obvious she'd been thinking of him.
…..
"I can't believe I still couldn't find him!" Nozomi fretted under her breath as she trudged down the streets of Konoha. Since being dismissed from training, she'd been searching high and low for Naruto, but after another day with no results she was beginning to wonder if he was home. Maybe Konohamaru just said that to mess with her…
Whether it was true or not, it was high time she got something to eat. She'd meant it when she told Saera-sensei she was hungry, but she'd wanted to see her friend. Since that didn't seem to be a possibility now, though, she opted to feed her aching stomach, as the sun had gone down long ago.
As she turned a corner, debating on what to go eat, she heard voices coming her way. It sounded like Sakura, but who was that with her? A moment later, a familiar pinkette came into view talking with a spiky haired blond and she froze, eyes widening slightly as they drew nearer. 'No way...I stop searching and he just shows up? What are the odds?'
She was about to rush forward and greet him, but then she remembered he was with Sakura and paused. 'Aww man, if Sakura-chan sees me she might say something stupid to embarrass me! I guess I'll wait for another time..'
Groaning inwardly, the brunette took cover in a nearby tree, watching as Naruto and Sakura walked by. To her dismay, the kunoichi suddenly stopped and glanced around, the boy following suit as he gave her a curious look.
"Why'd you stop, Sakura-chan?"
"Funny...I thought I saw Nozomi-chan right now.." Sakura murmured thoughtfully, carefully scanning their surroundings.
"Really? Where?" Came Naruto's curious reply as he too glanced around, cupping his hands around his mouth and calling out. "Hey, Nozomi-chan, are you there?"
Taking care not to be spotted, the brunette peeked out, watching them. 'It's him..it's really him!' She thought happily, a soft smile appearing on her face as Naruto abandoned his search in favor of questioning Sakura about her. 'He sure has grown handsome..'
Immediately after the thought crossed her mind, Nozomi shook her head vigorously, drawing her brows together. 'What? No! Naruto-kun is a friend! I shouldn't think things like that about him!' She reprimanded herself with a frown.
"When are you going to stop lying to yourself?" Kumoraku's voice rumbled in her subconscious. The feline made a sound that sounded half like a yawn and half like a laugh, rolling her large red eyes in amusement. "As much as I enjoy seeing you struggle, it's almost painful to watch when it's completely obvious that you like him."
Nozomi clenched her jaw, mortified that the beast was still going along with Sakura's ridiculous teasing after all this time. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the duo below, and nearly fell off the branch when she was met with a green eyed stare.
…..
In the middle of half answering, half ignoring Naruto's questions, Sakura was carefully surveying their surroundings. She was positive she'd seen Nozomi here...nobody else looked like her! Frustrated, she threw her head back in a sigh, arching her brows as she gazed up into startled golden orbs.
"Sakura-chan, are you even listening to me?!" Naruto demanded, looking annoyed.
A devious grin spread across the kunoichi's face as Nozomi motioned for her to go, mouthing "I'm not here", and she turned back to Naruto. "I am listening, but wouldn't you rather ask her yourself?" At the blond's confused look, she jerked her head towards the tree, urging him to do the same.
"Nozomi-chan!" She called, stepping up close to the tree. "Don't make me drag you down here!"
"Nozomi-chan?" Naruto mimicked the girl, his eyes traveling upward, and a grin broke out on his face as he saw Nozomi, looking like...well... a cat stuck in a tree. "Hey! I was wondering when I'd bump into you! Are you gonna come down, or do you need me to come get you?"
Nozomi sweat dropped at the implication and shook her head, slightly irritated when she heard Sakura snicker. "What? No! I can do it myself!" She braced herself and jumped off the branch, landing in a crouch.
"Er….hi, guys." She had barely stood up straight when Naruto stepped into her personal bubble, grinning and giving her an approving look. "It's been a long time, Neko-chan! You've grown a lot!"
"Yeah, I guess." Nozomi replied, trying to ignore Sakura's pointedly amused stare as she heard her nickname for the first time. "Though, it looks like you're taller than me now."
Naruto laughed at the slight pout on her face and nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it again, his eyes lighting up as he noticed her headband. "Hey! You got your headband!" He exclaimed, reaching out and tapping the metal plate excitedly. "See? I told you you'd get there!"
