AN: So here's the first chapter of my official Naruto fic that's not a one-shot. Yes, the story is set in the Narutoverse (anime version). There will be the twists/change as it should be with any new character(s) appearing. Ah, lets just say that the story will solely focus on the OC as she live through the timeline. Simple enough, neh? ;)

Also, I'm making this story as realistic as possible. I'm specifically speaking about anything that involves emotions. I tend to do that with all my stories. So there won't be any rushing, unless it's a scene or a fast-forwarding deal. For the time being the rating will stay as is, but it will likely go up in later chapters.

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'In the language of flowers, snapdragons are said to represent both deception (perhaps tied to the notion of concealment) and graciousness.'

Chapter One

A Missed Meeting

A strong gust of wind blew through the street as a twelve-year old girl made her way to the apartment(1) building. Her dark hair, worn as a long braid, gently swayed on her back as she slowly took her time to reach the building. She pushed the strands of loose hair behind her ears, keeping her sight straight ahead.

It was already seven past five and the sky would soon turn into dusk; the wind had slowly brought the clouds from the south and if she could take a wild guess, would likely bring rain for tomorrow. If there were to be any rain, then today's meeting could have been a crucial one. She was kind enough to have waited for half an hour before she knew he would be a no-show. It was not her loss though, as she had already mastered the clone technique and did not need the practice like he did. She was just being helpful, a tutor if you will, and would have gladly helped him out in the one skill he kept failing at.

She stopped a couple of steps away from the double doors that would lead into the building, her sight moving up to the second floor, third window that happened to have been open. An open window was no indication that he was home, since people who were not on floor level would leave them open. The only way to even see if he was home would be to go up the stairs, walking over to his apartment and knocking—if not furiously—upon the door.

Wouldn't surprise me if he's at Ichiraku, she thought as she felt another gust of wind coming from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of an old woman; the woman was seated in one of the benches that stood in front of the building, a basket on her lap and a cat on the empty seat beside her. She had seen her before, sitting in front of the establishment with cat and all. She had assumed she lived in the same building; if anything, she would know if he was home.

Turning around, she walked toward her.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know if Uzumaki Naruto is home?"

"Honorable Granddaughter, good evening! Oh yes, I've seen him carrying cans of some sort into his apartment half an hour ago, right before I came down here."

The girl smiled, as a result for revealing that the boy she was looking for was at home and because she was addressed by a title she cared not for. "Thank you," she said, turning around and beginning to walk away.

As she made her way through the doors and began ascending the stairs that connected to the second floor, she recalled how she first came to meet the blond boy.

She was six years old and had finished running five laps around the garden that was behind her home; her grandfather, once she had broached the subject of wanting to become a medic-nin, had assigned her a private tutor to train her before she was to enter the academy. While she remembered the training being hard, comparing it to now she realized it was really nothing. On one particular day, she had complained she was tired—not necessarily the truth but she was not all too keen on being trained.

'You'll be entering the Academy in seven months. Training a little each day will prepare you physically. That way you will then be able to concentrate on your chakra control, something that you will not need to worry for now.'

It was her then-tutor motto whenever she complained about the training. It was also one of the days when Asai Ishi would not be watching over her. She was her moriyaku(2) as far as she could remember. Since her mother was no longer alive, she was the one assigned to watch over her. What the others didn't know was that Ishi was incredibly strict with her being; she was never allowed to play with the boys at the park and much less play in the sand. Ishi only wanted her to play with the girls or in the playground set, never throwing balls or rolling around the grass. She once complained to her grandfather about Ishi and he had only said she was watching over her well-being, just as any mother would.

So, once her tutor saw that she was no longer able to continue her training for the day, he said he would inform Ishi about it. She took advantage of the absence of both Ishi and her tutor to quickly run out of the garden and for the park. Considering the park was less than a block away, she quickly made her way through the trees that surrounded it. Once there, she saw the other children; it was also there where she saw the boy.

He was seated by himself, overlooking the children and their parents. She had never seen the boy before, but it also seemed that the boy had never known about her when she asked why he was alone. She came to learn his name and how he was tired, which explained why he was away from the rest. Because they were children, she had quickly and unabashedly asked if he wanted to play, as she was also by herself. Time went by, so it seemed to her, when Ishi suddenly called her. She couldn't remember exactly what the two of them were doing, but it was enough to anger Ishi who ordered her immediately to get away from the boy.

