Yume held her purse close to her side as she waited patiently at the intersection that she and Naruto had decided to meet for their second date, occasionally glancing down the sidewalk in either direction to see if she could spot the boisterous blonde man. Time seemed to tick endlessly by as she stood on the busy street corner as people streamed by, absorbed in the phones and conversations and thoughts and completely oblivious to the pretty singer waiting awkwardly for her date. After the handsome boxer did not show, she looked down at her phone with a small sigh. He's fifteen minutes late… Am I being stood up? He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do that, though, she fretted as she locked her phone and again raised her head to scan the surrounding area for any sign of him. After five more minutes of impatiently shifting her weight from foot to foot and pondering the implications of the delay, she wondered if it was a sign that she and Naruto were not meant to be, and she should therefore abandon the hope.

"Yumeeeeeee!" came a sudden cry from the distance, echoing on her left, and with an expression of surprise and relief she turned her head to see him waving frantically at her as he shoved his way through the small crowed. Thankfully Naruto was quite tall, as she could see him clearly among the throng- with additional surety from that unmistakable shock of yellow hair beaming at her like the blazing sun on a summer's day. She turned to face him as he stumbled out of the throng, panting heavily as he slowly came to a stop in front of her. He was practically wheezing, doubled over and holding his belly with one hand while he forced out words. "Sorry… I'm late… Aaaah… A lot of… Distractions… Robbery… Cat in tree… Old lady crossing street… Aaaaaaagh…" he choked out between sucking air into his lungs, and despite his vague descriptions, Yume could guess what had occurred.

So he's the type that has to stop and help anyone in trouble, huh? She thought with a giggle. How like him. After a few minutes of hard breathing, he finally straightened up to suck in one last deep breath before grinning widely at her. "I got you these!" he beamed and thrust a bouquet of sweet-smelling flowers right into her face. She blinked rapidly, unable to really see anything but the richly colored flowers and Naruto's eager eyes peering at her from above, and the thick aroma of fresh tulips combined with the soft petals tickling her nose almost made her sneeze. Hastily, she reached up to take them from the excited man and pulled them to a much safer distance so that she could admire them properly.

"Thank you. They're beautiful," she smiled happily, a bubbly feeling rising in her chest. He got me flowers… Yume had of course been given flowers before, but oddly she felt positively giddy at the notion that Naruto had done such a thing, as if it were the first time. I don't need to get too attached, she reminded herself sternly. I need to keep him at arm's length for now, just in case things go south from here. There's just so much that can go wrong… As she thought that, she glanced up at Naruto, who's eyes were practically sparkling with childlike happiness. Am I wrong for this?

"I'm glad you like them! Somehow they managed to survive okay!" he laughed as he put his hands on his hips and leaned over the flowers like a craftsman inspecting his handiwork. "Mhmm! Not a scratch on 'em!"

"What exactly did you do, Naruto?" she chuckled, making him turn a faint shade of pink.

"Let's not get into the details," he said quickly before glancing at his watch. "Oh, shoot! Look at the time! We're gonna miss it!" he cried, and in his panic, grabbed Yume's hand to pull her roughly down the sidewalk. Though he seemed to think nothing of the action, her face was immediately afire with a raging blush so intense that she could feel her own face burning. He's holding my hand! She thought with a silent half-squeal, half-scream. She stumbled over her own feet as the tall, muscular man practically dragged her along the sidewalk, and she had to jog briskly in order to keep up with his long stride. To try and take her mind off the fact that her hand was clutched tightly within his, she glanced up, and was immediately captivated by his broad shoulders and the back muscles flexing beneath his shirt. Oh my… she thought shamelessly, not helping to control her raging blush. After a few minutes of being frantically tugged along, it suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea where they were going.

"What are we going to be late for, Naruto?" she cried as she held the flowers quickly over her head to avoid smashing them into a large metal postal service box.

"I told you it was a surprise, yeah? I'm not gonna ruin it!" he grinned cheekily over his shoulder at her, snickering like a child. Yume began to smile at his adorable childishness, when motion in front of them caught her attention; when she peered around his bulk to get a better look, she released a shriek of alarm.

"Naruto! Look out!" she wailed as he continued to drag her right into the path of a young paperboy on his bicycle, pedaling briskly down the sidewalk with his bag stuffed with the daily publications thumping against his side. He was shouting at them to make way, as there was scarcely enough room for him to avoid the young couple and certainly not enough time for him to stop.

"Whoa!" the boxer cried and skidded to a halt, and in a desperate effort to avoid the delivery boy, he grabbed Yume by the hips and spun around to press her up against the brick wall of a building while the bike zoomed by without so much as brushing up against him. As she felt Naruto's chest pushing up against hers, she was certain that her face had literally burst into flame- it certainly felt hot enough. Naruto was blissfully unaware of the girl's discomfort and mortification, as he just stepped back and laughed heartily while running a hand through his bright yellow hair. "That was close! I'm glad you were paying attention, Yume, or else we would've been toast!" he smiled before looking down at her. His jovial expression morphed into a mildly perplexed one. "Hey, your face is all red. Are you okay?" he asked in concern, and of course brought his face frighteningly close to her own to inspect.

