Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto. It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Elva was in the forest alone. She wasn't sure where she was, but the place looked familiar enough. Maybe it was somewhere outside of Konoha? At Akatsuki? She couldn't put her finger on it. All she could say for sure was that she was alone. Or so she thought.

"I'm going to kill him."

Elva's body went rigid, the voice sending shivers down her spine. It scared her more than anything, but not because she recognized it. Not exactly. She knew that she knew the voice from somewhere, but she hadn't heard it in forever. That only left one option.

Itachi stepped out of the shadows in front of her, grinning darkly. "The next time I see you with him, I'm going to ruin him." It was clear enough who he was talking about, as it is in most dreams, but Elva was still too shaken to register that fact.

"…you can't do that," she said slowly, frowning. "You're dead."

Itachi smirked, eyes glinting. "Am I really?" A sudden wave of pain hit Elva, and her eyes flashed bright red. She cried out in pain, grabbing her eyes. While the first wave began to fade, he spoke again. "I'm going to kill him, Elva. You can't stop me."

Elva shook her head, still recovering. Then, a harder wave hit her, her knees buckling. She collapsed on the forest floor, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Her eyes burned, the red was so bright. Just when she thought it couldn't be worse, it faded, just like the first. "…tell me you hate him, Elva, and I might not kill him."

"Stop it," Elva groaned, but she regretted letting that slip instantly. A last wave of pain, more unbearable than the first two combined invaded her system. The red was so bright in her eyes she thought she would go blind, and her entire body felt like it was on fire. After what seemed like forever, it was gone.

Seconds, minutes passed, until finally Itachi spoke again. "Well?" he asked, sneering.

"I hate him," Elva breathed out, unable to think anything else.

Elva sat up in bed, gasping for air. She clutched at her blankets, head reeling. Unable to comprehend what had just gone on in her head, she forced herself up, heading for the kitchen. As she prepared a cup of instant ramen, she reviewed as much of the dream as she could, in bits and pieces.

"For starters," she mumbled to herself, relieved to hear her own voice finally, "my dad's dead." She felt some guilt in that statement, but went on. "So I don't have to worry about that dream possibly being real. It could be Sasuke messing with me, but…no, he wouldn't do that. It's just a nightmare. Some stupid explanation I made up after yesterday's fiasco."

By now, the microwave was beeping. She opened the small oven's door, taking out the cup of now-heated ramen. She sighed, frowning. "I'm not even hungry anymore," she whined to herself, pushing it away from her. Sighing again, she went back into her bedroom.

She pulled on an old pair of faded jeans and a plain white tee-shirt. She prayed she wouldn't run into Moegi on her way to Konohamaru's. She could just imagine how Moegi would react to Elva's little fashion disaster. It did slow down Elva for a moment, though, when she ran backwards through her thoughts, realizing that, without knowing it, she had subconsciously already decided where she was going. Konohamaru's.

Just the thought sent a shiver of excitement up her spine. She could hardly imagine how she would act when she saw him. She was only slightly worried that what had happened yesterday would still be bothering him. If it was, she'd just give him space. It wouldn't kill her to do that, after all.

She pulled her hair into a sloppy bun high up on her head, brushed through her bangs once, and slipped on red flip flops, now ready to leave the apartment. She grabbed her keys, walked out the door, and locked it, stuffing the keys into her pocket. She cleared the stairs easily, and was in the lobby in no time.

Then she stopped. There at the counter was Moegi and Udon, chatting casually together. Udon was behind the desk working, and Moegi was leaning over from the visitor's side. Elva couldn't hear what they were talking about, and she didn't want to. She started for the exit at a brisk pace, wanting to get out before they could see her.

Of course, that just couldn't happen for her. "Oi!" Moegi called out, rushing forward to grab Elva's shoulder to stop her. For a split second Elva assumed it was about her clothes that Moegi looked so urgent, then she stopped to read her facial expression more. A feeling of worry engulfed her. "…Elva, where are you going?" the other girl asked then, slowly, suspiciously.

"Just for a walk," Elva lied smoothly, frowning innocently at Moegi. "Why? Did you want to get breakfast out or something?" She smiled lightly, wondering if she was pushing it. "I'd love to, but I needed to run by the library."

