JamJackEvo - A sort of gender-bender via henge story, huh. The idea has a lot of merit and at least it's not one of the most cliched situations like Naruto is actually BORN a girl and the boy-form is an advanced henge . . . is it? Hmm.
Just going to have to read and find out! P.s. I try not to do cliché things.
Morbitsu - You have me second guessing the situation with Naruto's attempt at a Henge. At first glance, it seems like the plume of smoke that covered Naruto manifested from a successful Henge, like it usually happens when someone preforms the technique. HOWEVER, after re-evaluating the situation, 3 things happened at once: a plume of smoke appeared, a flicker in the sky was noticed, and a flash inside Naruto's mind was created. To me, it seems like someone purposely distracted Naruto at a critical moment. the plume of smoke could be a smoke bomb thrown by someone. the flickering of the moon could be the assailant's quick escape, and the flash inside Naruto's mind would be a loss of concentration, thereby causing him to create a whole new technique accidentally.
Hmm, an interesting theory indeed which I will neither confirm or deny. (Where's the fun in that?) I will say that all 4 details of the event are interconnected (you missed one, not saying which) but that will be left for a later time to evaluate.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
A shrill scream emanated from the apartment of one Uzumaki Naruto. Had anyone been close that morning the apartment would have probably been rushed and the boy assaulted on the spot for attacking a girl in the demons home. Having no clue now, later in life Naruto would be happy that the assigned ANBU guards were late this Sunday morning.
Hyperventilating, Naruto tried to quickly calm down. Tried and failed. Another piercing scream issued out from the dirty little apartment. Staring back at the body in the mirror, Naruto couldn't believe what was looking back. Instead of shocking yellow locks, striking red hair now adorned the child's forehead. It was slightly longer than the mop that used to be there, hanging just slightly below the shoulders. The face was a little slimmer; some would probably denote more feminine but still marked with the telltale whisker birthmarks that were there before. If it wasn't for the situation, Naruto would have said the face was pretty cute.
"What the hell…" still shocked at the change in voice, Naruto slowly brought a hand up and stroked the new face. Smooth and soft but more importantly… real. The thoughts tumbling like a waterfall through Naruto's mind was that this henge had been a success and he was looking at an illusion. The problem was that Naruto knew it couldn't be. The henge required constant concentration and chakra. Neither of those were on the now red-headed child's mind at the moment. Pinching himself several time, Naruto was mildly sure it wasn't a nightmare.
Naruto just stood there for what felt like an hour, staring back at the sky blue orbs that windowed to the fear inside the mind, running fingers through the new hair cascading around the different face glaring back. "This is just too weird… and my voice is so… girly now." Still shaken, Naruto decided to do one of the few things that would always calm the mind, eat some ramen.
A few soft foot falls later had Naruto staring down the teapot on the stove top. Normally thinking of how 3 minutes to boil water for ramen was far too long, the thoughts currently on Naruto's mind was what to do now. Mumbling in whispers, Naruto mulled over what to do. "I can't talk to anyone at school about this. After all, I DID steal that scroll… Can't talk to Teuchi or Ayame… they aren't ninja anyways. The only person I could ask is jiji…"
A mental image of a very angry Sandaime Hokage berating Naruto for stealing a scroll and attempting to teach himself made a very scary image indeed. Taking the whistle of the teapot as a sign to stop thinking about it for now, Naruto indulged in the precious treat that was ramen. On a strange whim, Naruto decided it wasn't salty enough today and fixed just that.
Two minutes and a satisfied burp later left Naruto sitting at the kitchen table with the earlier thoughts beleaguering the mind again by what to do. That's when it hit like a brick to the face. What would the other people who saw the change think? Would they glare the same? Insult the same? The only answer Naruto could come up with was no. It would probably be worse now if he was a she. A few of the villagers more base insults coming back to haunt the mind… that and the shiver from remembering exactly how it felt to take a brick to the face.
The only thing to do was to see if it would wear off but needed some way to hide the change… The sound of a fist hitting a head rang out, Naruto felt he had the answer. If attempting the henge was what caused this predicament; logic only said that attempting the same henge in reverse would fix it… right? Moving to the bedroom, Naruto sat down on the cushy mattress and attempted to concentrate.
