Chapter 1: Melting the Ice

Naruto was storming down the street on his way to the Hokage's office to argue once again with Lady Tsunade to allow him to search for his best friend and rival: Sasuke Uchiha. Turning around a corner, his blinding determination caused him to be oblivious to the girl in front of him, crashing into her as they both fell to the ground. The blonde rubbed his head sorely and groaned. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

"I'm sorry," she said as she began to gather the books she dropped in the crash, "I was distracted and I guess I didn't see you."

'Story of my life…' When he looked up to see who he ran into, Naruto saw a young girl, though she was older than he. She had raven hair that rolled past her shoulders that contrasted beautifully against her pink sundress. "Are you okay?"

Brushing off her dress, she nodded as she stood. "Yeah, I'm fine." Looking over the younger blonde boy in front of her, she asked, "You're Naruto, right?"

He nodded. "How'd you know that?"

She turned to look up at the stone Hokage faces that towered over the Village. "One of favorite places in the Village is on top of the Hokage Faces and I was there when Iruka-sensei was yelling at you to clean up what you did to it a few months ago," she said, referring to when the boy had painted the memorials as a prank.

"Oh, I see," Naruto chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, still sitting on the ground.

"I have just one thing to say to you about that childish prank," she announced threateningly. The blonde prepared himself for verbal abuse or even to be sent flying with a punch as she bent down to see him eye-to-eye. "The colors you used didn't match very well." Standing, she snickered to herself as she began to walk away. "I'm on an errand so I guess this'll have to wait!"

Naruto watched as she walked away, standing and continuing to the Hokage's office to finish his mission. 'Who was she?'

"Do you know anyone like that, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked his former teacher as they sat together at Ichiraku Ramen. He had just told the fatherly man about his encounter with the older girl that morning as he was trying to find out who she was.

Iruka thought hard about the description. "I don't think so. It sounds familiar, though."

Naruto was contemplating over the girl as he ate his bowl of ramen, not even paying attention to the new customer that sat down two seats away from his former teacher on the opposite side that he was sitting. "Hey, there! I haven't seen you around here in a while. I was starting to think you didn't like my cooking anymore," the cook said to the girl.

"No one can beat your cooking, old man," she replied.

He chuckled. "Do you want the usual?"

"If you can still remember it; yes, please." She looked over at the other two customers. "Hey, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto looked over and recognized her immediately as the man answered, "Kurisutaru, how are you? I haven't seen you since your fight in the Chuunin Exams. It's a little late, but: congratulations!"

Naruto nudged the man and whispered, "That's her! You know her? Who is she?"

"That's Kurisutaru Tetsu," he briefly whispered in return.

"I've been pretty well, I guess. I've been doing a lot of research for Teinei along with training, missions, and trying to keep things up since my mother died," she tried to sound cheerful but it was hollow.

"I heard about that. I'm sorry I couldn't be there. How're you three holding up?" Iruka lifted his cup of tea as he listened, the girl's ramen just arriving.

"Teinei insists he's fine, but he's always away on missions. He should be returning soon, actually. Marugo was quietly grieving for a little while, but he's back to normal now, by the sound of his letters," Kurisutaru ate a chopstick-full of ramen when she finished.

"And what about you?"

She paused, allowing her bangs to fall into her face and shade her eyes. "I… keep myself busy."

Iruka sighed quietly. He knew everyone handled grieving differently but he also knew that simply ignoring it by working couldn't be healthy. "I see."

When she began eating her ramen in silence, the cook asked, "Why don't you smile anymore, Kurisutaru?"

She didn't answer when Naruto debated, "What are you talking about? She's been smiling this whole time!"

He shook his head. "You must not have known her for very long, then. Anyone who's seen her smile before knows that wasn't a real smile."

The blonde was confused. "Not… her real smile?" He looked over at her as she ate her ramen in silence.

"That's right!" he declared. "Kurisutaru can smile like no other. It could be enough to melt ice, I'd bet."

"You exaggerate, old man," she muttered with a small smile.

"Not by much!" He smiled and returned to his work.