"Of course I got it." Nozomi's beamed, feeling her discomfort fade. "I tested just a few months after you left on your journey. It was hard, having to be ready earlier than the others but I passed, and now I'm a ninja like you and Sakura-chan!" She puffed her chest proudly, enjoying the way he praised her for graduating so early.
"I hope training with Jiraiya-sama made you stronger, cause I'm not that weak little pushover you knew." She added with a smirk.
Naruto nodded, flashing her a thumbs up and grinning confidently. "Of course it did! Just wait until you see how much stronger I've gotten!"
"That's great!" Nozomi commented, unable to keep from beaming back as his happiness was infectious. "Maybe you can show me soon, then...unless you've forgotten?"
"I never forget a promise, -ttebayo!" Came the boy's grinning response, and she chuckled.
"Good." A soft sigh escaped as the brunette smiled softly, his return filling a void in her life. "It's nice to have you back, Naruto-kun."
She frowned as she felt a sudden tension around her and glanced around, her fur spiking up as she noticed the sneaky look on Sakura's face. 'She's gonna do something to make me feel awkward now, isn't she?' She groaned inwardly.
"You should've seen how much Nozomi-chan missed you, Naruto." Sure enough, there was a smug look on the pinkette's face as she spoke, and Nozomi felt a sense of dread pass over her. "She sat on your roof top every night to watch the sunset, and she was always talking to someone...I think she was pretending you were there with her."
"Really?" A goofy grin formed on Naruto's face as he turned his attention back to the brunette, and she sweat dropped, silently cursing Sakura for revealing what was supposed to be a secret.
"Well, I wasn't really-I mean-"
Before Nozomi could come up with a decent excuse, the boy had pulled her close, crushing her to his chest in a tight hug. "I missed you too, Nozomi-chan."
Softly sighing, the brunette relented, soaking in his embrace and closing her eyes in contentment. When she opened them again, she noticed Sakura watching and frowned at her.
The kunoichi just grinned and gestured for her to hug him back, giggling when the girl bit her lip and looked away. 'Operation make Nozomi-chan realize her feelings is a-go!' The pink haired girl thought excitedly.
Sensing her friend's intentions, Nozomi broke out of the embrace, purposely avoiding looking at the pouting boy. "Well, it was nice to see you again, Naruto-kun...but I've got to get going now, so I'll see you guys later."
Green eyes narrowed in suspicion as Sakura watched her. 'You're not escaping that easy!' She thought, quickly stepping into the brunette's path. "What's your hurry?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Naruto's back after all this time. I would think you'd want to see him more than anyone."
Nozomi took a step back and rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably, grateful that Naruto didn't seem to have caught the suggestive undertone of their friend's words. "Of course I do! But I just finished training a while ago, and I'm starving."
Before Sakura could reply, Naruto looked at the brunette, all signs of his pout gone as he grinned. "Hey, that's perfect! I'm going to Ichiraku. Why don't we go together, like old times?"
The brunette glanced from him to Sakura, then back at him, confused. "But...aren't you and Sakura-chan going out right now?" She asked after a pause.
'There's no way there was anything like that going on between us, Nozomi-chan!' Sakura rolled her eyes at the girl's implication. "I was only going along if it was Naruto's treat, but he wants to split the bill, so it's a no-go." She paused, looking thoughtfully from Naruto back to the brunette and grinned. "I'm sure he'd be willing to buy you some ramen, though."
A drop of sweat rolled down Nozomi's head, and she raised her hands in protest, ignoring the sheepish smile on Naruto's face that more than likely meant Sakura was right. "He only did that because I was always so broke in the past...things are different now." She muttered, not liking where the discussion was headed.
Still, her pink haired friend refused to give in. "Heh, either way, you've been dying to see Naruto all this time...you should go with him!"
"Yeah, I'd really like that!" Nozomi's protest died on her tongue as she saw excited, blue eyes gazing at her hopefully. "Please, Nozomi-chan...say you'll go with me?"
It had been years since she'd seen Naruto, but that didn't change the fact that she'd do just about anything for him, and she had a feeling he knew that. Why else would he be giving her such sad, pleading puppy eyes? Or maybe it would be more accurate to call them fox eyes in this case. Regardless, she knew she couldn't turn down such a hopeful looking Naruto.
Careful not to look at Sakura, who was grinning like a cheshire cat, the brunette smiled softly at the blond. "How can I possibly say no to that?"