Collecting and molding Chakra, forming the hand seals to focus the chakra and imagining the image of Uzumaki Naruto the boy was a simple feat today. A cry of "Henge" and a poof of smoke later left him apprehensive as to the result. Raising the mirror from last night, he cautiously lifted the reflective surface to see the fruit of his labor. Staring back was the usual face of Naruto, his regular self. Despite the feeling of a pull on his mind, Naruto let out a long sigh of relief. He was glad he fixed the problem early today, after all, when he went to go make that ramen he realized there were no more cups left.
Naruto hated shopping. Not because of the act of shopping, no he hated the people in charge of the businesses who would often either chase him out or berate him while he shopped. He was glad for Ichiraku Ramen's cheap prices for lunch because instant ramen always seemed so expensive at the stores he went to.
Shaking his head, Naruto decided that now was as good a time as any to go to the store and stock up for a while. Nearly bounding off the bed to leave the house, Naruto missed the satchel from last night sitting near the doorway until it was too late. Catching his foot, Naruto toppled to the floor with a loud thud and a poof of smoke. Letting out a soft groan she stood up and pushed the red hair away from her eyes. "Just a small setback, on to ramen!" Naruto thought to herself.
She got to the front door before stopping dead still, hand still on the doorknob and about to twist. Slowly, Naruto walked back to the bathroom to check on something… surely… it was just because of the fall that she thought there was red hair. Sometimes after being hit by Sakura she would see stars after all… Unfortunately, staring back from the mirror was the same red haired beauty from earlier and the only word spoken this time was a soft curse of the morning… "Shit…"
=o=
Monday rolled around far too quickly for Naruto's taste. After an entire day, he was still a she. Afraid to go outside in the new form, Naruto used her newly practiced henge to at least look and sound like her old self… at least until she could think of how to fix the problem. This was an adventure in and of itself. Trying to concentrate on keeping up the illusion while ignoring the glares and remarks of villagers and at the same time being overly cautious so as to not cancel the henge made for a VERY nervous Naruto. It took nearly three times as long as normal to reach the academy, not that it mattered since she normally left early anyways to avoid the larger crowds.
School was nerve racking that day. Sitting in a secluded spot of the class room, staying quiet and trying her best to keep up the illusion meant for a rather nice breather for the rest of the class and teachers. No one said anything, they were happy the normally loud and abrasive child was quiet and cold over in the corner of the room. No pranks, no yelling and no arguing… It was a nice change to most. Sometime after lunch but before the end of class, Naruto nearly lost it. She was so hungry due to a lack of eating after breakfast yesterday and no food today. Too scared to shop while under the henge no jutsu for fear of it falling while in a public place meant no food to eat.
As much as Naruto trusted Teuchi and Ayame of Ichiraku Ramen, she wouldn't chance going there either. So here Naruto sat. Starved and tired while waiting for class to end so that she could go home and try to think of something… ANYTHING to fix this problem. Naruto was counting down the time to leave for the safety of home "Only two hours to go… only one hour to go… thirty minutes… 10 minutes… 2 minutes… COME ON CLOCK MOVE FASTER!"
Surprising everyone in the room, as soon as the very first bell signaling the end of the school day sounded, Naruto was already out of the room and rushing to make her way home. Not even a quarter of the way there, Naruto had to stop to rest. Going on little sleep, no food and a taxed mind was hard to due and keep up the illusion. Through all of this, Naruto never noticed the figure that was tailing him.
=o=
Ever since she woke up that morning, Yamanaka Ino felt today had some pretense to it. A nagging feeling that just wouldn't shake even after bringing it up with her father. She had just recently started training in her family jutsu much to her fathers joy but was worried something might be wrong in how she was performing them possibly.
Inoichi just shook his head while looking at her "Don't worry princess, you probably just feel bad that you broke off your friendship with that nice Haruno girl. You two were best friends up until you started at the academy… never did tell me why you two broke off." He consoled while brushing a lock of hair away from her blue eyes.
Of course, it was all Sakura's idea to break off the friendship, too caught up in her chase for Sasuke to stay friends with a 'rival' but she never said such to her parents. Rolling her eyes, Ino got up to leave while addressing her father "I guess I'll be fine then dad, I'm off to class!"