"Oh." Moegi was silent for a minute then, obviously trying to think of what to say next. After a glance back at Udon, she looked back at Elva, smiling evenly. "Well, have a good time. We'll see you later?"

Elva nodded, relieved. "Of course," she replied, smiling back easily. "See you!" And she was out the door in a hurry, but trying not to seem too much so. It was only after she was halfway down the block that she realized she had no idea where Konohamaru's house was. After all, she had been blindfolded the only time she'd been there!

Elva would have naturally spent hours searching through Konoha, asking everyone where it was, when she spotted someone who could easily help her. Kurenai was just walking out of a shop, carrying several shopping bags in her arms. Elva quickly ran over, smiling brightly. "Hey!" she greeted the woman cheerfully, then realized she probably didn't know who she was.

Indeed, Kurenai just looked confused. "…hello," she responded, smiling, obviously trying to be kind through her confusion. After a few awkward moments, her smile faltered, and she spoke again. "I'm sorry, but you are…?"

"Oh, I'm just a friend of Konohamaru's," Elva said. When Kurenai didn't look convinced, she paused, then added, "Elva." She winced when she saw understanding flash across Kurenai's face, along with worry.

"Look, Elva," she began, not quite knowing what to say. "I feel bad for saying this – you seem like a nice girl – but I don't think Konohamaru wants to see you right now. Or…what I mean is…" A brief flash of nervousness crossed her features before she controlled them. "Really, he doesn't want to see anyone. Not right now, really."

"Oh." Elva pretended to let the words sink in, nodding solemnly. She didn't care if Konohamaru didn't want to see her – she needed to see him. "Well…I just had to drop off something for him. He needed a book from the library, and I was just running over to get it for him."

Kurenai seemed convinced enough so far, so Elva continued. "I was just heading to the library now," she said, pleased that she could at least connect her lies to Kurenai and Moegi, "but I kind of forgot where you lived." She flashed an embarrassed smile, maybe playing it up a bit too much. "I'm sorry, but…could you point me in the right direction?" After a moment, she put in, "Don't worry. I won't disturb him. I'll just drop it through the mail slot of something."

Kurenai seemed reluctant, but looked like she didn't want to risk stopping Elva in case it was true. "…all right," she gave in. "Once you get to the library, I think it's…the third street to the right, and then halfway down the street you look to the left and we're number 67." When she smiled warmly at Elva and began away, Elva stopped her.

"Thanks." She smiled back, then motioned to the large bags in her arms. "Do you want me to take them? I can drop them off on the steps to your house, if you want. It doesn't look like you're done shopping yet."

"…thank you," Kurenai responded slowly, unsure of how else to respond. "That's very…kind of you." After a few more words were exchanged, Elva had the bags, and was heading for the library.

Of course, she had no real interest in going there. She just had to get there first in order to follow Kurenai's directions. It took an extra few minutes, as Elva couldn't find the library, but soon enough she was outside of number 67. She set down one of the bags to free a hand, tentatively knocking on the door.

It was only then that Elva heard the struggle going on inside of the house. She heard running, and then suddenly, a voice shouting, "Come back here, Toru!" Her heart fluttered. That had to be Konohamaru. After a moment, she heard a more pleading sentence from him. "Come on. If your mom's at the door, she'll kill me!"

"It's not," Elva said loudly, hoping the sound would carry through the door. Then she stopped, yelling at herself mentally. What if he's still angry? What if he doesn't answer the door now? …if he tells Kurenai I came by without a book – because there never was one! – she'll never trust me again! Neither will Konohamaru…that would definitely suck, wouldn't—?

Before she could finish her train of thought, the door swung open. Konohamaru stared down at her, eyes narrowed. Before she could make it too awkward for herself and stare back, she heard shuffling behind him. She tried to look around him – to ignore him, which was hard – to see a young boy trying to run away. Konohamaru held on to his arm with ease, the boy's attempts useless.

Konohamaru didn't say anything, which just about drove Elva insane. The silence even slowly got to the boy – presumably Toru – and he stopped trying to get away, too, now staring at Elva. The two pairs of eyes burning holes in her was enough, and Elva forced a smile all of a sudden, picking up the other shopping bag and looking at Konohamaru.

