A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm fresh out of ANOTHER surgery-hurts like hell!-and I managed to put this up here at points between the forced anesthetic. Bad news is I still have more surgeries ahead. Still, I'm feeling a bit better now. Really. I'm hanging tough though, having just come out of my first surgery...with two more to go! UUUUUGH! I'm on painkillers almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But I'm hanging tough, despite having a small heart attack the other day. God, that was NOT fun!

Anywho...here it is. Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rest of my surgeries! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! Hopefully I'll at least live long enuff to make it ta my birthday on the fourteenth! And just in case my health goes south...I hope you enjoy my works for all time!

Also, lets address a major typo here in the previous chapter, mixed up the ages accidentally. Sorry about that discrepancy!

"I'm still here...

~?

Meltdown

"Well, this'll be fun."

"Hmm?" Elsa blinked as she heard the words; dripping with annoyance and disdain, still far too busy trying to slow her hammering heart...with limited success. It had nothing to do with his close proximity to her, or so she told herself. Nothing to to do with the way his head rested on her shoulder, the casual way in which he scooted his body closer to hers, despite the chill she always gave him. He'd mentioned it to have annoyed him once, but he'd never said anything more about it. He endured, for her sake.

"There's so many people down there." he continued, blue eyes roaming over the courtyard, taking in the now open gates. "And almost none of them are here to see you."

Something in the way he said that made her start slightly; there was venom in his voice, genuine anger.

"What makes you say that?"

"I may not have many memories, but I know their type. See that one over there?" He pointed toward a weaselly looking man flanked by two guards. "He wants to exploit Arendelle for its riches. And that lady? She's not the type to do anything but sell those dresses of hers; don't be surprised if she asks for an endorsement. There's probably only a hundred folks here to see you...just out of plain curiosity. Maybe more. I could be wrong ya know, but I wouldn't trust some of these folks."

"What about those two in the cloaks?" Elsa found herself asking.

"Eh?"

Naruto turned to follow her gaze and found two cloaked, strangely dressed men amidst the crowd. Odd. What was up with those red clouds and straw hats? He could see them there deliberately lingering at the edge of the crowd, almost as if they were trying to avoid attention. Small chance of that now. He hadn't been idle over the last eight years, his powers were now honed to a razor's edge-unpredictable only on the rare occasion his emotions got out of control. Fire was easier to control then ice; fire was life itself

Now if only Elsa could learn to forgive herself and forget her fear, then perhaps everything would...be...alright...

That thought slipped away from Naruto as one of the men lifted the brim of his hat, exposing a pale face and dark, onyx eyes. Impossibly their gazes met across the way. Naruto froze, his body falling to a standstill. He froze as an alien, yet eerily familiar voice whispered through the black of his mind.

Found you.

For a moment, those cold black eyes seemed to flash red, peer right through him. Then a blur knocked him aside, jarring him into another passerby and the moment was lost. Naruto recognized a shock of auburn locks amidst that blur and then she was past, racing away across the drawbridge.

"Anna?!" Well, it was only natural that her sister would want to go out and explore once the gates were opened. Elsa pursed her lips thinly at the mention of her younger sister.

"What's she doing down there?"

"Exploring, no doubt." Naruto sounded whimsical, almost amused. "Can you blame her for bolting the minute those doors opened? Poor thing's been awfully lonely. I mean, you've practically banned my talking to her after what happened last time...

"Hey!"

Elsa shot him a frigid glare; he was standing on thin ice and he knew it! Yet still he persevered, trying to mend what had been broken.

"Relax." Naruto soothed, she shivered as his warm lips graced her cheek, sending pleasant tendrils of fire shooting through her face. Elsa shivered.

He was only like this when he was with her; he never, ever held himself around anyone else. Not even Anna, with whom he spent so much time, was privy to this softer side of him. Ha! A small, spiteful part of her heart wanted Naruto all to herself, nothing less would do. She wasn't fond of the gulf between her sister and herself either; it had shrunk somewhat over the past few years but Naruto had widened it in many ways as well. Bless his heart for trying, though.

