Wow, 10 chapters already...time flies. ^_^ Thanks for reading this far!

Chapter 10: Arrival

The long walk along the dirt paths was beginning to grow tiresome, and despite the fact Natarii was adjusting to the long, intense days of training, she still wasn't as accustomed to walking or running extremely long distances. She walked slightly behind Naruto, who was arguing with Jiraya on his right.

As they went deeper and deeper into the woods, the humidity in the air seemed to increase, leaving Natarii feeling a bit overheated, but she could hang on longer for the time being. How much farther was the hot spring supposed to be? It couldn't be that far, could it? At this rate, who knew, and who cared?

However, the wait was about to be over. In the near distance, Natarii could see a small inn. It was a cute little place. The exterior was decorated with a variety of colorful flowers and other plants, and as they came closer, she was able to identify all of them with just a short glance. Outside by the front porch stood a middle-aged woman, who Natarii assumed to be the innkeeper.

The woman motioned for them to follow her inside. I guess they were expecting us, Natarii thought to herself.

"Ah! It feels so good!" Natarii exclaimed as she entered the steaming, hot, refreshing hot spring. She was currently the only one in, but she went toward the back corner, leaned against the tall, wooden fence that separated the girl's side from the boy's, and sank so low one could only see her eyes and nose. She started blowing bubbles in the water to occupy herself.

"Noooooo!"

Natarii jumped. She was startled from the sudden outburst from someone on the opposite side of the fence.

"I could've sworn this was a mixed bath last time I came here!"

Instantly, Natarii knew she was in the presence of some insane pervert. Or should one put it as, the insane pervert. Slowly, she backed away from the fence, but stopped at the sound of another person.

"Is that seriously the only reason we came here?!" It was Naruto.

Natarii continued to back away slowly from the fence. She hid herself in another corner of the pool - the one across from her original. She resumed her bubble blowing and her mind seemed to drift off into a world of relaxation. Maybe this won't be as bad as I originally thought, Natarii thought. She looked around, noticing the colorful flowers sitting in magazine-quality flower beds. Behind her was a small waterfall that gave her a sense of calamity as each drop of water hit the warmth of the spring. The showers were underneath the canopy of the porch, and there were a couple of teenage girls cleansing themselves as they sat on small stools, dumping buckets of water over their soapy heads. Every once and awhile, the girls glanced over their shoulders at Natarii, whispered a thing or two, and started giggling.

Natarii narrowed her eyes, and she sunk even lower into the water, enough to the point she could barely breathe through her nose. She felt a bit of frustration build up in her body. Who were these girls? They didn't have any right to be snickering about her. Although, it's not like Natarii wasn't used to such behavior.

It wasn't long before the two girls gathered their soaps and clothes and left the showering area. It was then Natarii was completely alone, except for Naruto and Jiraya on the other side along with whoever else might be over there.

Natarii sat inside her side of the room, which was connected by a sliding door to the side Naruto and Jiraya used. The two hadn't come back yet, so Natarii found the free time she had a necessary time to do some of her school work. It had become a habit of hers to do homework when she had nothing else to do, for when Naruto was gone training those long two and a half years, Natarii often found herself studying to help the time pass by.

She pulled out a rather large journal that was most likely the size it was from being opened, closed, and written in so much. It was time to make yet another installment to the story she was writing. She pulled out the pencil that was in her pocket and began to write. Before long, she was lost in her own little world.

She saw two people, a boy and a girl. The girl was Natarii herself, and the boy was someone she would recognize anywhere. He had short brown hair and green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. He also wore glasses, and dressed nicely in a collared white shirt and open suit jacket on a daily basis. At least, that was how she pictured him. The last time she saw him was when she was six years old; he was fourteen. If she was to see him again, he would be twenty-four, mature, and most of all, intelligent. However, this was all just a complex fantasy that resided in Natarii's mind. It was a fantasy she truly wished could become a reality.

The two were happy as they conversed; sharing each other's ideas, complementing or suggesting changes for the different complexities and principles. It was-

"What are you writing?"

Natarii was interrupted by Naruto's voice. She jumped, for he had startled her, and she quickly pulled her notebook up to her chest, hiding what she had written. "It's nothing!" She defended.

Naruto folded his arms across his chest in disappointment. "Fine...can't you at least tell me what it's about? You never let me in on what you write in that thing," He said, pointing to the journal.

The energized look on Natarii's face faded, and she relaxed her body as she lowered the notebook. She hesitated, then spoke. "It's almost the anniversary of when my brother died..." she said quietly. When Natarii was six years old, her brother, Takanami Keizu, became very ill and died a few weeks later. He was Natarii's biggest supporter, and the two we're very close. In particular, he was a fan of Natarii's writing.

"Oh, yeah..." Naruto remembered. It was only about a month or two after the death of Keizu when he met Natarii for the first time.

"I thought I would write about what I thought about how he would be if he were still alive," Natarii continued. "He'd want to see how far I've come...you know?"

"Yeah. Isn't it your birthday too?"

Natarii nodded slowly. The sickening thought of how her brother had passed on her birthday was not one she wished to remember. "I wish he could see me turn sixteen..."

"He is though," Naruto said with a smile. "He's always with you. You just seem to forget that."

Natarii smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the reminder."

Naruto lifted one arm and rubbed the back of his neck as he often did as a comfort reflex. "No prob," he replied. He stood up and walked toward the sliding door. "You should get some sleep soon," he said. "You're training more tomorrow." With that, he left the room.

That's it for this week's chapter!

Next is: "Chapter 11: Natarii's Nightmare!" Natarii's troubles begin to haunt her as she sleeps!

'Til next time!

-ChibiNinja45