Melody of the Fox

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

Chapter 12

Besides the usual glares and sneers from the villagers, the trip to the Academy was largely uneventful. They slipped into the school building with more than a little apprehension. It'd been almost a week since they'd last been there, and there was no telling how the children would react to their prolonged absence. Tayuya nodded towards the door and gave the subtle command for Naruto to slide it open. There was no guarantee that they'd make it out alive; hell, there was no guarantee that they'd make it out at all. After saying a quick prayer to Kami-sama, they stepped into the room and braced themselves.

"Tayuya-sensei! Naruto-sensei! They're back!" one of the kids, yelled, pointing excitedly towards the door. At that moment, a large group of sniveling, ecstatic five year olds rushed towards them at mach five speeds. It took every ounce of the girl's willpower not to turn around and get the fuck out of there, and she wondered if her fellow genin was feeling the same way. They dragged the teens into the room and slid the door shut behind them, ultimately sealing their fates.

This time, the children wasted no time in forcing Tayuya to sit in the small, plush chair endearingly dubbed as 'The Princess's Throne' and shoved a large red storybook into her hands. She watched amazed as the toddlers moved like clockwork, grabbing pillows, blankets, and various other toys to help make themselves comfortable. Even if they were little demons, she had to admit that they were organized. A small pressure on her lap snapped her out of her thoughts, and she glanced down to see the same small, brown-haired girl from the week before making herself comfortable against her body.

"Why do you always sit in my lap?" Tayuya asked, staring down at the girl with a small frown. The girl lifted her large, brown eyes up to meet the redhead's own, and with an annoyingly cute smile, she answered.

"You feel like my mommy." A stifled chuckle was heard to her left, and she turned her head to glare menacingly at Naruto. Unfortunately, the effect was lessened by the light flush of her cheeks. Almost ripping the book in half, she opened it and buried her face within the pages to hide her embarrassment.

"So...does anyone remember where we left off?" she ground out through clenched teeth, resisting the incredibly strong urge to punch the smug looking blond in the face. Two dozen hands shot up into the air, one of them belonging to Naruto. She nodded towards a sickly boy that she recognized as Jin.

"The snake was just about to kill the fox for getting in his way!" Tayuya nodded and flipped a few pages until she found it.

"Here?" She held up the book towards the kids, and when they all nodded simultaneously, she cleared her throat slightly and began to read. "Frowning, the snake launched himself at the wounded fox. 'I told you to not to meddle, and now you shall die!' Before he could sink his fangs into the fox, a strong, white light shot out from the fox and covered him in an angelic glow. The fox could feel the power surging through him, and with a mighty growl, he jumped to attack the snake." The children gasped in surprise at the sudden turn of events, causing Tayuya to snicker at their awestruck expressions. She'd forgotten just how amusing it was to watch their faces twist and turn with each new page.

"After dodging the snake's bite, the fox ducked under his belly killed the snake with a strong swipe to the stomach. As soon as she was sure he was dead, the princess rushed over to the fox and gave him a big hug. 'Oh, thank you fox!' the princess said, snuggling up against his fur. 'Thank you for saving me from that evil snake!' The fox only shook his head and smiled. 'You are my friend, Princess, and I will always protect you.' Walking hand in hand--" The redhead idly wondered what the hell kind of fox had hands instead of paws, "--the fox and princess strode through the forest together towards the Wizard's house to tell him all about their victorious battle. The end." Tayuya glanced up from her book to gauge their reactions.

For five seconds, no one moved. Each of the children had a different expression on their face; some were amazed, some were terrified, and a few of them even had the beginnings of tears in their eyes. Even though she thought she'd done a good job in reading the story, she certainly wasn't expecting the loud wave of applause and cheers that reached her ears.

"You're the best reader ever!" one of them exclaimed, standing up to embrace her in a hug. She tensed momentarily at the unusual feeling, but eventually relaxed enough to awkwardly wrap her arm around his shoulders.

"Uh...thanks," she replied, giving him a slight squeeze. Unfortunately, that simple action only encouraged the rest of the children to try the same. A crowd of students rushed her at full speed to receive a hug of their own.

"I want a hug too!"

"Me next! Me next!"

"Hey! No skipping!"

Tayuya's face was visibly uncomfortable, and she looked over towards her only ally for help. Much to her chagrin, said ally was currently rolling on the ground, laughing at her predicament. "Naruto!" she yelled over the crowd of noisy five year olds, "Help me!" Naruto considered leaving her alone to deal with the children by herself, but the pleading look in her eyes made him change his mind. Even if this wasn't exactly a battle, he was never one to abandon a comrade in need. With a sigh of resignation, he stood up and walked over to one of the cupboards in the classroom. He then pulled out a box of cookies and took a deep breath.

