Hey, 'llo there ! Whazzup ? This is the new chapter, hope you'll love it ^^ * modest chuckle *

Enjoy and please ... R-E-V-I-E-W ^_^_^_^

" 'o..."started the blond, his mouth full of noodles. " 'u 'ver 'ed 'o 'alk 'o it ? " he asked, his words impossible to decipher.

" Sorry, what ? " asked a pink-haired girl, with huge green eyes, with a rather big, but beautiful forehead, dressed in a pink kind of dress, a leaf ninja headband holding her hair.

" Just swallow, brat ! The food won't disappear ! " suggested Jiraya, rolling his eyes and taking another mouthful of his sukiyaki ( a japanese dish with beef ).

Naruto shot a glare at his sensei and looked apologetically at his ramen, but fortunately, much to the pink-haired's relief, he followed the piece of advice.

He swallowed the noodles, feeling the immediate need to take more, but resisted.

" Have you ever tried to talk to it ? " asked the young boy again, this time coherent.

The girl turned her eyes in his one's direction and thought a little, not really seeing the blond. She recalled all the times she had talked to Henkanbi.

Any person who would hear their conversation wouldn't bother to listen, thinking that it was an inside thing they didn't and weren't supposed to know.

" Um...I don't think so. No. " she answered after a while, looking suddenly interested in the color of her rice.

" You should. " Naruto announced, playing with the noodles, half thinking about how they would feel in his mouth.

Ai didn't answer, but resumed trying to pick up rice with the tiny sticks she was supposed to eat with. She wasn't used to eating in a restaurant, which was now possible because Naruto and Jiraya had money to pay and because she had learned how to henge, so she wouldn't be recognized. Otherwise...she would still be searching for food in the garbage.

So, yeah. Eating with tiny sticks isn't the most easy job when you've used your hands as spoon, knife and fork your whole life.

" Really " went on Naruto, still staring at his bowl. " Even if it's evil and annoying, it's still there, you know. It's better to talk to it one time. Besides-"he raised his head, looking the replica of his teammate, Sakura Haruno, in the eye. "- It's not like a talk will kill you. You are doomed to live in the same..." he lowered his voice. " ...in the same body forever. Might as well be buddies ! "

" That's what you're trying to do ? " Jiraya popped in, his voice low, his face holding that sick shade.

It's not like he didn't trusted his student, but the idea of befriending a demon who had murdered half of the village you live in made him a little nauseous. But then again, Naruto wasn't the most predictable person. He was, after all, the Number One Hyperactive Unpredictable Knucklehead Ninja. One didn't know how his mind worked.

" Um...well...not really...I mean " the boy answered. " Ai-I mean Sakura's ...' friend ' could be good, ne ? Besides, maybe I can make Kyuu-I mean ...um...Kyuunoka a better person "

The sanin looked unconvinced.

" Come on ! " Naruto hissed, leaning forward towards his sensei. " Trust me ! I won't do anything stupid. I know it's bad. That's kind of in the definition. I just thought that since we're roommates we might as well be on acceptable terms with each other ! That's all ! "

The blond attacked the ramen in front of him, poking it with the sticks and pushing it into his mouth as though the noodles were the worst enemy in the world.

Jiraya didn't look particulary reassured, but let the matter drop again. Maybe Naruto knew better. After all, he was the jinchuuriki.

Jiraya ate the last of his meal and got up, handing a few banknotes to his blond student.

" Ok ! I'm gonna go...researching a little ! " he said, looking serious.

Ai nodded, her pink hair brushing her cheeks.

Naruto, on the other side, looked outraged. He jumped to hiss feet and pointed a very accusing index finger at his sensei, yelling.

" RESEARH ? YOU PERVERTED OLD MAN ! HAVEN'T YOU ' RESEARCHED ' ENOUGH ? "

But Jiraya had vanished. Apparently, he had used a teleportation technique.

" Old, stupid, perverted Ero-senin ... " Naruto mumbled, sitting down audibly.

" What ? " he yelled to the world-which was actually everyone in the restaurant who had curiously turned their heads in the direction of the sound.