"Awright! Let's go then!" Naruto cheered, holding his hand out to her, and she accepted it, praying he wouldn't read into the matter too much. "See ya later, Sakura-chan!"
Naruto began to lead Nozomi away, grinning at her from the corner of his eye. Maybe the fact that she'd let him hold her hand meant there was a chance for them this time around. Meanwhile, the brunette was just grateful that they'd left before Sakura could make things any worse.
It seemed luck itself was against her, however, as they had barely begun to walk when Sakura called out in an overly sweet tone, making Nozomi's fur stand on end once more.
"Have fun on your date, you two!"
The brunette grimaced as she saw the sly smile on Naruto's face, and she glanced away, inwardly cursing her luck.
…..
"Yep, looks like Ichiraku hasn't changed a bit since I've been away."
Nozomi glanced at Naruto from the corner of her eye as they approached the ramen shop and grinned at his goofy expression. It was a welcome change from the not-so-subtle staring on the walk over.
"Mmm...that's the smell I love." The boy went on as he took a deep whiff of the air, looking like he was in heaven. "I'm getting hungry!"
"Well then, why don't we go in?" The brunette suggested, smirking when the boy hurried inside, and following him. Taking a seat, she watched with amusement as Teuchi recognized the blond and greeted him heartily; Ayame followed suit, gushing over how he'd grown.
"Well, what'll ya have? Still got your appetite?" The old man asked, and Naruto grinned.
"You bet! I'm starving!"
"Then today your food's on the house! Order anything you want." The shopkeeper replied, and he cheered loudly, glancing at the brunette beside him briefly. "What about Nozomi-chan? Does the offer go for her too?"
Before Teuchi could answer, Nozomi's stomach growled loudly, and both men gave her an amused look before Naruto leaned over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Gee, Neko-chan!" He exclaimed, a teasing grin on his face. "We'd better get you something to eat before you collapse -you must be famished -ttebayo!"
"Ha ha." Feeling the telltale burning in her cheeks, Nozomi pushed him away from her with a roll of her eyes. "You can order first. I already said I would pay for myself, so I'll go after."
Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but it was drowned out by another voice, and the tarp in front of the shop lifted as Iruka entered.
"Hold it! Let me get this one." The dark haired man grinned when his eyes landed on his student, and he took a seat beside the boy. "I had a hunch you might be here, Naruto." He glanced around, asking where Sakura was and the whiskered boy glanced down regretfully.
"Well if I'd known the check was gonna be taken care of I definitely would've brought Sakura along." He responded.
Iruka nodded, raising an eyebrow as his gaze landed on the cat eared girl beside him. "That must mean you're here as his date instead, right?"
"Hehe, I guess it does." A small smirk tugged at the corner of Naruto's lips as he nodded.
"No, not really." Nozomi said quickly with a shake of her head. "We ran into each other and thought we'd get a bite to eat and catch up. That's all."
The blond's shoulders slumped at her denial, and he pouted, looking away, a fact that did not go unseen by Iruka. Thankfully, the man kept quiet, figuring now wasn't the time for such a discussion.
…..
"One extra large serving of the house special ramen!"
Nozomi licked her lips hungrily as the old man set down their food in front of them and picked up her chopsticks eagerly, giving thanks.
"Ohh man, the real Ichiraku ramen! For all these years during my entire training I dreamt about eating this ramen!"
In spite of her hunger, the brunette glanced up at Naruto's overjoyed outburst and grinned. You'd think he'd been told that Tsunade had declared him Hokage with the way he was beaming!
'I wonder what Iruka-sensei's thinking about.' She thought as she realized the man was also watching her friend with something akin to fondness in his eyes. It was then that the chunin's eyes shifted to meet hers, his lips pulling up in a smirk as she quickly went back to slurping her noodles. Nozomi bit her lip, avoiding his knowing stare. What was he grinning like that for, anyway?
To her left, Naruto continued to devour his ramen, completely oblivious to the tension in his friend, and his former teacher's amusement. "Wooow! It's just like I remember, Ichiraku's the best in the world!" He exclaimed, once again drawing Nozomi's attention with his enthusiasm.
"Only...there's just one thing." He added a moment later, looking slightly put out. Just like that Teuchi was in his face, accusing him of criticizing his ramen, and Nozomi found herself recoiling away, sweat dropping at the sudden tension. Finally, Naruto was able to sort out the misunderstanding with the ramen maker, and she sighed with relief, listening to his explanation.