"I-I'm just a little out of breath, that's all!" she squeaked, hoping that the first excuse that came to mind would be enough for him to drop the issue. "You're much taller than me, Naruto, so it's a little hard to keep up with your pace…"

"Oh!" he said with a nod, and much to her relief, straightened back up to cross his arms. "Jeez, I'm sorry. I don't think of stuff like that!" he admitted with a grin before looking down at his watch. "That little run did make up some time for us, though, so we can take it slow from here. Sorry about that," he chuckled with a shy smile, and the way his face turned pink and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck made Yume's heart skip a beat. He's so cute…

As endearing as she found him, though, that little voice of doubt simply would not erase itself from her mind.

I can't help but think I'll break his heart.

After the harrowing incident with the paperboy, they took a much more relaxed pace down the sidewalk, pressing on towards the unknown destination. Yume was both disappointed and relieved that Naruto simply elected to walk beside her rather than hold her hand, but as much as her shameless shelf would have enjoyed it, she was also certain that her heart would explode before they ever reached the place Naruto was bringing her. After she pushed such thoughts away, she began to contemplate the nature of the date, and was so beside herself with curiosity that she felt she was going to explode anyway by the time Naruto stopped in front of a massive building. "Here we are!"

"Oh! The movie theater!" Yume realized as she recognized the gigantic entertainment center, with colorful and dramatic movie posters displayed on the outside walls and a line trailing from the box office. As the sliding glass doors opened for exiting patrons, the smell of buttery popcorn and the din of conversation drifted across the air.

"Is it too cheesy? I mean, I know a lot of guys do the movie thing, and I thought it was a good idea, you know," Naruto fretted, making her jump as his worried face abruptly dominated her vision, eclipsing pretty much all else. Trying to keep her heart from bursting, she shook her head meekly and gave him a smile.

"No. I love the movies," she reassured him, and the elated smile he gave her made her heart sing with joy.

"Oh, great! This is gonna be fun, then! Believe it!" he snickered and led her over to the line so that they could purchase their tickets. When they made it to the box office, Yume, out of habit, reached into her purse to retrieve her wallet and was startled greatly when Naruto shoved a hand into her face. What is it with him and his lack of appreciation for personal space? She thought wildly as she glanced up at him in bewilderment. "No way! I am buying," he insisted and puffed out his chest like an animal trying to assert its dominance. It just made him look funny, so naturally Yume giggled. "Hey! It's not funny!" he whined and deflated like a popped balloon.

"I'm sorry. You just look so cute when you act all tough like that," she mused. She half-expected for that comment to bruise his ego, but he brightened and grinned at her instead.

"Really? You think I'm cute?" he asked bashfully with that adorable blush of his, causing her to once more giggle at his display of cuteness before nodding in confirmation. "Hehe, she thinks I'm cuuuute," he bragged to the completely disinterested ticket salesman.

"That's great, dude. Two tickets for what?" he sighed and propped his cheek in his hand with the most bored expression Yume had ever seen on a person.

"Oh! Right! Uh, two tickets for The Legend of Princess Gale, please!" Naruto sputtered hastily, and when the price rang up, he fished in his pocket for a few minutes to retrieve his money. Yume's heart cringed when she noticed him painstakingly counting every penny. He's literally spending everything he has on me, she thought guiltily while he handed over the crumpled bills and dirty coins. Naruto was all smiles as he received their tickets, and was completely oblivious to Yume's mute guilt as he led her inside. "Ooh! That popcorn smells great, doesn't it?" he sighed happily as he breathed in the movie theater air, and Yume felt even worse when Naruto discreetly patted his pockets to see how much money he had. "Too bad we don't have time to get any," he laughed, but through his cheerful demeanor, Yume could see the underlying stress.

"Naruto? Do you want some popcorn?" Yume asked quietly, and perhaps her serious tone of voice threw him off. He immediately went pink, avoiding her gaze as he shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"N-no. I don't even really like the stuff," he lied blatantly, then meekly continued, "Wh-why? Do you?"

"You aren't slick, you know. You're strapped for cash, aren't you?" she asked bluntly, and he was silent for a moment, probably considering trying to brush off her suspicions, before he groaned and hung his head miserably.

"Yeah. Since I'm such a newbie, Kakashi- my trainer- hasn't been able to land me any fights yet. I quit my job and everything to do boxing, so I guess you could say I'm a little hard-up," he admitted glumly. As he stood there, slumped over and openly laying his problems bare, Yume was so moved by his generosity and commitment to her that tears actually rose to the corners of her eyes. He's broke… But he still bought me these lovely flowers, and took me to the movies, and was even going to buy food for me she thought as her heart swelled. Though her fears still screamed strongly in the back of her mind, she reached up to gently lift Naruto's face before leaning in and kissing him softly on the cheek.