Since that day, Ishi would watch her training with her tutor.

The girl stopped in front of his door, waited a second or two until she softly knocked. No answer. She knocked again and was greeted by the silence. She was about to go for a third when she heard the click of a lock being undone from the other side.

"Oh—Amaya!" The blond-haired boy greeted, a wide grin on his face once the door was opened. "What brings you here?"

The girl known as Amaya gave him a blank look, before she sighed. "You obviously have forgotten if you're asking such question."

"Huh?"

"The meeting…in the forest…clone technique?"

It took him a second or two before he realized what she was talking about. "I forgot about that," he said with a sheepish smile. "I was going to go, honest, but I completely forgot about it."

She nodded lightly. "Right."

"Well, how about if I treat you to some ramen, huh? I mean, for making you walk all this way?"

Amaya smiled, but shook her head. She should have been home by now, since she had given Ishi an estimate on how long she would be out. She might as well leave until it was thirty past five; right then she could easily lie by saying the training went for another half an hour. Plus, it helped that she had not mentioned whom exactly she was helping. "How about a glass of water?"

"Sure, come right in."

This was the first time she had ever visited Naruto besides walking outside of his apartment building. The reason being that they were no more than acquaintances, not friends and much less classmates. The only things they had in common was that both were attending the Academy and were in the same year; he had Iruka-sensei and she was taught by Namida-sensei. Their classrooms were right next to one another and were the only two groups of students who shared the same training field, unlike the younger students who had the whole place to themselves per class.

She had known about him, of course, who didn't? They shared their lunchtime and whenever any physical activity was to take place, they would all be there. Even so, Amaya had never spoken to him, but not because she was shy; there was just nothing about the boy that interested her. It had only been a week ago that she had personally met him for the second time; she had been walking through the training grounds when she came across the orange-clad boy practicing a technique that looked an awful lot like the Bunshin. After minutes of watching him pathetically attempt to conjure up a perfect clone, she stepped in. A short conversation later—if she could call it that—she had offered to help him. He was bashfully grateful.

"So, you live alone, hm? Must be fun," she commented as Naruto appeared with a glass of water.

"It's okay," he replied softly, handing over the glass to her. Amaya noticed the different tone in his voice and it was then that she realized her mistake. Feeling foolish for stumbling over something so obvious, she was about to speak when he said, "I'm sure living in a big house as yours must be fun, huh?" His demeanor suddenly changed. "After all, you're the granddaughter of the Third Hokage." He smiled ear to ear as he rubbed the back of his head.

She softly smiled at this, not because he mentioned to whom she was related, but by the sudden change of attitude. She had seen him be a troublesome boy, and from what she could gather of that, that was likely the reason why no one really befriended him. Oh sure, she had seen him with a group of boys occasionally but there was no mistake: people older than them did not like him.

She took a sip from her glass and as she did, she noticed two buckets of what appeared to be paint standing by a corner. "You're going to paint some fences?"

He blinked and once she signaled toward the pair of cans, he began chuckling. "Oh yeah, paint."

"Hm."

A couple of minutes later, she thanked him for the glass and headed for the door. Just as she turned the knob, she turned around to face him. "Friday's the graduation exam. If you'd like, I can help you tomorrow, after school?"

"That'd be great, thanks!"

She turned again, but before she stepped out of the door, she said over her shoulder, "Ah yes, if you plan on not coming, tell me."

The Quickies

(1) - Not exactly sure what kind of quarters Naruto lives in, so I just made it up to be an apartment building.

(2) - Moriyaku means "a nurse or nanny" but in this case it's being used as a guardian.

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AN: There you have it, the first chapter of the story. Everything that's left unexplained will eventually be explained in the future chapters - though there'll be more to know in the next chapter. Also, I've done my research but if there's something amiss concerning the Naruto world, kindly point it out.

Any reviews are appreciated - that includes flames, but make it reasonable, m'kay? Other than that, I will like to hear what you thought of this chapter - even if it's a simple three worded review. A review is a review and it is always appreciated.

Well, that's all for now. Till next time!