Every head jerked back, turning its gaze away.

Naruto mumbled something to himself and wolfed down the rest of the ramen. Ai just gazed at him, a smile on her face.

She let the sticks onto the table. She just couldn't eat with those. In fact, she wasn't that hungry anymore.

" Let's get outta here " grumbled Naruto, raising, still a little upset.

He let the money on the table and walked out of the restaurant, Ai following close behind.

He had been really grumpy lately. Maybe it was because Kyuubi was all that gloomy and whenever he tried to talk to it he only got short, annoyed answers or growls ? But why should that affect him, anyway ? It wasn't like they were best buddies, damn, they weren't even friends. Than why, why did he feel so unhappy if the demon had decided to ignore him ?

" You ok ? " Ai's voice ripped his thread of thoughts, soft and kind.

He turned his head to look at her. She looked exactly like Sakura : Her pink beautiful hair danced around her face along with the wind, he cheeks held the same vague pretty blush, her big, emerald eyes gleamed in the light of the street lamps and still...there was something more kind, more beautiful and pure about her. Naruto wished Sakura would be like this.

But this was not Sakura. She was Ai. End of story.

" Um...yeah, why wouldn't I be ok ? " he asked, rubbing the back of his neck, his golden hair swirling and his blue eyes sparkling a little sad.

Ai examined him a little suspicious and Naruto knew she didn't believe a word. But then she turned her eyes onto the road ahead, onto the dark street, lightened only by patches of yellow light which spread before every single street lamp, like carpets made of gold.

He looked at the road, too. He didn't feel like going back to the hotel room, but his feet seemed to move on their own accord.

Soon they reached the hotel and entered. The receptionist eyed the pink-haired Ai curiously, than glanced at Naruto and gave him the thumbs up, grinning evilly.

The blond blushed and smiled back. He couldn't help thinking that that guy saw them and thought they were together. But then again, this wasn't exactly Sakura.

Ai entered the room first and the blond shinobi locked the door.

A poof could be heard behind him and when he turned around he was relieved to see that Ai was standing on one of the beds. She looked so much more delicate like Sakura. She looked...real. Beautiful. Sakura looked like a product of one's imagination right now. He shook his head.

He gave to enter the bathroom, aiming for a hot shower, but Ai's voice stopped him.

" Naruto..."

" Yeah ? " he asked, not turning around, but waiting in the door way.

" Does this Sakura person mean anything...special to you ? " she asked in a low voice and the blond slowly turned and looked at her.

She bit her lip and raised her eyes, so as to meet his.

" I mean,...you looked uncomfortable when I was her. " she explained.

Naruto thought for a second of what he should say, then answered.

" Yeah, it's...she's my teammate " he said.

" But you like her . " Ai said. It wasn't a question.

It was Naruto's turn to bite his lower lip, something he had never done before.

" Yeah " he finally breathed. " I like her. "

There was an awkward silence for a few second, after Naruto finally decided to enter the bathroom.

" I could Henge into someone else if..." she called from the bedroom.

" Nah " said Naruto, popping his head out of the door frame and blinking, showing her one of his famous fox grins. " 's ok ! "

Ai dreamed flames that night. White, swirling flames that didn't make a sound as they rose and fell, rose and fell in a weird kind of dance. It was hypnotizing, watching the flames dance. They were everywhere in her head, in every corner of her mind.

They weren't cold, but they weren't hot. They weren't there, but they somehow were.

The girl opened her eyes slowly. It was the dark ceiling she saw above her.

It was still night.

She looked round the room. She could only see shadows, darker and grayer, which were interrupted before the window by a thin layer of silvery dust.

The moon must've been causing that.

She glanced at the bed beside her and gasped. The bed was empty.

That's when she noticed the window was opened too and that a chilly breeze filled the room.

She got up, thinking where Naruto could possibly be at that hour of the night. She poked her head out the window.

The streets below were as empty as they could be, covered in hallow shadows and thin layers of silver dust, similar to the one in her room, here and there.