"Let me get some, okay?" she told him gently and walked over to the concessions line, and he was so stunned that he didn't even object, just followed her like an obedient puppy with his blue eyes wide as saucers.

He was his old self again by the time they plopped down in their seats, butter already coating his mouth as he shoveled the puffy popped kernels into his mouth by the handful.

"Oh, man! This is the best!" he grinned at her, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's from all the popcorn in his mouth. He blinked when Yume just erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter, then shrugged and swallowed all of it in one go. "Ahh. That's the stuff," he sighed in contentment. When Yume finally got her giggles under control, she casually ate from her own, smaller bag of popcorn.

"So, Naruto? Isn't The Legend of Princess Gale an old kid's movie?" she asked as she looked at the blank screen.

"Yeah!" he nodded happily. "I used to watch it all the time as a kid. They're playing it on the big screen as a special promotion for its fifteenth anniversary. I thought it would be perfect!" he told her elatedly. He's so enthusiastic about everything, she thought with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Something about being with the energetic, optimistic man put all her fears to rest and made it seem, if only for the moment, that things would work out.

Naruto snickered excitedly and leaned forward in his seat as the theater suddenly darkened, and the blank screen suddenly came alive with color. Traditional Japanese instrumental music began to play over the speakers as a beautiful medieval-era landscape slowly zoomed into view, with a magnificent castle surrounded by a lively town the centerpiece. The scene flipped to a beautiful woman in an elegant kimono standing on a terrace, her black hair flowing in the wind as she stared out at the sky. "That's Princess Gale!" Naruto hissed eagerly to her, and though Yume could discern the obvious, she didn't want to ruin his fun.

As the movie went on, Yume could appreciate why Naruto enjoyed it so much. The lead actress was stunning, as were the supporting cast, and the cinematography was beautiful, especially for its time. She found herself completely invested, so much so that she didn't notice what Naruto was doing until she felt his arm slide casually around her shoulder. She immediately stiffened, peering at him through her peripheral vision; he was completely relaxed, staring fixedly at the screen, but in the gloom she could see the smirk playing across his lips. Why, you slick… she thought as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Though it had surprised her, it did feel very nice, and she soon relaxed into the arm hanging around her shoulders. It almost made her feel safe, like the terrors that she faced in the outside world could not touch her so long as she remained in the barrier that was Naruto's embrace.

She knew that wasn't true, though.

Obito expects his money soon. I've been working so hard, but between rent and everything, I'm still coming up short… He would never directly hurt me, since he won't get his money that way, but he could send someone after Tsunade- though that will probably end up badly for the thug, not her. But what if he finds out about Naruto? He's a boxer, sure, but can he defend himself against a street thug like Obito? She worried, and the more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt for continuing to see him. Tsunade said I shouldn't worry and I should just live in the present… But it isn't just my future at stake. Oh, Naruto… she thought miserably and looked up at him, and when she did, he gave her that same elated smile; rather than cheer her, though, it just ripped a hole into her heart. Maybe I should break it off. As she thought so, she felt something rustle in her lap, and she glanced down to see the bouquet of flowers. She had quite forgotten they were there. Saddened, she brought them to her nose and breathed in deeply, their aroma seemingly spreading through her entire body. I don't want to, though… I'm so selfish, she moped.

Because of her intrusive doubts, Yume could barely focus on the rest of the movie. She was like a zombie as Naruto walked her out of the theater. He, on the other hand, was practically raving good reviews.

"Man! It was better than I remember! There's nothing like seeing a classic on the big screen, am I right, Yume?" he asked cheerfully, and when she did not answer, he poked her in the arm. "Yume?"

"Oh! Yes. Yes, you're right," she answered quickly, flushing with embarrassment and shame. She could not meet his concerned gaze, and turned her face away every time he shifted his angle to try and meet her eyes.

"Hey. You're acting funny. Did you not like it?" he asked with a disappointed look, worried that he has messed up.

"No! I loved it!" she cried hurriedly, then sighed deeply. "I just have a lot on my mind…"

"Is someone bothering you again?" he asked sternly, his nostrils flaring. "'Cuz if they are, I'll take care of 'em! Believe it!" Despite her melancholy mood, his brazen hot-headedness made her chuckle.

"No, Naruto, no one is bothering me. It's just life problems. I'll be okay," she smiled and finally looked up at him. She was truly unconvinced of that fact, but she wanted it to be true. Feeling cheeky, she reached out and slipped her hand into Naruto's, curling her finger tightly around his own. I want it to be okay. Surprised, he looked down at their gripped hands, then smiled brightly up at her. I want to believe in us. "Would you care to walk me home?"

"Believe it!" he nodded with that cheeky grin still on his face, as he was so elated that all he could do was smile triumphantly. Positively glowing with happiness, he led her away from the theater back down the sidewalk, chattering happily about his favorite childhood movie.

Naruto… Could you smile at me like that if you knew the truth?

Who I really am?