When it became apparent that the blonde was the key to drawing Elsa out of her shell, Anna had become even more insistent in her attempts to get her older sibling out of the room. With disastrous results. When faced with the prospect of potentially hurting her sister again or worse, losing possibly the only person who truly understood her, Elsa had panicked. Completely and utterly. Shouting that Naruto was hers, that she wanted be left alone she'd slamming the door in her sibling's face and on their fledgling friendship. She hadn't come out again, not without Naruto.

Quiet murmurs had begun anew after the staff realized just how close they'd become over the years. Many debating whether the boy's talent or Elsa's own training had carried the day. Whatever the case, things were a bit...broken between her and her sibling now.

Elsa wanted to try and repair them. She really did.

But it was so difficult! She could feel the Powers shooting up and down her fingers, straining at the thin leash that was her control. It wanted out. Wanted to be free. Despite her turbulent emotions, she listened intently to Naruto's words, taking pride in the way he embraced his powers, made it a part of himself. If only she could do that...oh no! She silently swore as frost etched itself into the railing at her hands, unbidden her father's old incantation leapt to her mind.

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know-

"Oi, you cut that out." Naruto grabbed her hand sharply, them unexpected warmth of his palm shooting up her elbow and into her arm. "What have I told you about that dumb saying?" Her power yelped in surprise and recoiled as his grip tightened, and for a precious instant she was normal again. "Let it go. Let it flow. Don't be afraid to know." The small rhyme stood in polar opposite to her father's words, a complete contrast to what her parents would've wanted...but Naruto knew best, didn't he? After all, he seemed to have gained a modicum of control over his own flames during the last few years...so why couldn't she reign in her own icy power as well?

When Naruto pulled away to release her hand, Elsa wanted to weep. His next words took those fears and dashed them against the rocks below.

"Shall we then, your majesty?"

He was teasing her, Elsa knew, but she found herself powerless to resist as he took her hand once more.

"We shall."

"I now present to you, the Queen of Arendelle!"

Elsa felt her cheeks warm ever so slightly at the admiration in Naruto's gaze; he'd been vehement that he be at her side when she was presented with the ball and scepter. The steward had reluctantly acquiesced to the strange request, and now she was grateful for it. His close proximity was just enough to keep her power in check, prevent the ice from creeping up the staff before anyone could notice. Feeling suddenly drained, she did her best to smile and look regal as was the norm, only reluctantly relinquishing her old on the items that had once belonged to her father, returning them to their proper place on the pillow.

Behind her, his words unheard by all save her, Naruto sighed.

"Elsa...

"Oh, I've got an idea~!"

Elsa inadvertently bristled at that familiar tone, her gaze sweeping away from the sea of people on the dance floor and back toward Naruto, as she heard those words. Uh-oh. He was smiling. Her shoulder brushed him in passing, her thigh nigh but grazing his as he moved to block her reflexive attempt to flee. There was something about the gesture, the closeness of their bodies, fire and ice, that sent a warm tingle shooting through her chest and spiraling upwards into her cheeks. He couldn't! He wouldn't! Ah, but he would!

"No." she jerked back when Naruto tried to guide her down toward the twirling masses. "Naruto...I can't do it."

"Yes, you can!"

Elsa met the sapphire blue eyes in battle. "I said no!

Naruto cocked his head and smiled playfully. "But I want so badly to hear yes!"

"NO!" Elsa said sternly, raising both her eyebrows to convey her seriousness.

"It'll be fuuuuun," Naruto sing-songed, moving closer.

"No, it will be awful!" the fingertips of her gloves began to frost, reacting to her stress. "Go without me! Dance with Anna, o-or something!"

"Not a chance!" Naruto grabbed her then, a long arm ensnaring the slender curve of her waist and drawing her close. Despite her objection, Elsa found herself powerless to resist any longer, the last brick of her resolve nigh but crumbling as she meekly took his hand in hers. In that instant it was as if his warmth had driven all the ice away, any lingering fears and doubts simply ceased to be. There was only the warmth of his fire, too soothing to be anything else, prickling under her skin. It comforted her, reassured her, whispered quiet promises that everything will be alright.

"Alright...