Night fell around them when the seat next to Kurisutaru was taken by a blonde boy in black. He sat awfully close to her and Naruto assumed the boy was her boyfriend. He was whispering things in her ear that their audience couldn't hear. It wasn't long before she stood, leaving the money for her meal. "It was nice talking to you, Iruka-sensei. Thanks for the ramen, old man. You haven't lost your touch," she said quietly before she left. The boy followed her closely like a leech without a word to the others.

Iruka watched as they left without a word before paying for the ramen for himself and former student. "Good-night, Naruto," he said as he left for home.

"Yeah, and thanks for treating me to ramen, sensei," Naruto waved in return as he left Ichiraku Ramen. "See you later, old man!" He began his way down the dark streets of Konoha with his hands resting casually behind his head as he enjoyed the feeling of his belly full of his favorite ramen.

Kurisutaru walked down the dark streets as she was followed by Motobe until he forced her down an alley. "You can't ignore me," he said with a sinister smirk. He pinned her against the wall until he felt her shudder under the pressure he was applying against the girl's body. The blonde looked around to see if anyone was in sight other than his two friends posted on nearby rooftops as backup.

"Motobe… stop it. I… can't breathe," she pleaded.

He pressed his arm harder across her chest until she released a raspy, quiet cry of pain. "Don't tell me what to do, kuroi akki." She couldn't answer as she placed her arms on his shoulders to push him away as she bent her legs to become closer to the ground.

"Let…" he pushed harder as her hand grasped a handful of sandy dirt, "me… go!" Throwing the dirt into Motobe's eyes, Kurisutaru gasped for air as he released her and scrambled to exit the alley. "Leave me alone!"

Naruto turned to look behind him. Kurisutaru emerged from an alley he had passed a few yards back. She appeared to be crying as she gasped for breath, one hand over her chest near her neck. "Kurisutaru?"

She ignored Naruto and ran past him. When she reached just as far ahead of him as she had emerged behind, another boy jumped from a neighboring rooftop and tackled her. Naruto looked back to the alley where she had come to see Motobe rubbing his eyes angrily. "Dammit… You're dead, kuroi akki!"

Kurisutaru squirmed frantically from underneath the boy above her. When he dug his knee between her shoulder blades angrily, she stopped struggling and lay face-down in the dirt, crying quietly. "Leave me alone… Please, Motobe…"

Naruto ran forward and punched the boy who was pinning Kurisutaru in the face. "What are you doing?" As far as he could tell, she was a kind person, so why would these guys treat her like this?

Walking toward them, Motobe chuckled. "You don't know much, kid, do you? I can do whatever I want because this is the kuroi akki of the Tetsu family. Besides, she knows that she can't avoid me." He smiled devilishly as he watched the girl slowly pulling herself from the ground. "Don't you, akki?"

Kurisutaru didn't look up at either of them as she slowly rose from the ground. "He hasn't done anything, Motobe," she muttered, "Please, don't hurt him."

Naruto looked between the two older shinobi with confusion. He was about to ask what she was talking about when Motobe tackled him. "Oh, I won't hurt him. As if a little brat like this could hurt me, anyway."

This flared Naruto's anger as he threw the older boy off of his back. "Hey, watch it! I'm going to be the next Hokage!"

Motobe snorted in amusement as he began to walk over to Kurisutaru. "Enough of this, kuroi akki. Let's go."

Her eyes widened before she closed them and shuddered, sinking to the ground again. She heard Naruto running forward to stop the older boy's advances when three boys appeared, standing in front of the girl defensively with scowls on their faces.

"You're disgusting, Motobe," Daichi snarled.

Kaki knelt down to his terrified teammate. "Are you okay? What'd he do?"

"I told you," Uindo told his other two teammates quietly. "And you think my jutsu's stupid."

"Fine, you were right! Let it go," Kaki rolled his eyes.

Naruto was still on the defensive as he stood a few feet behind Motobe. "Who are you guys?"

"Formally, we're her teammates, but we are also her friends." Daichi was glaring at Motobe again.

"Such a cold face; you're going to hurt my feelings, Daichi," the sinister blonde sneered.

