DISCLAIMER: I, of course, do not own Naruto.

This story takes place 2 and a half years after "Fell From My World."

Ai will continue to portrayed by Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).

Thanks for following Ai on her journey! Now she's older and the adventure only gets crazier...

~

I woke up early the day Naruto returned to Konoha, as if I knew he was coming. But I didn't know. I instead cursed myself for not sleeping in on my day off from training with Tsunade, and grumbled to myself as I got out of bed, unable to fall back asleep.

In the past three years, I had grown up quite a bit. My face had matured, I was slightly taller (a whole five feet one inch now), and I had filled out into a woman's body. And I had grown tremendously as a ninja. I displayed much promise as a medical ninja, my skills developing rapidly and impressively during my training with Tsunade. I had served several A-rank and B-rank missions, proving myself worthy as a Leaf shinobi.

The biggest reason for my growth as a ninja was my increased communication with Kokuo. Not only had she learned to trust me, seeing my investment for a more peaceful role on a ninja team, but she had become to aid me in my use of the chakra. We worked together so closely now, it was like our minds had merged together as one.

I got dressed quickly and left my house to go roam around Konoha; now that I was up, I was restless. I ran into Shikamaru shortly after I left. He was leaning against a sign to a fish market, looking bored. He hadn't changed much in the last couple of years, but he had become a proctor for the Chuunin exams so he had done a lot of traveling lately in preparations. He still hated to work.

"Heeeey," I said to my old and good friend, walking up to him. We knuckled-greeted each other.

"Oh, good, it's you," Shikamaru told me, lazily. "Temari asked for you to be here for our meeting today and I totally forgot to tell you yesterday."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. Temari came to Konoha often to work with Shikamaru on the Chuunin exams that the Sand Village was hosting this year. But when we spoke about Gaara, we usually talked in private.

In the past two and a half years, I had only seen Gaara three times, all for missions in which I was sent to the Land of the Wind. He was Kazekage so he never came to Konoha. When I saw him, always in meetings about the mission, he treated me no different than any other shinobi. He had become a very calm, level-headed person since becoming Kazekage. His job was important to him; I knew it gave him meaning. So I let him have his space and his time, thinking that one day, when the time was right, he'd initiate some type of relationship with me.

To be honest though, we hadn't touched (or kissed) since the day he had saved me from Kimimaro in the meadow...and it was driving me CRAZY. Because my feelings for Gaara hadn't faded. At all.

What gave me hope was seeing Temari so often, as she was the ambassador between the Leaf and Sand. She told me that every time she visited Konoha, Gaara never failed to ask her about me when she returned.

And we were older now: I, sixteen almost seventeen, and Gaara, eighteen. I had promised myself I would never push anything on him, but how many years did Gaara need to spend without me to realize he belonged with me?

Temari showed up a minute later, greeting Shikamaru with the normal flick-on-the-ear so she could continue to pretend she wasn't in love with him (she totally was). "Hi, Ai," she said. "Glad you could join us."

"Lucky I ran into you," I said, punching Shikamaru's arm.

"Getting beat up by girls before 9am," Shikamaru groaned. "My favorite way to start the day."

"You're so annoying," Temari said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I have news. We have deployed troops surrounding the Sand to keep an eye out for the Akatsuki. There has been rumors of them making moves, and their target right now is apparently Gaara."

So that's why she wanted me here. "That's all we know?" I asked, disappointed. That told us nothing.

Temari nodded curtly. "For now. I expect as the Chuunin exam gets closer, more information will come available. For now, we wait."

It made me want to go back with her to the Sand. And help protect Gaara. But if the Akatsuki were beginning to target him, it was only a matter of time before Naruto and I were next on the list. And I hadn't even heard from Naruto in months.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably; when I thought about Naruto and Gaara, especially at the same time, I always felt sad. They had been away from me for so long...the two people I felt closest too...

"Thanks, Temari," I said politely. "Is…the Kazekage well-protected?" I glanced at Shikamaru, but he was rubbing his stomach as it growled, not paying a lot of attention to the conversation.

Temari gave me a knowing look. "Gaara is fine. He can protect himself."

I sighed. "Okay. It's just…for village relations…and um, politics…the Kazekage's safety should be made top priority. Right?"