Demurely, she allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor, painfully aware of everyone's stares. Naruto didn't care. He simply drew her into the waltz with the effortless grace of a master, twirling her round as though he'd always known how to do it. Elsa secretly suspected he'd been boning up on social etiquette in preparation for this very moment. Had he planned this whole thing out she wondered? Or was it merely another act of spontaneity at work. In the end Elsa decided it didn't matter; she was happy and she was content, just to be here with him.

Her heart leapt into her throat when he pulled her closer then closer still-their faces nearly touching as they moved seamlessly into the next dance. Their bodies moved together effortlessly, she following his lead and he moving just slowly enough for her to match his movements. Unbidden her eyes flicked up to his and froze-held their by the intensity of those burning blue orbs. Would it be so wrong to tell him how it felt? That she had developed these feelings for him? That she l-l-loved...

"Naruto?"

He said nothing, he simply stared back at her as they danced; Elsa cursed her shortness not for the first time. Why did he have to be so tall?! It was downright intimidating!

"I...I wanted to tell you...

"Hey, El?"

"Y-Yes?" she blushed at his childish nickname for her; that grin made her heart skip a beat.

"Stop talking."

Elsa wasn't sure who kissed whom, only that their lips were suddenly locked together, her mouth pressing gently against her heart had leapt before, now it was doing backflips! Still his lips held her, refusing to be budged in the slightest. Not that she wanted him to move. She'd much rather they stay just like this. Here. Forever. But all good things must end, and so too did this, the musics trailing away as everyone suddenly took notice of this strange young man kissing their queen. If she'd been expecting scorn, she received the exact opposite.

Their applause was nothing short of monumental after that dance; crowd cheered and hooted as they pulled away, faces flushed. Perfect. In this instant she could forget about her troubles with Anna, her own imperfect powers, her fear and shyness. Here and now everything was just...perfect.

"I should...ah, probably go check on the guests." Naruto muttered, his nose still brushing hers.

Elsa shared his flush, her own cheeks dusted a pretty pink. "Yes, that would be best...

Naruto made haste for the dining hall, although not without risking one last glance over his shoulder. Elsa waved shyly back at him, feeling as though she were walking on air. She might as well be; her spirits had never been higher, not since she was a little girl. Naruto had kissed her. Kissed! Her! Her heart soared into the heavens and did a figure-eight, spinning endlessly in circles as she tried-failed-to reign her blooming feelings into herself, lest her powers manifest.

"Pardon me, miss." a soft voice inquired of her, shattering the moment forever. "If I might have a moment of your time?"

Elsa blinked, torn from her fantasy by that flat, almost dead voice.

"Why of course-

Elsa felt her heart hammer in her chest as she turned, as was greeted by the men, these fearsome fellows wearing scratched headbands. Her heart heaves in fear as she sees their cloaks and though she does not know it, the fear in her heart is real enough to make her blood freeze in its veins.

"Greetings, Queen Elsa." one of them, a dark-haired man with darker spoke quietly, formally. "My name is Uchiha Itachi." He indicated the stranger beside him. "This is my partner, Kisame Hoshigaki. We've come from the Elemental Nations to visit an old friend of ours, Uzumaki Naruto. Might he be in attendance?"

His partner, Kisame, a fellow who could best be described as a cross between man and fish, grinned toothily.

"Yes, I'm sure he's just dying to meet us...

"Who's dying to meet who?"

Elsa wanted to scream when Naruto reappeared, no doubt drawn by the distress he'd sensed. Didn't he realize he was in danger?! Every fiber of her being told her that these men were not here to celebrate, that they'd come with much-less jovial ideas in mind. There was a silence, as Naruto stared the strange-skinned man down, his blue eyes boring relentlessly into those dead fish eyes. Neither spoke. Neither moved. Whomever did the deed would surrender their advantage, and neither man was willing to grant the other that privilege.

"That's enough for now."

Itachi's eyes flickered red in warning, boring into his partner's gaze. Naruto merely frowned. He recognized these two...but from where?

"But-

"Another time, perhaps."

Elsa found herself summarily distracted as Anna burst onto the scene with Hanz, a boy she'd just met and now intended to marry...