"I'm going to hurt a lot more than your feelings!" Uindo said as he drew a kunai from his waist pack.

"That's too bad," Motobe sighed. The sarcasm in his demeanor reminded Naruto of the snake-master Orochimaru. "I'd love to stay and catch up, but I'm afraid I have other plans."

When Daichi and Uindo charged forward to attack the boy, he was gone in a flash. "Dammit! Get back here, you coward!" Uindo growled as he looked around for sight of him.

"Who was that guy?" Naruto asked, looking between the three boys and glimpsing Kurisutaru crouched into a ball and crying. "What did he want with Kurisutaru?"

Daichi looked at the blonde sternly. "You're Naruto, right? My advice to you is just go home. This doesn't concern you."

"What? No way!" He wasn't about to simply walk away after seeing that. It was unthinkable for him.

Kurisutaru raised her head from her protective ball to see Kaki's face. His hand was on her back as his gentle eyes searched her tear-stained face. "Are you all right?"

She looked down at her knees, which were perched in front of her chest. "Please, not so close," she whispered in an apologetic tone.

He obeyed her wishes respectfully and backed away, removing his hand from her back. "Are you hurt?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"That isn't what I asked you."

Ignoring him, Kurisutaru climbed to her feet and brushed herself off as the four boys watched her. "Thanks, guys, but I'm going home. Good-night."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey! I want an answer!" When she ignored him and continued walking, he chased after her.

Daichi sighed while scratching his head. "You two handle it. I'm going home."

"You just don't want to mess with your cousin for not protecting Kurisutaru," Kaki grumbled. He was met with a cold glare, telling him he had touched on his teammate's nerves. After the Buke left, Kaki sighed. "Just keep your ears open, Uindo. I'm hungry."

"Sounds fair to me. Let's go," he sighed.

Kurisutaru wiped her eyes as the blonde pestered her for answers. "What happened back there? Why was that Motobe-guy trying to hurt you? Does Granny Tsunade know about this?"

Deciding to only answer the last question, she shook her head. "No, Lady Tsunade doesn't know. She's too busy of a woman to worry about something like this." She stopped walking to look at the younger boy as if deep in thought. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked after a long silence. "Why aren't you teasing me or telling me to go bleach my hair?"

Naruto blinked, processing her questions through his mind. "Why wouldn't I be? And why would I tell you to dye your hair?"

Kurisutaru sighed, frustrated as if he was doing something wrong by not teasing her. "Because I'm Kurisutaru Tetsu and I have black hair!"

"Yeah, so?"

"You obviously have never met someone from the Tetsu family." Taking a deep breath, she started walking again. "You'll have to see for yourself." Kurisutaru walked as she thought with the blonde close by. "Motobe… has been that way for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was little, he's found joy in getting me alone and fighting me…"

"It didn't look like much of a fight. He was the only one throwing blows," Naruto pointed out. He thought he saw a hint of a sad smile cross her face. "Why didn't you fight back, anyway?" Now he was sure there had been a smile as he saw it disappear.

"Because… I can't. I haven't been able to for years." Kurisutaru reached her hand to the locket around her neck, opening it to see the picture inside. "I just freeze up when I see him."

"Why?" Naruto stepped in front of her so she had to look into his cerulean blue eyes.

She looked into the honestly curious gaze before looking back at the photo. "Just… because." Kurisutaru sidestepped the blonde, snapping the locket shut, as she continued walking until a figure fell from the sky and stood in front of her. Calmly taking a step back, she looked up at the new arrival. "I didn't think you'd be back until tomorrow."

The moonlight lit up the boy's features as Naruto watched carefully, suspicious it could be Motobe again. White hair glowed in the light as the black-and-white-wearing boy removed his ponytail holder and smiled at Kurisutaru. "When they told me I could come home after my mission, I came as fast as I could. I haven't even seen Lord Hokage yet to tell him it was a success!"

'Lord Hokage? Where has this guy been the last few months?' Naruto looked at the boy closely. He was taller than Kurisutaru and even appeared older but he supposed the height was the reason it seemed that way.