The last word came out too high-pitched and hysterical, but Shikamaru still didn't notice anything weird. Now he was scratching his foot.

Temari nodded, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Right. Anyway, the Kazekage hopes you are well, Tasura Ai. He...misses you."

"Did he say that?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Temari eyed me. "You know him. Gaara communicates in his own way."

Did I know him though? I hadn't spent all that much time with him, even knowing him for years now. Even for meeting him as a child. Did I really know him? How could I love him how I did without really knowing him?

Suddenly, a hand clasped my shoulder from behind me. I turned in surprise to face Kakashi. "Come on, Ai. We have to go to the Hokage ASAP."

"Why?" I asked, curious.

"Someone's back in town," Kakashi said, grinning (underneath his mask). "And we've got to make an entrance."

"I'll see you guys later," I told Shikamaru and Temari, already down for whatever this shenanigans was. If anything, it'd get my mind off of Gaara, which is something I tried to do everyday.

"Who's back?" I demanded, following Kakashi to the Hokage's headquarters away from town.

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up. "Naruto."

"WHAT?" I squealed. "He's back? When?"

NARUTO IS BACK?! THIS IS THE BEST NEWS I'VE GOTTEN IN TWO YEARS!

"Just now," Kakashi replied. "So what we are going to do is sit outside on the roof and then Tsunade is gonna tell him to look out the window. And we're gonna be there waiting for him. It'll be the perfectreunion."

Kakashi hadn't changed much; he was still extremely dramatic.

So we took the trouble of not using doors like normal people, but cat-crawling up the Academy building ninja-style until we landed on the bronze roof that was beneath the Hokage's windows.

"Jesus," I breathed, wiping beads of sweat from my forehead. But my heart was already beating fast at the thought of seeing Naruto for the first time in just about three years. OMG.

Right on cue, Naruto burst his head out of the window, and his eyes immediately rested on us. We made eye contact, and Naruto jumped out onto the roof, pointing at me.

"OH!" he shouted.

"MY!" I yelled.

"GOD!" we both hollered, running towards each other.

We met in the middle, the impact of the embrace causing both of us to lose our footing on the slanted roof. We stumbled to keep on our feet, and I broke apart a few seconds later to look at him properly. He was tall...much taller than before. Still blonde, of course. But...he'd really grown up. He was handsome; his blonde hair, tan skin, and blue eyes coming together very nicely in addition to his tall, shaped frame.

"Look at you," I said tearfully. "You're so goddamn tall. And super skinny. You're a babe." I hugged his middle. "Hello, I've missed you quite terribly."

Naruto flexed his muscles. "Feel my muscles. Seriously."

"Your voice is deeper," I said, wiping another tear from my eye. "Like a man's."

"I am a man."

"STOP! I CAN'T TAKE IT!"

Kakashi walked over, not liking being ignored. "It's me!" he shouted, coming in the middle of us.

Naruto grinned. "Sensei! I missed you also!"

Kakashi ruffled his hair. "Great to see you, kiddo."

Kakashi led Naruto and I back into the Hokage's office through the window. Naruto looked down. "Did you seriously climb all the way up here…?"

"Anyway!" Kakashi said. "Ai and Naruto, meet me at the Three Grounds later. We are going to have a battle, you two against me. See how much the two of you have really grown."

"Really?" Naruto asked. "Can't wait."

Naruto and I walked out together. "So, Ai!" Naruto exclaimed. "Tell me everything!"

I babbled on about being a medical ninja for a good ten minutes before I left Naruto have a turn. He just talked about being the Hokage the whole time it was his turn and how his journey the past couple years would help him do that. But I actually didn't mind. I had really missed him.

"Naruto, I heard some news this morning," I said, grabbing his arm. "The Akatsuki…you know, the organization that Itachi and that Kisame are in…well, they are starting to make moves."

"I know," Naruto said, his face falling. "Jiraiya has been keeping me updated. It seems as though Gaara might be in trouble. And then us."

"I never forgot what you said to me before you left," I told Naruto. "That one day we'd fight that battle together. Well…Gaara is one of us. And he's Kazekage now. We have to protect him. At all costs."

Naruto was surprised. "That Gaara…he's Kazekage? That's amazing," he said appreciatively. "One day, I'll also be Hokage."