"Well, that was...interesting?" Naruto remarked as the younger girl stalked away, with Hanz in tow. Things had come to a head between the two sisters; Elsa vehemently denouncing the idea of Anna marrying someone she'd only just met and refusing to give her blessing, Anna calling her sister a hypocrite, Elsa nearly losing control of her powers in the emotional exchange that followed.

"I...yes." the queen groaned. "What's gotten into her? You can't marry someone you just met! And why did she call me a hypocrite?"

Naruto pointedly said nothing,

"Got you something."

Elsa blinked, struggling to still his hammering heart. A gift? For her? She opened the box gently, quietly balking as she beheld the glittering stone within.

Naruto laughed, and the sound was like gravel being crushed underfoot. "You like that necklacke? Because I don't remember-

But then he realized she'd taken his necklace by accident-its comforting weight gone from his chest, now clutched tightly in one of her hands. That alone could be forgiven. But when Naruto saw she was about to slip it around her neck, everything changed. A sudden and inexplicable surge of dread filled him. He didn't understand it, he only knew, that she couldn't wear that necklace. It was cursed. Dangerous. He had no way of even knowing that Itachi had influenced him; placed him under a minor genjutsu.

Even now he was seeing something else, instead of the ruby necklace he'd crafted for her, he saw only his necklace in er hands.

Panic leapt in Naruto's heart at the sudden abscence of his mysterious possession, blotting out all else. His temper, buried so very deep was suddenly exhumed, roaring out of him in a rush of anger and power.

"Give it back!" Power flared in his fingertips, streaking an angry fireball past her head and into the wall, scorching the stone black, searing an furious line across her cheek. In the same instant she recognized the bloody cut she'd carved into his cheek.

In her chest, her throat, on the tips of her fingers, Elsa could feel the throb of the power that scared them so. The power that had harmed the one for whom she cared most. In front of everyone...

They'd hurt each other, revealed their gits.

...here, at the ball.

Naruto balked.

"Elsa...

When faced with the consequences of her actions, of harming the one she loved more than anything else in the world, Elsa did the only thing she could think to do.

She ran.

A/N: And there you have it! Events are spiraling rapidly towards the center. Naruto and Elsa face their first true hurdle in their blossoming relationship. Akatsuki wants Naruto alive, unknowing of whether he still has the Biju inside him or not; and all of Arendelle is about to experience a major hot/cold swing from the chaos that is about to come! What will happen next?! Its anyone's guess fro here on out!

...The events of Frozen ought to be quite different with them involved...will Naruto and Elsa make it out of this alive?

So...in the immortal words of Atlas...

...Would You Kindly Review the story of this ailing man? And of course, enjoy the Preview!

(Preview)

"Mizurapa!"

"Gokakyu!"

The opposing elements collided in a wave of steam, fire and water vying angrily against one another until the former inevitably yielded.

Naruto scrambled backwards like a drunken spider, his body still steaming from where the wave had crashed down upon him. He'd managed to burn most of it away but the fact remained; fire was virtually no match in the face of overwhelming water. He'd tried every trick he'd learned over the last eight years but to no avail; he simply couldn't find a way to beat this guy!

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Careful Kisame," Itachi called from his vantage point. "We don't want to kill him."

"Nothing wrong with taking an arm or a leg, right?" His partner turned to regard him and in that instant Naruto struck.

"Ryusenka!"

Naruto opened his mouth and spat; a massive blast of dragon-shaped flames slamming into the unprepared fishman with all the force of a cannonball. Caught unawares, Kisame was thrown violently backwards into the snow, his damp body a shell of its former self. At least, that was what the blonde thought...untill he started to heal. Broken ribs and charred flesh stitched themselves back together effortlessly, blue flesh replacing their blackened counterparts

"Ahhh," he drawled, getting back up. "Samehada really doesn't like those flames of yours. What happened to your chakra, kid?"

Naruto drew back with a hiss.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Ahahaha!" Kisame cackled, advancing ruthlessly. "A little fight in ya! I like that!"

"Then you'll love me!"

The shark-man bristled as the water around him froze, the sheer cold entrapping his element within layers of frigid ice. What in the world?!

"You stay away from him!"