Finally Benji thought that Naruto was ready to see her face. He kept to his word, and for a year she played with him, so long as he kept her secret and never told any of the kids or parents that he had a friend. She was a secret friend, and she was able to stay around because of his pride in being able to make friends with an ANBU.

So, one day, she showed up in her normal gear. Not her regular black outfit, but the one with all the chains. She didn't have her mask on, either. Naruto was on the swing, waiting for Fox to show up and push him. The entire year, most every day, the swing was his first thing to play on.

Naruto looked up from the swing and saw that the person who walked into the park wasn't Fox. He jumped off the swing and ran over to her, looking up at her from his spot in the dirt. She stopped walking and stared down at him. He smiled at her but raised a hand to point at the exit.

"Hello! I'm Naruto. I don't have any friends. I'm here by myself because I scare everyone away. You need to leave, too. I go crazy sometimes."

Benji smiled. "Oh, really?" she spoke in her normal voice, not her Fox one. She shrugged. "I dunno. You don't look crazy to me, Naruto."

He copied her shrug. "That's just it. I don't know when I'll snap."

She grinned at him, nodded. "Kay. If you really don't want me here, kid." When she called him by the nickname she always did, she used her deeper voice. She knew he would be shocked, but she turned and started walking away.

Naruto's jaw dropped and he ran to catch up, almost tripping over his feet. "Fox?"

She turned around and grinned. "The one and only."

She turned just in time, because he ran into her hugging her tightly. She set him down after a moment and he looked up at her. "Swing?"

--

When Naruto was swinging through the air, he started asking questions.

"So you're really Fox?"

"Mhmm."

"And you're a girl?"

"Yep."

"And this is what you look like?"

"No henges. This is the real deal."

"Why do you play with me?"

"You're my friend."

Then, on the see-saws, Naruto went on and on about how awesome it was to have a friend and how he could tell if anyone was impersonating her. He added how thankful he was to get her gifts. He told her that he had been practicing how to use some of the things, and now that he didn't have to pay for ramen most months, he was saving it for something big.

"Do you know what today is?"

"Hm. I think it's the tenth."

"Mhmm! And what month?"

"October. Why? Is today special?"

She loved teasing him.

"Well…um..yeah."

"Oh? What holiday is it? Is there a new holiday that I'm missing?"

"It's a holiday that's been around since I was born!"

Benji nodded solemnly. "I see. Well, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Naruto watched her walk away, tears forming in his eyes. He was too shy to tell her that it was his birthday today. And she didn't know. He ran home, hoping her shift to watch him was over. He fished in his pocket for his key while he was running up the stairs to get to his apartment. He frowned when he realized he couldn't find it. He got to his door and found the door wide open.

The young blond walked in, eyes wide. The entire place was empty; stripped bare, except for the already peeling wallpaper and rotting floorboards. He wandered the rooms, checking to see if anything was left. When he came to his bedroom he sat down and cried. His entire life was ruined. And it was all because he made the mistake of seeing Fox without her mask. He didn't even know her name.

And then a ripping sound was heard from above him. A brown paper bag fell down right in front of him, landing with a soft clink. He looked up and saw a small strip of tape, ripped most of the way off the ceiling. He shook his head free of tears and grabbed the bag. He opened it and pulled out a piece of paper and a key on a string. The paper had directions, and he put the key around his neck under his shirt. That way the villagers didn't take what was his.

He started walking, gripping the paper tightly so it wouldn't fly away. He finally ended up in a mostly deserted part of town, where there was more forest than houses. He stopped in front of the red one, according to the paper, and was amazed to see how large it was. It was like a mansion to the eight-year-old.

He pulled the key from around his neck and examined the little words carved into the metal. Uzumiki Naruto. His eyes wide, he ran up the steps and to the door. He shoved the key into the door and turned it to the right. It opened with a soft click. He pushed the door open and smiled when he saw all of his missing furniture. He ran through the rooms, much like he did in his previous home, and checked out the rooms. Most were the same as he had before, but this time he had tears of joy. He found all of his stuff from before, but now there was more. More couches, more beds, more space for things. There was even a room with a few targets set up, his kunai shining and ready to be thrown.

Finally he stopped in the last room. The kitchen. He opened a cupboard and round ramen. Tons and tons of ramen. He found boxes of noddles and spices and also some pocky. He threw a few of them onto the counter, so he could make some later. If this really was his house.

Suddenly he heard a thump. It came from the front room, and he jumped, startled. He had forgotten to close the door! He grabbed a knife from the block and was pleased to see that it was nice and new, shiny and sharp. He didn't know how to properly fight, but he knew that if he wanted to live he would try and fight.

He crept through the halls, gripping the knife tight in his hands. They just barely wrapped all the way around the hilt, and he jumped into the front room. He saw a shadow and stabbed towards it, using his full weight to push the weapon forwards.

The shadow jumped up and clung to the ceiling, a mask covering their face. There were no eye holes, and the shape dropped down, no weapons out.

"F-Fox?" he whispered.

Benji took off her mask. "What's up, kid? Nice defence, although you need to put more power behind it next time. Didn't even nick me."

"How do I know it's you?"

"…good point."

She leaned down and looked into his eyes. "I told you, the first day we met, that my eyes were two colors. Gold and crimson."

"Anyone could know that. Try again."

"We really need to come up with a secret word or something. Here. I know."

Benjiro grinned and cleared her throat. "Hey kid, happy birthday!" she threw up her hands, tossing confetti at him. He smiled as it floated down around him. She had spoke using her Fox voice. He tossed the knife to the side and ran up to her. She opened her arms and they hugged.

--

"So. You're probably wondering why this is all like this now. I promise it's not just for today. I adopted you. Well, if you want me to. I asked the Hokage and threatened him with a very important secret if he didn't let me."

Naruto nodded sadly. "Thank you! I'd love that….but…" he shook his head. "Are you sure you want me? I'm a monster…"

"NO!"

Naruto flinched and looked up at her with scared eyes. She smiled suddenly. "Sorry. But you are not a monster. I promise I'll tell you everything. Just not today. Okay? I want you to enjoy today. Maybe tomorrow, alright? Just...give me some time."

Naruto sighed. "Fine." He smiled. "Thank you. You are my best and only friend."

"Mhmm. But you might get a brother…"