" Naruto likes training ..." she murmured to herself, gazing at the silver sun hanging on the sky outside.

As she recalled Naruto's previous lack of mood-something that was highly unusual-her presumption that the blond must be training gained much more sense.

She didn't bother to use the door. She just gathered chakra to her feet and jumped on the rooftop of the building across, then on the following rooftop and so on.

She could feel the breeze stroking her face gently.

The houses fell behind her as she ran, eyes ahead, not a single look back, to the grassy field she had been training in.

As her form grew smaller and smaller, bending into the landscape, behind an old reddish building, its bricks shattered here and missing there, a dark silhouette emerged, gazing at the retreating shadow of the demon-girl.

A hallow small chuckle filled the night Ai had left behind. The man smiled.

She arrived at the field near the forest. It looked like a dark sea stretching to the trees of the woods. The moon seemed brighter here, covering the whole area in its light.

She could see almost as good as at daytime.

She scanned the shadowy sea of grass. On the other side of it, a small dark form could be seen moving round a tree.

' That should be him ', she thought.

She pushed more chakra to her feet and made a colossal jump, landing with a rather strong bang right next to the blond.

Naruto didn't even as much as stirred. He just continued to punch and kick the tree ahead him, enlarging the wide crater he had done there without the use of Rasengan.

Sweat was running down his forehead as he gritted his teeth, giving the innocent tree an ultimate punch.

A loud cracking sound shot through the starless night. Naruto's fist had emerged through the tree trunk, the blond panting slightly.

He pulled back his now bleeding at the knuckles hand. As he did so, the tree seemed to tremble for a moment, before it cracked with a sickening sound and bent over, falling behind Naruto.

As the dust dissipated, the night fell silent.

Naruto turned round and gazed at Ai, who was still dressed in the new pyjamas said blond had given her.

She stared back in silence for a few seconds.

" You sure you're ok ? " she asked in a low, soft voice.

Naruto laughed, a hallow laugh and then his face fell. He collapsed to the ground and Ai sat silently next to him.

" No. No I'm not " he sighed.

" What's wrong ? " asked the girl after a moment.

The young shinobi looked at the ground, thinking the question over yet again.

His hair was dull again, but seemed covered too in a silvery dust. His eyes were covered by a shadow as he held his head bent down and his blue pandantiv shimmered in the moonlight.

" I don't know " he finally admitted. " I really don't know... "

He met Ai's dark eyes with his sparkling blue ones. Only they seemed to hold a rather dim light now.

" I think it's Kyuubi. It seems...upset. " he said, lowering his gaze. " But I don't know why that should bother me." he mumbled.

The girl considered his answer.

" There were times when I was sadder than other, with no apparent reason. " she said, after a rather rigid silence. " Now, I think it's because of it...because of the demon. "

She raised her onyx eyes and he raised his sapphire ones. Their gazes met : Naruto's tormented and Ai's kind and understanding.

She smiled.

Naruto felt like a heavy burden just lifted off his chest. It was good to know someone understood you exactly, knew how you felt and got the meaning of little things that seemed bigger and more important in your eyes.

Now more than ever, he felt he was the one who had just learned about his condition and Ai the one who's lived her almost whole life knowing she was who she was.

A few moments the sat there, in a companionable silence, staring at the moon which seemed to be a hole in the velvet sky from which silvery light flooded over the earth below.

" How nice ! Enjoying the night, aren't you two little brats ? " a voice whispered from behind them.

For a split second Naruto thought it was Jiraya, then the evil, disgusted tone in the words hit him.

He jumped to his feet and turned around, in a defending position.

Ai followed a brief second behind him. Her face palled as the unknown man stepped into the moonlight.

" Well, well, well...nice to see you again...little demon ! "

Who is this mysterious man ? And what does he want from our heroes ? ...Damn ! It's like I'm one of those movie trailer voices * chuckle *

Now, really. Tune in to see what happens next !

Thanks for reading !

P.S. : Press the button below if you like ice-cream ! :P

See ya soon ! * disappearing in a poof of bluish smoke ... *