Naru smiled at her teammates. "Hey guy's!" she called waving.
"Naru? You're only like a minute late." Sakura said. "This is the earliest you've been for awhile."
Naru shrugged smiling as Aka landed on her shoulder. "Remember this guy!" she said pointing to the raven.
"Isn't that the raven you found yesterday?" Sakura asked looking at the black bird closely.
"Yep!" Naru chirped.
"I thought you said you healed it and it flew away." Sasuke said looking at the bird.
The bird's feathers raised a little and Aka looked like he was staring intensely at Sasuke, sizing him up.
"He came back and his names Aka! How cool is that!" Naru said happily stroking the ravens head.
"That's a little weird." Sakura confessed.
Naru huffed. "Well I think it's cool. And he's really smart to!" she said and Aka's eyes looked amused by Naru's words.
"Why'd you bring him here?" Sasuke asked not liking how the bird looked at him. It made him feel small and weak…like how that man looked at him that night. He inwardly growled and outwardly scowled at the bird.
"He wanted to come." She said with a shrug unbalancing the raven a little. "Oops sorry." She said patting his head.
Sakura sighed, "You're so weird Naru."
"You know you love me!" she said grinning broadly.
Sakura smiled a little at the blonde's antics and Sasuke scoffed looking away.
A poof announced the arrival of their sensei. All three looked at him surprised. "What no yelling?" he asked eye smiling.
"Your only a few minutes late." Naru muttered. "Who are you and what have you done with our sensei!" she yelled out pointing at him making him and the rest of the team sweat drop.
Aka started cawing with his head thrown back, it sounded like he was laughing at the blonde.
"Who you laughing at?" Naru shouted trying to grab the bird, but he flew out of her reach still laughing. "Grrr! Get back here!" she yelled running after the bird that was still hysterically laughing.
"Um, well that was strange." Kakashi said watching his hyperactive student glare at the laughing raven that now sat in a tree. Then he noticed something. "Naru stop and come here." He ordered and Naru stopped shaking her fist at the bird turning her bluer than the sky eyes to her sensei.
"What is it sensei?" Naru asked tilting her head to the side as Aka calmed down and fluttered back to her shoulder.
"Where's your headband?" he asked.
"Oh, um." She rubbed her left arm with her right. "I, ah, lost it! Yeah my apartments so messy I can never find anything!" She was a horrible liar and she knew it to, from the looks of her team they didn't buy it.
Kakashi sighed and said, "Well today's exercise is…"
Naru tuned it out sighing in relief as her team seemed to drop it. Feeling eyes on her she turned her head seeing Aka looking at her intensely as if knowing that she was lying. He probably did.
Naru sighed running a hand through her hair as she walked down the street, Aka nestled on her shoulder. She looked around the shops before stopping at one that said 'Book Store'. The blonde strolled in and smiled to the man behind the counter.
"Hey Naru!" he greeted with a big grin.
"Hey! Is the new volume in?" she asked folding her arms on the counter and leaning on it, looking up at the man hopefully.
"Yep right here waiting for ya!" he said bending down and ruffling around looking for the book. "Ah-ha!" he said meaning he found it. BAM! "Ow!" Naru snickered as he had slammed his head against the counter, since he wasn't looking. Standing back up rubbing his head with a wince, holding a book in his other hand. "You go through books fast. I sold you that latest volume a few months ago, you finished it in a week!" he said laughing as he handed her a light blue book with the picture of a heart with wings curling around it. Fallen was the title and it was the third volume.
"Sweet!" she chirped and rummaged through her pockets before pulling out her frog wallet. She took out the right amount of money and handed it to the man. Taking the book she grinned. "Thanks!"
"No problem! See ya!" he said waving after the blonde as she waved back and left the store.
Naru smiled holding the book to her chest. she turned her head looking at Aka as he was looking at her curiously. "What surprised I like to read?" she asked snickering. "No one really knows so let's keep it between us ne?" she said smiling with a wink while walking home.
Naru sat back on her bed one hand behind her head the other holding her new book in front of her face. Aka was perched on her headboard never looking away from her while she became engrossed with her book. Until her stomach growled.
A blush spread across her tanned cheeks. "He-he dinner time." She said placing a piece of paper in the book to mark where she left off. The book was placed on her night stand and the blonde jumped up walking to the kitchen as Aka flew over to perch himself on a chair. "Hmm, let's see." She said looking in the fridge. "Nothing." She muttered moving through the cabinets. "Nothing!" sweat dropping she sighed. "Damn I knew I forgot something!" grumbling she scribbled down things she needed on a piece of paper. "Aka you wanna come?" she asked the bird.