"I, uh, ran into Kurenai outside my apartment building," she said slowly, unsure of what to say. "And…her hands were full, so…I offered to take them over here to you." For good measure, she waited a beat, then sheepishly added, "…I'm feeling better today."

"…I'll take those," he finally forced out, taking the bags in one hand, still holding Toru, and walking to the kitchen, leaving the door open. Hoping that was an invitation, Elva stepped inside, closing the door behind her. After a few awkward moments had passed, he called out to her in the hall. "Come on in."

Obedient, she slipped off her shoes and followed him into the kitchen. Toru was now standing, without Konohamaru holding onto him, strangely silent compared to what Elva had heard from the other side of the door. She smiled at him, hoping to seem friendly, and waved silently.

"He doesn't talk to people he doesn't like," Konohamaru informed her. He was facing away from her, loading all of the groceries into the cabinets they seemed to be assigned to. Elva couldn't help but notice that the words he had said seemed to have a double meaning.

"Why wouldn't he like me?" she asked, trying to make it clear that she wasn't really talking about Toru. She met Konohamaru at the counter, beginning to help him unpack the groceries without asking.

Konohamaru glanced at Toru, and to Elva's surprise he left the kitchen on command. The older boy then glanced at Elva from the corner of his eyes before returning to his work. "He…doesn't like people who have two personalities."

"What does he mean by that?" Elva asked, frowning up at Konohamaru now. She continued to load random things into random cabinets, hoping she was doing it right.

"He means," he began, "that he doesn't like people who one day seem to like him but the next act completely insane and insult him." Suddenly, then, Elva felt another hand on hers, taking a can of soup from her and placing it in a different cabinet.

"Sorry," she mumbled, distractedly fidgeting with some of her hair to hide the blush that had sprang into her cheeks. "Wasn't paying attention." She paused, clearing her throat, then started again. "Would it be all right with him if I…plead insanity?" she asked, looking to Konohamaru for approval.

At least he seemed amused. Elva could see the corners of his mouth curl up from where he stood, but then he seemed to sober himself. "It might be," he allowed. "But I doubt he would think you're really insane."

"Why not?" Elva reasoned, smirking now. She stopped what she was doing to focus all of her mind on Konohamaru. "Stranger things have happened, wouldn't you…he…agree?"

"Like what?" Konohamaru asked, meeting her gaze finally. For a moment Elva lost her train of thought, but then recovered it.

"L-Like…um…he's talking to me right now even though he's probably pissed beyond belief at me?" she asked softly, raising an eyebrow. She couldn't believe she was being so to-the-point. If Konohamaru suddenly got angry because of her being stupid, she wouldn't know how to respond. Stupidity is stupidity, after all.

"Do you like me or not?" he suddenly asked, frowning at Elva. The question was so sudden it surprised Elva, but she tried not to let it show. Instead, she turned away for a moment, putting away some more cans and food while she thought of what might be suitable to say. Soon, though, Konohamaru was through with it. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

"I…" The words got caught in her throat, and Elva had to put down the can she had been putting away to focus. Not able to bring herself to look directly at Konohamaru, she settled for the counter. "Of course I like you," she said softly. "I'm just really…confused lately." Konohamaru was about to say something when she suddenly had the urge to look at him. He paused, expecting her to say something. "…nothing," Elva quickly said, blushing again.

After a second, he began. "I get how you can be confused," he said slowly, making sure Elva was focusing on him. "It can be easy to get confused when you have to keep up such a complicated lie all of the time, isn't it?"

Elva frowned. "What are you—?" She stopped short, her heart skipping a beat.

"I mean, there has to be something you couldn't do in Kumo that you want to do now you're back in Konoha."

"That's my business," she said softly, furrowing her brow. She knew that she was admitting that she had been lying, but she didn't care. Konohamaru nodded silently, and for a split second she thought that he was going to drop it, then suddenly he sighed.

He looked so vulnerable all of a sudden, like it hurt him that he thought she didn't trust him. He looked at Elva in a way that…well, how Elva imagined she looked at Konohamaru whenever she was trying to get something from him. In that instant, she forcibly pulled herself out of it, biting her lip.

"It is my business," she repeated, raising her eyebrows as Konohamaru straightened back up into a relaxed position. "And it's my choice whether or not to tell you. I…might. But I have to think about it." She was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I should…probably be going, too. You're aunt doesn't know I'm here, exactly."

