Good evening! Thank you for your comments! I really appreciate it! It lets me know that you are enjoying the story so far and that makes me happy!
These chapters are a bit on the slow side in order to start building on the budding romance. That doesn't mean that I'm wasting words though! I will hopefully keep things interesting. The next chapter is almost done and I believe I will be posting it this week as well.
By the way, I will be in production next month. I wrote a short creepy little film and we will hopefully be shooting on the second week of February! I know I read something here somewhere that I can post original work. Once I figure that out, I'll invite you lovely folks to take a peek! You know, because you're awesome!
And now...
Please enjoy yourselves!
Jiraiya and Ruri had spent the few hours it took to get to their next camp site talking. Jiraiya humored Ruri and Naruto with stories of training with the Third Hokage. Ruri found the courage to speak about her youth and her strange teacher.
"Wait. So your teacher taught you how to see into the future?" Naruto asked.
"Well, not exactly."
"Do me! Read my future! I really need to know about a couple of things," Naruto exclaimed excitedly.
"Calm down, Naruto. I'm sure Ruri has better things to do than figure out who you're gonna marry," teased Jiraiya.
Naruto's ears burned red along with his cheeks. It appeared he was going to start yelling at Jiraiya, but nothing came out of his open mouth. Instead, he crossed his arms and started mumbling incoherent curses.
Ruri held back her laughter by hitting Jiraiya on the arm instead and tried to comfort Naruto.
"I'd love to Naruto, but it doesn't really work like that," she tried to explain. "I was trained to recognize prophetic dreams, visions, and omens. My dreams will tell me where to go and who to give a message to. The future is not set in stone, you know. Sometimes I can see possible futures for someone, but I have little control over what is shown to me."
Ruri felt guilty. She knew she could attempt to read Naruto, but that would mean using her kekkei genkai. Trying to see anything about a person's future that way usually resulted in a jumble of images with different outcomes. She knew it would only leave him more confused and doubtful about his future.
"I hope you're not too disappointed with me?" she asked.
Naruto's mood lightened.
"Of course not. I get it! But, if you have a dream about me, you'll tell me right?"
"Yes, of course," she replied brightly.
Ruri placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder to reassure him. At the moment of contact, Ruri screamed. Her mind's eye was assaulted by a vision of a murderous looking beast with nine tails. Ruri jumped back in response and fell to the floor. The vision was gone as quickly as it came.
Jiraiya and Naruto came to her aide instantly. Ruri was fighting to keep her eyes closed. Everything in her was telling her to locate the danger and run in the opposite direction. The panic passed quickly at Jiraiya's touch.
"Are you alright," they asked in unison.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just… um… rolled my ankle," she said quickly.
Jiraiya got behind her and helped her up by grabbing her under the arms. As she was hoisted up, she lost some of her balance, which made her fall back into him. He was quick to wrap his arms around her for support.
"Whoa. Are you sure you're okay?" Jiraiya asked.
He was truly concerned for her, but a part of him was enjoying the excuse to hold her. Really enjoying it.
"Do you need me to carry you?" he asked hopefully.
"No!" she said a little too loudly.
"You're okay then?"
"Yes, thank you," she replied more composed.
"Okay," he responded without budging.
An awkward moment passed.
"You can let me go now," she assured him.
"Sure," he said, still not even attempting to let go.
Naruto cleared his throat and when Jiraiya made eye contact with him, Naruto had his eyes squinted in suspicion. Jiraiya let go immediately. The kid has to take the fun out of everything, he thought. Naruto handed Ruri her staff and they continued on.
"Only a few more minutes of walking, so take your time," Jiraiya assured her.
But Ruri was too deep in thought to react to Jiraiya's comment. Here we go again, he thought as he took in her demeanor. Everything was going so well! One little trip, and she's back to being quiet as a mouse. He suddenly took notice that she wasn't limping or showing any signs that's she'd hurt herself. He wondered what had really happened.
Thinking back, Jiraiya now realized that she had looked afraid. But what could have scared her, he thought. He replayed the moment in his mind. She was talking about visions and—it was then he realized that she had screamed upon touching Naruto. The realization hit hard. Jiraiya almost stopped in his tracks. She saw it. She knows. He didn't know how to feel about Ruri discovering that Naruto was a jinchūriki. He wondered if that would change her mind about traveling with them, or worse, if that knowledge would tempt her to expose them somehow.