"Teinei, while you were away, there was an attack during the Chuunin Exams. Lord Hokage was assassinated during the attack," Kurisutaru told him carefully. "We have a new Hokage: Lady Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin."

"Yeah, and she's a grumpy old bat," Naruto mumbled.

The moment Teinei's eyes fell on the blonde, his eyes widened. "Kurisutaru, do you know who that is?"

She stepped between Teinei and Naruto. "Don't, Teinei!" Looking him sternly in the eyes, she said, "He's just walking me home since I ran into Motobe."

"Motobe ran into you?" Teinei pulled out a kunai from his leg holster. "He's nearby, isn't he? Tell me where he is. I'll kill him," he growled, forgetting entirely about the whiskered blonde that he was previously angry about.

"No, Teinei! You can't kill him! It's not worth it," Kurisutaru trailed off. Her tone of voice told them her mindset was 'I'm not worth it…'

He sighed in defeat. "This'll have to wait until morning." Teinei stepped forward to see Kurisutaru's cuts and scrapes more easily. "Are any of them bothering you?" Despite her silence, he placed a hand on the left side of her back, over her ribs. "You're handling that one pretty well; it's a doozy," he noted as his hand glowed white.

"Are you her brother or something?" Naruto was being driven crazy by the fact no one would tell him what was going on.

Teinei shot a short glare at him before focusing his attention on his friend's injuries again. "Get out of here, Kyuubi," he muttered.

Before Naruto could even glare or start yelling at the boy for such a comment, Kurisutaru spoke up. "Let it go, Teinei. Naruto had nothing to do with it." She turned to smile at the blonde. "You're welcome to come over any time. Ignore Teinei's rudeness." Shrugging the boy's hand away, she stood and walked for home with a smile on her face. Once they reached the Tetsu District, she turned back to Naruto. "Now, do you see?"

He looked around and saw several people, understanding immediately as he remembered her words: I'm Kurisutaru Tetsu and I have black hair! The blonde looked back at her face to see her continue to smile despite the scattered scowls she was receiving. ''It takes a great deal of courage to hide sadness with laughter.' The Third used to say that… I wonder if it's the same if you smile.' Naruto thought about what the old man at Ichiraku said, as well. 'Anyone who's seen her smile before knows that wasn't a real smile.'

Kurisutaru stopped at the door of a large house and drew a deep breath. "I'm home." It was like breathing a sigh of relief as she looked at the familiar building. Motobe couldn't touch her here. She was safe. Teinei walked past her and into the house and stood in the doorway, waiting for his friend. She turned to Naruto and smiled. "Thanks for walking with me. See you around, Naruto."

He grinned and answered with a thumbs-up. "You bet, Kurisutaru!" Naruto looked closely at her face as the door closed. 'The old man was right. That's not a real smile.'

"Why were you with the Kyuubi tonight?" Teinei asked as he hung his jacket on the coat rack in the entry. His silver shackles on his wrists glinted in the light as he rubbed at them lightly to ease the soreness of chafing skin. "You and I both know the Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto Uzumaki that night. Why would you be around him when he's the one who killed your father?"

"It's sealed inside him. That doesn't make him the demon fox." Kurisutaru removed her shoes in the doorway before proceeding inside.

"Don't tell me you haven't given up on that idea of yours. If you try to meet and become friends with Jinchuuriki, you'll get hurt. Akatsuki is after them, you know. They'll kill anyone who gets in their way without a second thought and Marugo and I can't always be there to protect you! When was the last time you saw him, anyway? At Rikka's funeral?"

"He said he might come back to Konoha, and yes, I do still want to meet Jinchuuriki and become their friend. If you're worrying so much about protecting me, then stop."

"I couldn't do that even if I tried, and you know it," he said apologetically. "Just be careful, all right? And just because you're friends with him, doesn't mean I have to be, got it?"

"Don't worry so much," she assured gently as Kurisutaru climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Closing the door to her room, she smiled to herself as she thought of the blonde with a magnetic personality. 'Naruto Uzumaki… You are truly his son.'