Watching her leave, Inoichi could only shake his head. Of course word got around to him about the little spat between the two about the Uchiha child. The idea left a sour taste in his mouth however; after all he never did like the smug clan that felt they were above the rest of the village. Unconsciously, Inoichi muttered out his thoughts "I really don't like that Uchiha kid and his little fans…"
Giving a heavy sigh, he felt the soothing hands of his wife Izumi caress some of the stress in his shoulders away. Continuing her ministrations, she set her chin down on top of his head and rasped out a low "it's just a phase dear, they will be friends again and forget all about the ice cube. Just wait." She continued her massage of Inoichi's shoulders while whispering lowly into his ear "I think that after you clean up breakfast you should meet me upstairs to continue that talk of a son…" She finished her thought by giving a light nibble on his ear. Feeling him seize up, Izumi leaned back and sauntered her way upstairs. The next thought to pass through Inoichi's mind as he got up to clean up the mornings mess was a simple agreement with his old friend Shikaku. "Women are troublesome but worth it."
The walk to class soon turned into a sprint when Ino spotted her once-friend Sakura making a beeline to the classroom. Soon the pair were jogging neck and neck running their way to the classroom in their ritualistic attempt to make it to class first and claim the seat next to their idol, Sasuke, first. The winner of said race to the classroom won the right to sit next to the class's heart throb. Most of the time, Ino won due to timing and training.
Today however, there was a vital piece of information that would change everything she thought about. The difference today was the form of one Uzumaki Naruto; who is normally loud, boisterous, energetic and always chasing after Sakura every day… was walking slowly to the academy and completely ignored the pink haired blur that passed him by. The usual in the morning would be the blond haired tornado chasing after her while begging for a date. Yet today he didn't even register her passing… Did he finally get a clue that she likes Sasuke and give up?
Caught in her reverie, Ino didn't notice that Sakura gained a lead on her until it was too late. Huffing and puffing, the blue eyed girl arrived at the classroom to see a smug looking Sakura seated next to the Uchiha boy already. Turning her head to give attention to Ino, Sakura said her daily remark "I win again Ino-pig! You seem to be getting slower… maybe it's time to give up? Ah well, take your seat at the back."
"You just got lucky today billboard brow, I got a little distracted is all." It really didn't feel like her normal bite back to Sakura. Her mind slightly blaming today's loss on Naruto while she shuffled to take a seat next to the sleeping Shikamaru. A short while later, said whisker faced boy slowly made his way into the classroom. He avoided looking at anyone nor did he say anything and just took a lonely seat in the back.
Now, Ino wasn't part of the Interrogation squad but even she could tell something major was off about the boy. His normal entrance would always be loud and filled with laughs. Sometimes he would even leave some sort of prank to use against their teacher but today he was somber and quiet. "I wonder what he might be planning… is it going to be some kind of class wide prank? Or maybe it was another one of his pranks against villagers that left him running like mad from the village patrol."
Of the class, Ino was one of a select few people that noticed the now quiet boys' actions. Hyuuga Hinata, also near the back seats, also noticed the change in the blonde's demeanor. Her mind was a torrent of worry for the boy that she held a crush for. While she may look up to Naruto for his courage and strength, she would never get the gumption to approach him about it. Not before it was too late anyway.
Aburame Shino was quickly informed by his kikaichu bugs that something was off about Naruto today. Not only was there a different scent wafting from his form but there was also a tangible amount of chakra leaking from him. Shino almost allowed his bugs to drain some of Naruto's chakra just to see if it was possibly a completely different person just trying to do something in the boy's absence. Logging the information away for later, Shino decided to consult his parents about the news and see what their opinion was.
The last character was one Inuzuka Kiba. Being from a clan that associated itself closely with canines to the point where they themselves developed similar nuances, instincts and abilities it was an easy job to sniff out the vastly different scent that now clung to the quiet boy in the back. If it wasn't for the fact that Kiba really didn't care about Naruto he might have said something about it. Sure, his pranks usually got a laugh but the kid was just too much of an idiot in class to be friends with. He had an image to build in class and being friends with dead last wasn't on the list.
The rest of the day for Ino flowed along as per usual. Well about as usual as it gets when a certain loud and blond boy is stuck on the surface of your mind. It was antagonizing, trying to think of what Naruto had planned. She wasn't one for just watching things happen however, she would definitely make him spill the truth today. She could always make Chouji or Shikamaru talk under her pressure after all.