"What, you lied to her?" Konohamaru laughed. "Oh, man, that's great, Elva. Did you say something stupid like 'oh, I was going to drop off something at Konohamaru's anyway, so I'll just take these bags off your hands and be on my way now?'" When Elva's blush confirmed it, he laughed. "Geez, Elva, she's not that dumb. You're lucky she let you come."

"…I guess I am," Elva allowed, frowning. Then she took a step away from Konohamaru, toward the hallway. "And I guess I should go. I mean, it looked like you were babysitting…Toru…and I don't want you to neglect him or anything." She forced a laugh. "I'll…see you later?"

Elva could never find out how Konohamaru snuck up on her so fast, suddenly being so close to her she couldn't have ever imagined it possible. He smirked softly, breathing deeply. "…definitely," he finally said, and it seemed like he felt the same as Elva, like he had wanted to see her all along, he just didn't know how to act. It made Elva feel…special.

That thought in her mind, she smiled. "Good," she responded, and without thinking she leaned up on her toes and kissed him lightly, then falling back to the ground. She smiled again, opening the door with one hand and waving with the other. "Bye."

It wasn't until she closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief that the flash of red and pain struck.

Author's Note:

The Commander Ooh, a junior? Impressive, lol! My football game was Friday, too! Lol…I dunno, what DID I do to Elva? It amused me how many people seem to think I'm giving her the Sharingan…you do, too, if I remember correctly. Haha. That was my plan…naw, lol. Huh…how WILL Sasuke react?

Sasori-Chibi I dunno. IS it time for her Sharingan? YOU TELL ME. Never mind…haha. Lol, I imagine endings to stories aaaall the time, and then I'm angry when they don't happen, lol! I have thousands of different ideas for the end of the story, even though I know how I'm ending it already. I mean…it's SO much fun, but so many ways would just be…well…I dunno. Unsuitable? Haha.

Miso-Uzumaki-Namikaze YAY, you reviewed to TWO chapters. You get a reward…or, erm, you WOULD if I had one, lol. For chapter five…I know! I love the idea of Konohamaru and Elva. Lol, wanna know how pathetic I am? You know how there are names for pairings, like NaruHina and ItaSasu (YES, I WENT THERE xD)? I came up with KonoElva xPPP Naw…it sucks, eh? And chapter six…I don't know. DID she saw Akatsuki out loud? YOU TELL MEH.

Oh. My. GAWD. Not being paranoid (no, I'm not, lol, I just like saying – or typing – that word), but I'm about to file two missing person reports. Not really…haha. I miss you, Valbino…lawl, lawl, not to be a stalker. Your reviews always make me laugh xD But, naw, AliKatNyah, it's only been two days. Twenty-four more hours 'til I can legally file a report. Shucks…lmao!

AAAANYWAYS…haha, today I went to this carnival…esque…thing. Haha, if I told you what it's called, ANYONE with a brain would know where I lived. So I'll refrain from…well…there ARE like nine million people in the city alone…so I've heard…no…NO…it's nine million in the city AND the surrounding suburbs.

So you can't find me, NYANYA.

Anyway…I went to Navy Pier today with my friends. OHMYGAWD, you can stalk me now…no, no…I pray, please don't. Restrain yourselves. If I do something you hate, and you happen to be on vacation in Chicago when you read it…I've been warned. Lol…

But really. HOW EXACTLY ARE YOU GONNA FIND ME? You have a 1 / 9,000,000 of a chance, so GOOD LUCK. Ew. That's too hard to say. "You have a one nine millionth of a chance." How about…OOH. You have a 1 / 1,000,000 of a chance (TIMES NINE). I like that better…more…I dunno, I just like it.

Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW, PEOPLE.

GOSH DARN YOU.

Augh. My mom "forbids" me from saying Goddamn. BUT GUESS WHAT, MOM? I just did…ooh. I don't CARE. I mean…yes…I do…O Lord, DON'T SMITE ME.

Lol…Bruce Almighty… "SMITE ME, O MIGHTY SMITER!!"

Anywaaaaays…

REVIEW. I'M LOSING LUUUURVE.

-Meri Umeko-