"Who wants cookies?!" he yelled, raising the box high above his head. The effect was immediate. The swarm of children quickly forgot about their quest to receive a hug from the redhead, and instantly encircled Naruto to receive their snack. Naturally, sugar dominated everything else. "First, you have to sit down at your tables." They wasted no time in getting settled in the tiny chairs, and five minutes later, he finished laying out cookies and milk for the kids to eat.

"Fuck, I thought I was a goner!" Tayuya breathed, absentmindedly brushing herself off. Except for training, she'd rarely received any kind of physical contact from anyone in the Sound; sadly, most of it was from Orochimaru. Receiving any kind of physical affection, especially from a writhing mass of flesh and snot, was well above her comfort level. She glanced up at the clock hanging over the door and frowned. "We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago. It's already one o'clock in the fucking afternoon." He nodded and handed the girl her crutches.

"Are you coming back tomorrow?" a small voice asked as she stood up. They both glanced down to see the sickly young boy from before, Jin, staring up at them with wide eyes. Looking over his head, the genin realized that the entire class was waiting on a reply. Naruto grinned sadly at the children.

"Sorry, me and Tayuya-sensei are gonna be gone for awhile." The five year olds' faces immediately dropped into a frown.

"For how long?" one of the children asked from the back of the classroom. Both teens tensed slightly at the question. There was no doubt in either of their minds that the kids wouldn't like what they would have to say. Tayuya slowly began backing towards the door, just in case the little bastards decided to attack.

"Uh...three years." At once, a loud chorus of whines and shouts filled the room.

"You can't go for that long! You're our favorite senseis ever!" Jin whimpered, still staring at them with puppy eyes. The redhead rolled her eyes and turned to address the kids. It was obvious that with Naruto trying to explain things, they'd never leave.

"We'll be back before you know it. While we're gone, I expect each and every one of you to become strong shinobi of the Leaf. Is that clear?" she asked, fixing them with a stern glare. The children stared up at her in confusion before sharing determined nods amongst themselves.

"Hai, Tayuya-sensei!" they shouted in unison. With a final wave goodbye, the two genin slipped out of the room.

That night, twenty-one sets of parents had a heart attack when their children proudly proclaimed that they wanted to become Konoha ninja.

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"Where did that come from?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow at the redhead hobbling along at his side. They'd just left the Academy, and after five or so minutes of deliberating, decided to take a stroll through the Market District to kill some time.

"Where did what come from?" the redhead shot back. The blond scrunched up his face in thought.

"You know, that thing where you told all of the kids to become Konoha shinobi. I thought you hated this place?" Tayuya shrugged as best she could on the wooden crutches.

"I do, but if I have to live in this shithole for the rest of my goddamn life, I want to be at least somewhat safe. The more ninja the better, right?" The blond nodded his agreement. He had to admit that she had a point, even if it was for the wrong reasons. He casually placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the cloudy blue sky. Konoha was at its prettiest around this time of year.

"I guess. So, what do you want to do now?" he asked, trying to pick shapes out of the clouds floating above his head. The majority of them just looked like large white balls of cotton, and he could never understand why Shikamaru loved staring at them so much. After a five second wait for her answer, he eventually turned his eyes to look at her. "Tayuya?"

To his surprise, the fiery redhead was nowhere to be seen. Panicking slightly, he immediately turned around to see if she'd tripped or fallen when he wasn't looking. He felt his panic rise another level when he realized she wasn't anywhere near him. A million thoughts began to run through his head; Had someone kidnapped her? Was it another Sound ninja coming to finish the job? Did she ditch him? Shaking his head, he scratched the last item off of the list. She'd had a hard enough time simply walking with the crutches, so there was no way she could have disappeared on her own in such a short amount of time.

He quickly retraced his steps, looking into every single dark alley and side street on the path back to the Academy. 'Where the hell is she?!' he thought, his mind racing with possibilities. Just as he was about to give up after nearly fifteen minutes of searching, a large white sign in one of the store windows caught his eye. He rushed over to window and breathed a small sigh of relief when he read the bright red letters painted crudely on the poster board:

'Going out of business sale! 50 percent off on all instruments and supplies!'

Of course. If he remembered correctly, Tayuya had used a flute as her main weapon. He also remembered that he hadn't seen her with a flute since he'd met her two weeks ago. Taking a deep breath, he slowly pushed the door to the shop open and stepped inside the dimly lit room.

Despite there being a huge sale on instruments and supplies, the store was still crowded with guitars, drums, cymbals, and a whole bunch of other instruments he'd never seen before. There didn't seem to be any particular order to the way the items were arranged, and large brown boxes littered the floor of the shop. He couldn't see much from the doorway except for a ridiculous amount of shelves and bookcases. In the back of his mind, he wondered how many people had died trying to find their way out of the junky recesses of the store.

"Hello!" an older woman croaked, smiling widely at him from behind the counter. Her hair was just starting to gray, and her clothes looked worn but comfortable. A small pair of glasses were perched dexterously on the tip of her nose and were connected to a small golden chain hanging around her neck. "Welcome to the..." a small frown marred her face when she finally got a good look at his whisker marks. "What do you want?" Naruto felt the corners of his mouth twitch downwards, but quickly masked it with the widest possible smile he could muster.