Eight long hours later signaled the end of the class day and Ino barely caught and kept up with the now fast moving enigma of the day. He was completely moving in a completely opposite manner from this morning. While earlier he was slow and careful in his maneuvering through the village he was now bounding and leaping off in directions and just narrowly missing a disastrous trip into carts or slamming straight into wandering people. Ino noticed that everyone around seemed to be glaring rather intently at the speeding blonde but simply assumed it was due to the brash race to his destination.
It was when Naruto took a quick turn into an alley that let Ino catch her prey. Rounding the corner at top speed, Ino nearly crashed into the now exhausted boys frame just inside the dingy passage. She noticed that he was bent over, hands on his knees and gulping in for air. Wobbling to right himself, Naruto finally caught a second wind and bent back upwards just in time for Ino to call him out. "Yo, Naruto!"
=o=
The run from the classroom was the hardest thing Naruto had ever done in his life. To keep up the frail henge illusion while barreling down crowded streets while dodging not only the static clutter of the streets but also the bustling populace was an exercise in extreme control for the eight year old Naruto. Not even taking time to register the remarks or scowls from the angered villagers Naruto bobbed and weaved from street to street trying to get home as fast as possible. All during class there was a sense of fear slowly welling up inside him.
It was bad enough that people avoided or ostracized him as a boy but if he suddenly became a girl in the middle of class? His life was surely over. It didn't help that he could swear he felt eyes boring into him all during the day from over the class. Could they tell? Could they see through the illusion hiding what happened? It didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered to Naruto was making it home to rest, regain the days spent chakra for holding the henge all day and finally get some much needed sleep. The last two nights were short naps due to the excessive training he forced on himself.
Nearing his corner of Konoha, Naruto started feeling a bit more secure. He knew the coming area like the back of his hand. In fact… just ahead was an alleyway. Said alleyway would have a corner to it that would allow him to hide and rest a bit secure in the knowledge that it held no windows from the buildings to peek at him. Catching a sharp pair of turns to enter the alley and hide from view, Naruto took a few moments to calm his heart and regain lost breath.
After swallowing mouthfuls of precious oxygen, Naruto steeled his concentration to hold for the rest of the trip home. Hope eked into his mind at successfully making it the whole day without being found out by anyone. If he could just hold this up… whatever hope he held was dashed on the possible bleak future of hiding a new truth if he could not find a way to fix what happened.
Screwing his determination down, Naruto straightened his back out and turned around to finish his perilous journey home. However, fate has a way of really screwing you and then piling it on. Standing not two feet from Naruto was one Yamanaka Ino. Her soft blonde bang was covering one eye while the other blue orb seemed to drill into his mind. It was a split second later that he was brought out of a reverie by two simple words. "Yo, Naruto!"
=o=
Visibly shocked, Naruto almost jumped into the hair by the shock of seeing Ino in front of him. Not so much that it was Ino there but that someone had followed him all this way. Mind racing over the details, he could feel the concentration slipping a little.
Ino was surprised to see Naruto jump like that but then again, he probably didn't want to be followed considering his actions. That didn't matter however, when her curiosity peaked as Naruto's form seemed to almost waver as if the wind could blow him away. Schooling the myriad of questions in her mind down to a simplistic query Ino assaulted his first "What are you up to Naruto?"
It was difficult, but he managed to pin his illusion back into place. He could feel it almost fall away in the breeze. That would have been the last thing he needed right now, for his secret to be discovered by one of the loudest girls in his class. Mentally calming himself, Naruto began to retort. "Oh nothing much Ino, just trying to get home to work on… the homework Mizuki gave us today!" A characteristic mask of aloofness spread across his face and a hand to scratch the back of his head in a practiced manner would hopefully hide his turmoil.
Alas, Naruto just worked his way into more questions. "Mizuki-sensei didn't give any homework today Naruto. What are you really planning eh? Some new prank? Just spill it Naruto-baka!" Adding to her statement, Ino took a single fear inspiring step towards the now scared boy in front of her.