"It's just..I was hoping the next time Iruka-sensei treated me to ramen would be the day I became a chunin." He began, looking unusually downcast. "Every single one of my classmates has made the leap up to chunin -the only one who's still a genin is me."
A pang of sympathy went through Nozomi as she listened to the boy, taking in his somber countenance. 'I should tell him he's not the only genin in our age group.' She thought, opening her mouth, but before she could say anything, Iruka spoke up.
"It doesn't matter whether technically you're a genin or chunin, you've been trained privately by Master Jiraiya himself." He reminded him, and while Naruto seemed to cheer up at this, it didn't last long.
"That Pervy Sage is out of control! His training's so intense it messed up the headband you gave me, and all my clothes got totally ruined too!" He lamented, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "That's why I had to have this new outfit made for me-and a replacement cloth for my headband!"
"Even if the training was intense at times, it still made you strong, didn't it?" Iruka interjected, grinning. "You should be proud of yourself!"
"So yeah! What if it's hard?" Nozomi interjected, and the blond turned to her, surprised. "Aren't the difficult things what make us stronger?" She grinned toothily as he nodded, his own smile beginning to emerge.
"Yeah, I've definitely gotten another step closer to becoming Hokage!"
Smiling, the brunette went back to eating, listening to the two men's conversation and letting her thoughts wander. She could understand Naruto's frustration about being a genin. In spite of all her hard work, neither Saera nor the Hokage seemed to believe she was ready to move up in rank, and when asked why she was presented with vague excuses. She must be doing something wrong, but what it was she didn't know. All she knew was the whole situation stung. How much worse it must be for Naruto, she empathized, since he'd been a ninja longer than she had.
"He's already the Kazekage, and I'm still just some insignificant genin."
Snapped out of her thoughts, gold eyes shot toward Naruto. The subject had definitely changed without her noticing, but this was still a good time to tell him she, too was still a genin. Or at least, it would've been if there weren't others around to hear her say it. 'I'll wait for another opportunity.' She decided.
"All that training with Master Jiraiya wasn't for nothing, right?" Iruka was saying now, still determined to convince Naruto that he wasn't the same as some lowly genin. "Rumor has it you and Sakura managed to snatch Kakashi's bells, and that's something to be proud of!"
Naruto beamed at the chunin's praise, scratching his head somewhat bashfully. "Yeah, doing that was more of a cinch than I thought!"
'So that's where he was all this time!' Nozomi listened raptly as the boy recounted his experience, amused as he disclosed the method used to defeat the silver haired man.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, everyone's bowls were empty. Nozomi sighed contently, knowing she'd be sleeping good on such a full belly. She was reaching for her wallet when Iruka cleared his throat, and she glanced over at him curiously.
"I said I would get this one, remember?"
"Wh..? I thought you were paying for Naruto-kun." The brunette replied, surprised. "Thank you, but there's no need to worry about me, Iruka-sensei. I have enough money to cover my meal."
"Then save it." Came Iruka's reply before he set down enough money to cover all three of them, earning him a stunned stare from the cat eared girl.
Grinning nonchalantly, he raised his arms behind him and stretched as he got to his feet. "Well, it's late, so I'm gonna head out. See you guys later." With that, the man took his leave.
'I hate letting people spot for me...it feels like I'm falling into debt.' Nozomi put her wallet away, pouting. Now she'd have to treat Iruka-sensei later to ease her conscience, she thought, sighing as she also stood up. "I do agree with him on one thing: it is getting late. I'd better go myself. Good night, Naruto-kun."
She thanked Teuchi for the food and headed out herself. She'd barely began to walk away from the shop, however when she heard Naruto's voice.
"Wait!" The blond called, jogging after her. When she stopped and gave him a perplexed look, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was thinking we could walk together, since you live in the same neighborhood as me. I didn't get to talk to you much at dinner."
"That's true.." Nozomi nodded thoughtfully, a small smile appearing on her face. "I'll stick with you until we reach your apartment. Sound good?"
Naruto hesitated, pouting slightly. "I was hoping we could go for a walk before heading back…"
"It's not that I don't want to hang out," the brunette began, "but if I stay out too much longer, Saera-sensei might actually come looking for me. Or worse..." She paused, shuddering. "She could add an extra drill to training as punishment for coming home so late."