"Okay, but do you understand what I'm saying?"

"What you're saying is you totally love Gaara. And who could blame you? He's Kazekage now and all. What a catch..."

My face turned red. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"What-ever," Naruto said. "You two are, like, perfect for each other. Can't believe you're not together yet. Okay, but Ai, seriously, wait until you see how strong I am."

"And how awesome I am," I chimed in. "You're gonna be totally impressed."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, sh*t. We were talking so long I totally forgot we need to meet Kakashi!"

"Oh, damn," I said. "Let's go!"

When we got there, Kakashi was waiting for us for a change. "You guys are late."

"Consider it payback for all the times you made us wait," I sassed.

"Well, here we are. Half of the original Team 7. Sasuke has left us kind of broken, huh? Sakura isn't even here…" Kakashi drabbled.

Suddenly, Naruto and I stared off into the distance, thoughts of Sasuke leaving the village, abandoning our team, and betraying everyone we knew running through our minds, consuming our attention... Naruto even whispered, "Sa...suke...why'd you have to go..."

"HEY!" Kakashi yelled. "We're not giving up on Sasuke. Y'all are still real hung up about that, huh?"

I shook my head, trying to will away the thoughts. I tried not to think about Sasuke and what he was doing. "So, what are we doing here?" I asked Kakashi.

Kakashi held up two bells. A wave of nostalgia hit me, and he explained, "Same rules as last time. Just take a bell away from me. You have until sunrise tomorrow."

Naruto and I looked at each other and grinned. I tied my long, bright red hair back into a braid while Naruto tightened his Konoha headband. Kakashi lifted his headband up, exposing his Sharingan.

"BEGIN!"

It felt crazy to have woken up this morning and not knowing that I'd be reunited with Naruto, fighting with him against Kakashi-sensei. I felt truly in my happy place, and I couldn't wait to see what Naruto and I could do now, together.

Naruto summoned his shadow clones immediately (some things will never change), and he actively sought out Kakashi. With a brilliant tactic using a shadow clone, Naruto had Kakashi trapped within a minute. Then, Kakashi disappeared – merely, a clone.

"That was close, bud," I called encouragingly from the sidelines, cupping my hands around my mouth.

~

Little did we know that Jiraiya and Tsunade watched secretly from inside the forest. They were betting on which of us, Naruto or I, had made the biggest #gainz.

Tsunade was smacking her forehead. "What is she doing right now? She's clueless!"

Jiraiya snorted. "Yeah, at least Naruto tried something."

Tsunade snorted back. "Yeah, what a success that was. Just wait. My girl is gonna come through."

~

"Okay, where'd he go?" Naruto shouted.

"Stay close to me," I said, jumping to his side. "So you're protected by the steam."

"Okay, watch this," I said, cracking my fingers back with my hands interlocked. "This is the new me."

I reared back my arm, then jam-packed a punch aimed for the forest floor. Using my steam to propel my taijutsu, I slammed my fist into the hard earth below our feet, creating extra power and strength beyond belief for a girl my size.

The earth cracked apart, earthquake-style beneath us, spreading all the way to the end of the clearing. The ground split apart, and Kakashi became visible in between two edges.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Naruto shouted, pointing at me. "YOU'RE SO STRONG! THAT'S NOT EVEN SAFE! HOW IS SOMEONE SO TINY THAT POWERFUL?"

"It's the steam, honey," I said, blowing the tips of my fingers to cool them off for dramatic effect.

Kakashi climbed out of the hole. "So, dang. Tsunade has been training you outside of the medical field," he observed.

"You wanna play hide-and-go-seek, Kakashi? Then let's play," I said, crossing my arms threateningly.

Kakashi ran off into the woods, and Naruto and I in unison sprang in pursuit. We caught up with him in the middle of the forest, throwing weapons so that he'd know we were upon him.

I caught up to him and went in for the taijutsu, summoning my steam chakra to my hands expertly, knowing that even one punch would injure him greatly. Kakashi dodged every attack, throwing his offenses my way. Fighting with him viciously and as an equal felt…unreal.

Naruto took over, seeing an opening, and Kakashi struggled to keep up with both of us. Kakashi trapped Naruto in a jutsu, sending him flying, and then looked around knowingly for the real Naruto.