His shaky lie shattered to pieces, Naruto was barraged by Ino's questions but it was the last act that cause him to shiver and lose concentration. Ino was getting too close. The illusion would fail if he was touched. There wasn't any way he could let that happen right now. Taking a few shaky steps backwards Naruto attempted to school his concentration back into place for the henge to remain in place. He was trying so hard that he felt a certain tell tale sign that his time was up
A pain was racing it's way across his limbs and nerves. It was the sign that he had practiced too much or used too much chakra. The problem with this warning sign was that it meant he was about to collapse. Pushing the semblance of aloofness onto his face to hide the absolute fear in his mind Naruto attempted to at least get Ino to leave him peacefully so he could maybe get home safely. "Ah, I…Ino…" his voice was starting to shake and tremble under duress.
Unfortunately for Naruto, that was as far as his consciousness was able to take him. The last three days of exhaustion, hunger and stress was too much for the young child's body. It only took a pair of seconds for the event that would drastically alter the way Yamanaka Ino would view the world from that day forward. Naruto's eyes slowly rolled up into his head as he lost consciousness; his body no longer under willful control pitched forward towards Ino and lastly a poof of smoke encapsulated the pair of them as his henge fell apart.
Silence. Both around the pair and in Ino's mind, at this moment there was a blank silence. The din of the crowd was squashed by the shock in her mind. While there were at least twenty things Ino wanted to yell or scream at Naruto right now, none of it came to mind because of the bundle currently in her arms. Gears running in overdrive still couldn't process the information. For once in her life, Ino felt she had no idea how to approach the problem in her arms.
It was a scent that shook her from the reverie and back to the bundle in her arms. Beautiful and shocking red hair was splayed across her chest that gave off a rather calming scent of earth and trees. In her arms was a girl, a girl that was either playing the part of Naruto today or… always was Naruto.
After the two shocking seconds passed, Ino went to her knees to lower the body of the girl in her arms. Carefully, she turned its form around to get a better grasp of the situation. Maybe this was just someone playing a prank? Ino couldn't really remember anyone in her class with crimson hair like this. Upon finally viewing her face, Ino was quite shocked. It was definitely slimmer and the nose a bit more… dainty compared to the males original face but it was the similarity and not the differences that caught Ino. On each side of her face, the unconscious girl had the same striking birthmarks that Naruto had.
Not even realizing it, Ino had brought a hand up to brush against the whisker marks on the prone forms face. It was a light dip in his skin that was slightly more rough than the rest that made up the whiskers. The mere act of brushing against them felt… she couldn't place the feeling but it caused a definite reaction in Naruto's once blanch face… a smile. It was so small she almost missed the change. Pulling her hand away, Ino attempted to wake the girl currently in her arms several times to no avail. Slightly at a loss, Ino did the only thing she thought she could do in this situation. Take her home and ask her father for advice.
After all, it was obvious that Naruto… or whoever this was, could use a justu to make an illusion so it only made sense to ask a ninja for help. Grunting slightly under the added weight, Ino shouldered the dead weight and made her way to the Yamanaka flower shop and was silently glad they were so close to home. On the way, she received a few awkward stares. Of course, how often did you see one eight year old shouldering another unconscious eight year old and walk somewhere? However, the neighborhood wasn't exactly the safest of Konoha and no one offered to help.
A gentle jingle of bells brought Izumi out of a trance at the store's counter. It had been a slow day and she was starting to nod off at the desk. "Welcome to Yama… Ino? What happened?" Seeing the pair, Ino's mother quickly rushed over to help the two children.
"Ah, hi mom. This is my friend from school… Ruto." Ino quickly spat out a lie. Her mother was no ninja and probably couldn't diagnose the problem… or read the red-heads mind and find the truth. "We were working on chakra exercises in the park and she passed out. I brought her here to rest and let daddy make sure she is ok." At least this time it wasn't a total lie. "I'm going to take her upstairs to rest in my bed ok mom? Be back down in a bit."
Watching Ino climb the stairs with 'Ruto', Izumi let a smile grace her face. It wasn't Sakura but at least Ino had a friend to be there for her. With Ino's bossy and controlling attitude she seemed to push off most people. "Oh, this will be perfect! I'll go get some desert to go with dinner tonight. I'll have to let that girl's parents know somehow that she is safe here." Pleased with her plan, Izumi left the house to create a fabulous dinner to talk over. The gentle cantle of the bells rang out in the flower store as Izumi left, not forgetting to place the 'closed' sign up and locking the door.