"Don't worry." The spiky haired boy shrugged, grinning innocently. "I won't keep you out too long. I just want to talk."
Raising an eyebrow at his persistence, Nozomi relented, and the two of them went on their way
…..
"So, you and Sakura seem pretty close now."
"Yeah, we kinda clicked while you were away."
"How are things with Saera-sensei?"
"They're good-well- better than they were before."
"So was that thing Sakura-chan said about you sitting on my roof every night true?"
Nozomi had been keeping up with the barrage of questions relatively well, but his last one took her by surprise, and she hesitated, looking away uncomfortably. "Well...you were my only friend for the longest time...I was lonely when you left." She mumbled, not daring to look up and see the goofy grin that was most likely on the boy's face.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, she decided it was time for a subject change and raised her eyes to meet his once more. "Um, hey Naruto. Remember when you said that you were the only genin of all your friends?"
All at once, the grin faded from Naruto's face, and he looked away, pouting. "Yeah, why? You gonna laugh at me?" He grumbled. "I'll bet even you've passed me up, haven't you?"
"Eh...not exactly.." The brunette replied, biting her lip as she, too looked away, focusing on the road in front of them.
"What do you mean, "not exactly"?" Naruto questioned, giving her a sideways glance, and she exhaled softly.
"I'm still a genin, myself." She explained, smiling sheepishly as the boy's eyes widened.
"How is that even possible?" He questioned, brows furrowing in confusion. "Didn't you enter the chunin exams with everyone else?"
"Nope." Nozomi shook her head, a hint of bitterness in her voice as she spoke. "Saera-sensei says I'm not ready."
She broke off with a heavy sigh, shaking her head when she noticed the spark of curiosity in her friend's eyes. "I'll tell you some other time. Anyway, I just wanted you to know you weren't the only one so you wouldn't feel completely left behind, I guess."
"But...why can't you tell me now?" Naruto demanded, refusing to let the subject drop. He was happy to know he wasn't the only genin in his age group, but at the same time, his curiosity was not something he could just shut off.
Instead of answering, gold eyes shifted forward, and a relieved smile lit up the girl's face briefly before she glanced back. "Because, we're already here." She stated, motioning to the familiar apartment just ahead.
"So come in and visit for a while. I'm not ready to say goodnight yet." The blond pressed, and she gave him a playful shove, laughing.
"Naruto-kun!"
"Alright, alright." He relented, the sly smile fading from his face, and Nozomi chuckled again.
"Well, go get some rest, Naruto-kun. I'll see you later." The words had barely left her mouth when Naruto stepped forth and swept her into a tight embrace. "Naruto-kun?" She gawked up at him in surprise.
In response, he smirked down at her. "I thought we had nicknames for each other...or did you forget, Neko-chan?"
The intensity of his stare unnerved the brunette, and she swiftly averted her gaze, feeling her face heat up. "No, I remember…Kitsune-kun." She murmured softly, not needing to look to know that the boy was beaming.
"That's better." Naruto paused as he noticed the red hue spreading across her cheeks and chuckled. "This is like the day I left! Remember?" He snickered as the color of her face darkened. "I thought so. You know, I never forgot the promise I made back then, -ttebayo!"
"Promise?" Nozomi's eyes shot to his, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "You mean...the one about sparring? I know, you said that...earlier.." She trailed off, sweat dropping as Naruto shook his head, leaning in closer.
'Oh...he means that promise, doesn't he?!' She gasped as the boy's head tilted toward hers and turned her head to the side, squinting her eyes shut as if that would make the situation go away.
Naruto blinked, surprised when his kiss landed on her cheek, and made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a sigh and a laugh before leaning back. "You're as quick as ever." He snickered, and the brunette huffed softly.
"What's so funny?" She demanded, jerking out of his embrace and stepping back to scowl at him.
"Nothing." Came Naruto's amused response as he stared down at her, grinning. "I was just thinking that it seems like the Pervy Sage was right about you."
Whatever she'd been expecting him to say, it wasn't that, and Nozomi's eyes widened slightly before she clenched her jaw. "What did he say about me?" She asked, hoping she didn't look as uncomfortable as she felt.
Naruto just smirked in response, raising his hand in a small wave. "Well, I promised not to keep you too long, so...Good night, Neko-chan."