Ruri completely understood now why Jiraiya had been so wary of her. Naruto had the nine tailed beast sealed inside him. Her mistress had told her all about the tailed beasts. They even crossed paths with a jinchūriki when Ruri was young. She was not afraid of the fact that Naruto was a jinchūriki, she was afraid for him. An omen or prophesy that revealed itself to her meant that she had something important to do or say to whomever it referred to. Seeing the nine tails was not meant to be a warning for her, it was warning for Naruto. She just didn't know what the warning was yet.
It was quick, but she felt it. Jiraiya's energy had flared and then retreated quickly. Ruri was quick to guess that he had realized she didn't really roll her ankle, especially since she did nothing to hide the fib. She felt real respect for Jiraiya now that she knew Naruto carried the nine tails. Naruto was in an even worse position than she. Any nation would take a jinchūriki over her, no matter how impressive her kekkei genkai was. He is a precious commodity, she almost spit at the distasteful thought. It was her biggest disappointment in the Great Nations. She despised the way they used their Shinobi, especially those with special abilities. They were seen as tools and trophies, not people.
Ruri didn't want to lose any of the progress that she and Jiraiya had made. She didn't want him mistrusting her again, so she tried to think of a way to reassure him without letting Naruto find out what she knew about him.
"Jiraiya? Naruto? I just want to say thank you," she said sincerely. "Thank you for letting me travel with you. I'm really enjoying your company."
"No problem, lady!" Naruto replied happily.
Ruri could sense Jiraiya ease. He smiled slightly before he too responded.
"It's our pleasure, Ruri," he said seriously before a devilish smirk appeared. "In fact, I should be thanking you. Traveling alone with Naruto is such a pain."
Naruto spun on his heels and pointed an accusing finger at Jiraiya.
"If anyone's the pain here it's you! You pervy old man!"
Jiraiya's laugh boomed, which made Ruri giggle.
"Alright, alright, Naruto. I think we've made it. The clearing should be around here somewhere. We'll make camp first, and then head to the waterfall."
Naruto's mood instantly changed.
"Yes! Finally!"
Naruto bounded through the trees in search for the camp site. Jiraiya and Ruri followed.
Naruto was running in circles trying to find the clearing with no real progress.
"Well, where is it?" Naruto cried with impatience.
"If you calm down and stop running in circles, maybe we'd find it faster."
Jiraiya finally found it and called out to his traveling companions. Naruto was in such a hurry to begin his training that he haphazardly set up camp, making Jiraiya do everything all over again.
"Oh come on! Let's go already!"
"Naruto, if we leave everything the way you did it, our tent will be in pieces when we get back."
"Here, I'll do it," offered Ruri.
Ruri walked to where Jiraiya was.
"No, we'll manage," Jiraiya replied trying to pin the tent to the ground.
Ruri placed her hand on his shoulder gently, which made Jiraiya stop what he was doing. His heart fluttered for a moment. She had touched him. Purposely. And she showed no signs of removing her hand.
"Please, let me. I'm sure it's very important that Naruto get to his training—"
"Yeah! Very important," Naruto interrupted.
"—and I am very capable of setting up camp on my own. I have to repay you somehow."
Jiraiya heard Ruri's words, but his thoughts were still on her hand, which was still resting on his shoulder.
"Um, yeah, okay," was all he could muster.
"Yes!" Naruto yelled victorious. "Which way to the waterfall?"
Jiraiya waved his hand weakly in the direction of the waterfall, which was enough to send Naruto sprinting into the woods. Jiraiya was unsure of what to do next. Normally, even a small gesture like that would be enough for him to try at least a pickup line, but he knew that would be no good. He couldn't just let the moment go without some kind of forward progression. And so, he thought about the most innocent thing he could do. He reached for Ruri's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He continued to hold her hand as he stood up and faced her.
"You'll be alright?" he asked.
Ruri was starting to blush from the lengthy hand holding that was currently happening.
"Yes," she said quietly.
"I'd like to talk later… about Naru—"
"Yes, of course," she said reading his mind.
Jiraiya surprised both himself and Ruri and brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a chaste kiss. He let go quickly, dreading the look of outrage that she was bound to have and went in search of Naruto. Had he had the nerve to look back, he'd have seen that Ruri had no such look of outrage. In fact, she was smiling.