=o=
Propped on the bed, Naruto had turned to her side and was currently sleeping soundly on the comfortable bed. Ino had to admit to herself that the girl in front of her was a complete mystery. Twice, the girl had mumbled out in her sleep, both times had shocked Ino. "Please stop hurting me." There was something going on beneath the surface here and Ino made a decision right then and there. On her pride as a Yamanaka, she would figure this enigma out without bringing her father into the equation. That isn't to say she wouldn't question her father but those would be questions about Naruto… herself? This would take a little bit to understand.
Shaken from her thoughts, a tussle of bells ran out from downstairs followed by a cliché yell of "Honey, I'm home!" With her mother out of the house doing something, this was the perfect opportunity to grill her father for information. She made her way downstairs in a rushed form to go and welcome him home with a hug. She had assembled her plan in the span of seconds while descending the stairs… hopefully it would work. Part one of the plan complete. "Hi Daddy!"
Inoichi let out a light chuckle at the welcoming. "Hi there princess, how was your day today?" "It was fine but some stuff happened in class and I have to ask you some questions for homework okay?" He was slightly puzzled by the response but pushed the nagging thoughts away. "Sure thing honey. What did you need to ask?"
Part two of the plan was now starting. "As part of learning information gathering, we were all given one person in class to learn about from others." The nodding of her fathers head let her know to continue. It was time to get some answers "The person that I drew a ballot to learn about was… Uzumaki Naruto." Ino was puzzled when her father stiffened at the mention of Naruto's name. She was not expecting that kind of visual cue. She had to alleviate it quickly. "Like who his parents are, likes and dislikes and where he lives. I figured I would start with you daddy, since you know everything!" Ino mentally grimaced and hoped this ploy would work.
Inoichi softened a little when she clarified what she needed to know. Taking a seat at the dinner table and patting a nearby chair as a signal he decided she could know this kind of information at least. It's not like he hated the child like the rest of the council did, he just heard all kinds of things from shop keepers about the way he treated their stores. "Well first of all… Naruto is an orphan. His parents both died the night he was born during a fight near the village." Inoichi began to rack his brain for likes and dislikes he had overheard.
Meanwhile, Ino felt a pang of pity for Naruto. "No parents ever since he was born? I can't even imagine what that could be like…" Cutting off his thinking time, Ino decided to clarify for better information. "Where does he live then? At an orphanage or with relatives?" Could the energenic blonde really have this kind of past? The same boy who would always greet happily and wear that shit eating grin all day long?
A flash of pain crossed Inoichi's face at the question. It wasn't that it was restricted information but more that the information was so negative. "He… lives alone princess. No relatives to take him in and he was never adopted." He watched a pained expression cross Ino's face showing him exactly how she felt on the information. "The only thing he likes as far as I know is Ramen at that Ichiraku Ramen place. Any other questions?" Thoughts of what really happened to the boy had left a foul taste in Inoichi's mouth. Beatings and insults were the least of the problems. The presence of the tenant was a whole other story all compounded by the shrewd civilian council. He needed a drink…
"Thanks for the information daddy!" With a quick hug, Ino turned around and sped upstairs. The revelation was… shocking wasn't a strong enough word. Was Naruto really hiding this kind of past? The blinding smile that happily bounded inside the classroom was a lonely orphan? What else was he hiding? Could it be that Naruto really was a girl and just hiding it? The questions were mounting to monstrous amounts before her hand grasped the knob to her room before she froze. It was clear as day to Ino, there were soft sobs coming from the bedroom in front of her.
Opening the door carefully, Ino approached the obviously pained form in front of her. Curled up into almost a ball, Naruto was crying in her sleep. The twitching she was doing every now and then was enough evidence for Ino. Naruto was having a nightmare. Moving without realizing it, Ino had sit down next to the floundering form on the bed and gentle began to stroke the soft crimson hair that was splayed over Naruto's head. Ino's mother had used this before on her to calm her down and it seemed to be a universal trick. The fidgeting and sobbing relented and her face took on a neutral expression.