"Wait a minute!" The brunette protested, frowning. "What do you mean, the Pervy Sage was right about me? Right about what, exactly? Tell me!"
To her dismay, the spiky haired boy acted as if he hadn't heard her, and she watched, annoyed as he climbed the steps to his apartment before disappearing behind the door.
"...Good night." The brunette muttered, sticking her tongue out at the closed door, before turning on her heel and heading home.
…..
The lights were off when Nozomi reached the apartment, and she took extra care to be quiet so as not to wake her roommate. The longer she could wait to explain her lateness, the better in her opinion.
Stepping into the main room, she turned on a small light- and nearly jumped out of her skin as she saw the very woman she'd been thinking about standing there, watching her with something akin to amusement in her eyes.
"I take it you found him." She said calmly, and Nozomi sweat dropped.
"F-found who?" She asked, biting her lip.
How could Saera have possibly known she'd been looking for someone? Maybe she'd been spying on her. Or perhaps she was just too obvious about her intentions after training, a deep, unwelcome voice remarked in her head. She chose to ignore it, not in the mood to deal with the demon cat at the moment.
Saera smirked, reading the confusion in the girl's face. "A certain blond haired, blue eyed idiot clad in orange." When the brunette's eyes widened, she snickered,quirking an eyebrow. "Don't be so surprised...I knew all along that you were out looking for him! You're not exactly subtle, Nozomi!"
Nozomi bit her lip, groaning inwardly, but before she could respond, the blonde haired woman lifted her hand to her mouth in a barely concealed yawn. "It's late. Go to sleep so you're not dead for training in the morning. I expect a much better session now that you've had your Naruto fix."
Something about the way she'd worded that made Nozomi blush faintly, and she frowned. "My Naruto fix? What on earth does that me-"
The slam of Saera's bedroom door alerted her of the woman's absence, and she sighed, plodding to her own room and shutting the door behind her.
As she got ready for bed, her gaze landed on the silver and green moon crescent and round cat pendant on her dresser, and she smiled. 'Now that he's home, I can properly thank him for this.' She thought.
Though, it'd definitely have to be a time when Sakura wasn't around, after what she'd pulled earlier that evening. Yet, the idea of being alone with Naruto didn't exactly feel comforting at the moment, either.
A tint of pink colored her cheeks as she recalled the boy's earlier attempt, and she touched her cheek, frowning. So much for hoping this whole crush thing would blow over by the time he came home. As if that wasn't bad enough, Sakura's actions earlier proved that the girl was out to get her...Get her together with Naruto, that was.
She'd just have to find a way to make him understand they were friends, and friends only. In other words, she thought, as she crawled into bed, she was going to have to friend zone him.
"You really think he'll let you do something like that?"
Nozomi's eyes cracked open slightly in irritation at Kumoraku's words, and she grimaced. "He's not going to get a choice in the matter." She insisted.
"I really wonder who it is that won't get a choice." A malicious, fanged grin appeared on the cat's face, and she snorted when her host glared at her darkly. "He's far more persistent than you give him credit for, Kubota. You should know by now he'll just chase you until you're too tired out to fight anymore."
A groan left the brunette as she rolled onto her side and buried her head under her pillow, trying to drown out the cat's laughter. "Shut up, Kumoraku..you don't know that!"
She couldn't -no, wouldn't- fail, no matter the cost, she thought, setting her jaw firmly. Kumoraku was wrong; there was no way she could already be in too deep. She'd figure out a way to friendzone the Uzumaki, no matter how long it took.
She ignored the little voice in her head that tried to warn her that if she took too long to establish boundaries, it might not matter anymore.
That's it for now peeps. :3 Next chapter, we'll be following the anime story line, which means putting Nozomi into the Kazekage Rescue Arc, which has been interesting thus far. So, the next several chapters may feel a bit redundant, but I'm doing my best to make things different enough to keep ya'll entertained. My beta said it was fun to read- hopefully you guys will think so too. If not...try not to be too harsh. I'm actually nervous about writing this arc. ^^;
Thankfully, Nozomi won't be along on every single mission from the anime, so I'll have freedom to delve more into her personal growth and the relationship with her teachers and the likes. So bear with me until then. I've been lacking motivation and energy to write, but with Sunday being my birthday I figured I could post the first chapter at least. Send me some reviews for my birthday, and maybe I'll find the motivation to continue!
Till next time, everyone~!
~NinjaKitty91