Kakashi dodged a flying attack from Naruto while I successfully landed a steam-packed hit into his chest. He cursed, clutching the spot. Naruto landed at my side, and we exchanged a victorious grin.

"It's like you guys never stopped fighting at each other's side," Kakashi said approvingly.

Naruto burst into shadow clones again, but this time more than I had ever seen him produce. Everywhere in the forest I looked there were clones. Naruto had a lot of chakra to spare, like me.

His clones kept Kakashi busy in the middle while I sent another steam-packed hit to the ground, breaking up the earth around us so that each of us stood on platforms in between the cracks. Kakashi fought to keep his balance and looked at us wearily.

"I certainly have my hands full, don't I?" he repeated from the first day we all met each other.

"Let's do this," I told Naruto.

Naruto began to summon his Rasengan, using his clone to perform the circular motion necessary to rev it up to full potential. I also summoned my steam to my hands, charging it up to perform my deadly jutsu: Boil Release.

"Together," Naruto said, nodding.

"Together," I agreed, my hands burning.

We ran at Kakashi full force, not holding anything back. This was our chance to show our strength. Kakashi hid directly behind a tree so our jutsus smashed into the tree first, obliterating it to bits, but we reached straight through smoke when hitting Kakashi.

"Damn! Another clone!" Naruto cursed.

Kakashi proceeded to use an earth, water, and fire jutsu consecutively, catching Naruto and I completely off guard. Luckily, my steam sprang to our defense, and every flame, wave, and speck of dirt was deflected.

"Copy Ninja, I get it now," I said, shaking my head. "Look. You can't use your Sharingan all night. What are you gonna do?"

Kakashi looked like I had a point. "Gotta go." And he disappeared into the trees.

"He's stalling!" Naruto complained. I looked over at him, up at him rather, and once again admired how tall he had grown up to be.

Then I had an idea. "Let's find him! I think I know how I can get the bells!"

We located Kakashi a little while later, sitting at the base of a tree, planning his next move, no doubt. I whispered to Naruto, "Okay, I'm going to sneak up on him. Make a try for the bells. When he notices me, ifhe notices me, you come in. Got it?"

Naruto nodded in silence, and I crept away from him moving silently and swiftly, being careful to not make a sound. Tsunade had found out quickly that my smallness was an asset, and she trained me to move so lightly on the balls of my feet that the ground barely even detected my movement and weight. The ultimate sneak attack.

As I got closer to Kakashi, I dropped to all fours, and crawled foot by foot, hand by hand, making my movements purposeful and suave. Sure enough, I reached the same tree he was behind without him detecting me. I reached out my arm to grab the bells.

He jumped up, but Naruto had already come in for the kill, pinning Kakashi down. Before Kakashi was back on his feet, Naruto and I had gotten our fingers on a bell.

We held them up for all their glory, praising to the heavens. Kakashi jumped to his feet, shocked. Then, Tsunade and Jiraiya jumped out of the bushes, causing Kakashi, Naruto, and I to all jump five feet in the air.

"I WAS WAITING FOR YOU TO DO THAT ALL NIGHT!" she exploded at me. "You could've have them within the first ten minutes of the game!"

"I forgot!" I shouted back. "CAN'T YOU JUST BE PROUD OF ME?"

"UGH!" Tsunade shouted at me.

"UGH!" I shouted back.

Then we grinned at each other and Tsunade gave me a hug.

Jiraiya and Naruto exchanged a bewildered look at our exchange. Then he clapped Naruto on the back. "Well done, son."

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt a weight drop in my abdomen. My mind felt like it was flickering in and out, between here and somewhere else, but I couldn't see what was happening. I dropped to my knees, causing the group around me to gather around in concern.

"I…something's wrong," I choked out. I clutched at my chest, where a pain seemed to be growing. "It's her…it's Kokuo. Something isn't right. Somewhere."

Naruto knelt down next to me. "Ai…could it be? Is Gaara in danger?"

Naruto had been there when Kokuo and the Shukaku within Gaara had revealed themselves to each other, and their conversation heavily suggested they were some type of soul mates, containing an unbreakable bond.

If Kokuo was causing me this much pain, it was for a reason. And that reason might just be that the Akatsuki had found Gaara sooner than any of us had expected.