The moment didn't last however, as seconds later, Naruto's eyes snapped open and locked straight into Ino's. Blue met blue for a split second before the prone form stiffened on the bed. Fear gripped her lithe frame as she righted herself into a sitting position and shuffled back away from Ino until she ran into the headboard. The reaction scared the both of them.
Naruto was afraid that someone knew her secret now. Ino was scared by the absolute fear in the eyes of the girl in front of her. There was so much more to Naruto than she could have ever thought it seemed. Something inside her tugged to console the shivering form of the girl cringing away from her at the moment. Perhaps she was just scared that she passed out in the alley? "Shh, it's okay. You're safe right now. When you collapsed I brought you home to rest. Are you okay?"
"Okay? OKAY? Yeah I'm just dandy! Two days ago I changed from a boy to a girl when I attempted a justu I stole and then tried to hide that fact from everyone. Nnow I find out that you know my secret and I'm in your home." "I think I'll be okay…" were the words that escaped her mouth while she schooled her well trained mask to exhibit a smile. "Sorry for troubling you like this Ino." What sent it home for Ino was the action Naruto just did. Smirking while scratching the back of her head, Naruto didn't realize she just did a nervous reaction that cemented a claim in Ino's mind.
"So… that really is you Naruto? What… I have so many questions right now." Naruto's mask wavered for a split second into a worried one but quickly fixed into the smile. "Eheh… that's an interesting story Ino you see…" Before Naruto could continue, Ino's inquisitive mind pushed cares about that to the side. "Naruto is it true that you are an orphan?"
The question caught her by complete surprise. No one ever cared before besides jiji and the pair at Ichiraku's. Three people in a village of thousands. Without even realizing it, she lowered her head and allowed the crimson tresses to hide her pained expression. Not trusting her new voice in this situation, Naruto merely nodded her head.
The physical response that Ino witnessed shocked her. Somewhere in her mind, there was a scream to stop asking these painful questions but that was smothered by her inquisitive side that wanted… needed to know more. "And you live on your own? How do you do it?" Ino instantly hated herself after asking the question. It was obvious these hurt Naruto to think about. Asking these kinds of questions when she was in a sad state was only making it worse. Silence pervaded the room for a few seconds as neither girl moved or spoke.
When Naruto began to shiver, Ino moved again without realizing it. Performing an act so alien to Naruto she simply froze and didn't know what to do. Ino was hugging the crimson haired girl and muttering sorry over and over. The pair remained there, nearly unmoving, before Ino continued. "It must be hard for you Naruto. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for you. I've always had my parents so I can't even try to say I know how you feel but…" Ino was shocked when Naruto completed the hug and began to sob into her shoulder.
Naruto didn't know why really. Scared, past revealed… she felt almost naked without the mask of a smile and the lie of a past to hide behind. When Naruto drew her arms around Ino, there was some voice in the back of her mind that said to just let go. She just felt like she could right now for some reason. Walls breaking down, Naruto did something she before now only reserved for when she was hiding in the bed at home. She cried. She cried for a lot of things, her emotions and memories were a jumble but this felt… nice.
The sound of bells jingling pulled Ino from her stupor. "Mom's home with dinner… I should make Naruto eat with us." "That's gunna be mom getting home with some food. You hungry? Want some dinner Naruto?" Ino pulled back from the hug to look at the girls face for an answer.
Thought she shook her head, Naruto's stomach let out a vicious grumble to alert its hunger. A light blush crept onto her face at the embarrassment but Ino just let out a light giggle. Ino screwed her normal personality down to face her parents. "Stay right here Naruto I will be right back." Just as she was about to leave, Ino turned and looked Naruto straight in the eyes. "Don't you dare try to escape Naruto…" Turning to make a beeline downstairs, Ino left a shocked crimson haired girl sitting on the bed.
Truth being, Naruto was going to try and run away. In a strange home, with a strange girl and being offered food that would probably involve adults. She wasn't looking forward to the glares and hate from them but… Ino said to stay. Looking over to the windowsill, a small true smile crept onto Naruto's face. Sitting there in a window flower box were several flowers.
A/N Mmmm this was an interesting chapter to type, leaving out the orientation words (aka him/her) while unsure of self and using them when he/she was sure; was interesting to type. P.S. thanks to those who left those kind reviews in the short time the teaser chapter was up and sorry I didn't get this real 1st chapter up sooner.