When he didn't show any signs of moving she took that as a no.
"Alright be back." She said not caring she was telling this to a BIRD. He was good company and she liked having some other living thing there to keep her company so she isn't so alone and start to…
Shaking her head she began her trek to the grocery store.
"Wow that was faster than I thought." Naru said standing in front of the grocery store looking over her list making sure she got everything her groceries in a few plastic bags in her left hand. She didn't buy just instant ramen but other stuff as well such as spices, vegetables and fruits. She could cook, thank you very much, but she just never had the time or the reason to. "Time to head home…Hmm, I'll say hi to old man Itachiraku first." She said to herself nodding with a smile.
When the fox carrier reached the ramen stand she stopped hearing two men talking.
"I was the only one in my squad to make it! Those fucking eyes of his! Red as our blood not to mention that cloak with clouds to match!"
"Wow I can't believe you made it."
"I'm telling you we should boost security! He could be in the village!"
Naru sweat as it sounded like a dangerous criminal could be loose in the village.
"Why would he come back here?"
"I think I know why."
"Why? What could possibly in this village that he'd want?"
The man hushed and in a whisper told his companion.
"The Kyuubi."
Naru stilled and her breath froze in her lungs. M-me! She felt fear grip her heart as she turned and ran back to her apartment the sound of her frantic heart beat pounding in her ears. I-I can't believe I'm scared! She thought almost tripping as she ran up her apartment stairs.
She unlocked the door, rushed inside and slammed it shut. Her back pressed to the door she set her groceries down next to her as she slid down the door. Pulling her knees to her chest and hugging herself she began to cry softly.
The sounds of something moving made her freeze and snap her head up looking around the dark apartment, frantically searching for the source of the noise. She sighed in relief seeing her little raven hopping around on the floor, lightly fluttering his wings until he was in the moon light.
Smiling a little she said voice shaking a little, "Th-there you a-are A-Aka." The bird cocked his head to the side the silent question in his eyes. Rubbing her eyes she sniffled. "I-I ju-just over heard so-some-something I shouldn't ha-have." She went back to hugging herself since it was the only amount of comfort she was aloud. "Like anyone would hold me." She said softly under her breath.
Aka cawed and flapped his wings in obvious displeasure.
Naru chuckled softly but there was no mirth. "Sorry Aka, but I don't know how you'd hold me."
The little raven was suddenly consumed in a dark cloud of smoke as his form grew bigger. A torso and legs were formed as wings turned into arms, the beak shrinking until a human face remained. Standing in place of the beautiful raven, was an equally beautiful man. Long raven locks tied in a low pony tail at the nap of his neck, two bangs framing his ivory pale face. A pair of lines on either side of his nose indicating years of stress and lack of sleep. Two blood red eyes, with a black ring around the pupil three commas like things doting the ring. Lastly he wore a hidden leaf headband with a large scratch through it and a black cloak with a high collar covering his mouth from view and went down to his shins. What caught her attention were the red clouds on the fabric.
Her eyes went wide and filled with fear as the words rushed back to her:
"…Those fucking eyes of his! Red as our blood not to mention that cloak with clouds to match!"
"Y-your th-the one w-who k-killed th-those ninja." She said making the man tense and close his eyes, nodding. "A-are yo-you going to kill me?" she asked shakily as the man re-opening his eyes to stare at her shaking form.
He began to walk toward her and Naru stayed frozen in place, watching with wide eyes as her immediate death glided to her gracefully. When the man stood over her she closed her eyes hugging herself tighter as she heard the popping of his knee indicating he was bending down to her level.
Warm sweet breath ghosted across her face as a cold hand cupped her cheek, caressing it gently. "It's okay little one. I won't hurt you." He said soothingly in a soft velvety voice that no human should posses.
Sapphire eyes snapped open as she remembered saying those same words to the raven: "It's okay little guy. I won't hurt you."
"The whole time…it was you." Naru said looking into those red intimidating eyes that were so warm and comforting right now. "I saved the one meant to take me away…Talk about irony." She muttered and the man chuckled softly at her words.
"I will not take you away." He said softly holding her chin with his thumb and index finger, making her look at him a rosy pink dusting on her tanned cheeks. "You saved my life and for that I am indebted to you. I have never been shown such kindness."
Naru was speechless staring at the man. Her mouth moved up and down as if to speak but nothing came out. She almost stopped breathing when his thumb ran over her lower lip.
"Speak Naru-chan." He said looking amused.
As if that broke the spell she blurted out, "Who are you?"
The man raised an elegant eyebrow at the question. "I am Itachi."