"Sorry to bother you, but I'm just looking for my friend. Did a girl with red hair come in here?" he asked, trying to be as respectful as possible. The woman eyed him suspiciously.

"Why? What if I have?" she shot back. Before he could answer, an excited shout reached his ears from somewhere within the mass of brass and wood.

"Naruto! Naruto, is that you?! Get your ass over here quick!" He recognized the voice as Tayuya's and let loose the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Shooting the old woman a nervous smile, he gingerly stepped into the old shop and attempted to find his way to the voice hidden among the shelves.

Still eying him suspiciously, the shop owner shouted over to Tayuya. "You know this boy?"

"Yeah, he's the fucker I told you about before, the one that helped me out with my legs." She scowled from her place in the back of the store and waved one of her crutches in the air to help him pinpoint her location. "Where the hell are you?! Hurry up and get the fuck over here!"

"I can't! It's like a maze in here!" the blond replied, doing his best to find a way out. Everytime he thought he was close to the girl, another bookshelf or pile of boxes stood in his way. A loud sigh was heard from the direction of the front desk, followed by the sound of tired footsteps.

"Hold your horses, I'll help you get there." In less than a minute, the woman skillfully found her way to stressed blond and motioned for him to follow her. "I swear, you young shinobi are hopeless, relying on brute strength instead of brains to get through life. In my day, we were taught to think before we acted, and to go into every battle with a set plan." Naruto cocked an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You were a kunoichi?" he asked, thoroughly surprised. She didn't look all that impressive, and at first glance, one would never know. Still navigating through the store's maze, she nodded.

"Pah! I was one of the best genjutsu specialists of my time! That red-eyed girl...what's her name...Kurenai can't compare to the level I was at when I was her age. Hell, I could put that Itachi brat in an illusion so fierce he'd be down on his knees begging for me to hurry up and kill him." The image of the stoic and powerful Itachi begging to be put out of his misery was too much for the boy, and he galefully chuckled softly to himself. "The only thing I couldn't stop with my genjutsu is that damn nine-tailed fox. A shame, too, since he killed both my parents and my husband." Naruto lowered his head slightly at her words.

Even though he had nothing to do with the Kyuubi's attack on the village, he still felt a small amount of guilt for even keeping it alive inside of him. He thought he heard a snort in the back of his mind, but brushed it off when the woman pointed towards an opening ahead of them. "Ah, here we are!"

They walked around a corner to see a wall completely covered with flutes. There were flutes of all different lengths, types, material, and colors hanging on the large slab of wood. Staring enviously up at the wide assortment of wind instruments was a cheery-eyed Tayuya.

"Naruto, look! They have so fuckin' many here!" He watched her face as she studied each and every individual flute, and was surprised at what he saw. Her face was completely different from what he used to seeing, and there wasn't a trace of anger or hatred on her angular features. It was almost like looking at a completely separate individual! The owner stepped up beside the girl to look up at the assortment with her.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" she asked, clasping her hands loosely behind her back. Tayuya nodded slowly and pointed up at a simple copper flute resting near the top of the display. There didn't appear to be anything special about it, and the old woman frowned deeply at her choice. "You want that?"

"What?" the redhead asked, taken aback at her tone of voice. "Why the fuck not? It's the only battle flute I see up here." A small spark appeared in the woman's eye, and a smirk slowly made its way onto her face.

"Ah, it's a battle flute you're looking for! Why didn't you say so? You know, I used one too when I was still on active duty, and I've collected quite a few over the years." Both teens watched as she smoothly walked over to a small door built next to the wall. She opened the door and stepped inside, piquing their curiosity. "Are you ready?" she called from inside the room. Naruto glanced at Tayuya and shrugged.

"Sure?" A few seconds after the words left his mouth, the wall in front of them pivoted and turned to reveal another large wall filled with flutes. The only difference was that they were all built for battle. He could literally feel the waves of shock and excitement pouring off of the girl at his side, and she wasted no time in hobbling up to the wall for a closer look.

"H-holy shit!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise. "Where the fuck did all of these come from?!" The woman chuckled as she emerged from the doorway.

"Well, it's pretty rare for someone to come in and look for battle flutes. In fact, I've only had one other customer in the past twenty years." She paused to follow the girl's line of sight and smiled. "Ah, I see you're admiring a Western fife. I picked that one up in the Tea Country nearly thirty years ago. It has a wonderful sound, and is pretty durable providing that you clean it right. I wouldn't recommend it for someone like you, though." Tayuya glared slightly at the woman.

"Why not?" Smiling softly at the redhead, she walked up to the wall and picked up a long, black flute with a deep red trim. Intricate red vines twisted up and around the flute in a spiral pattern, and small, dark red rose buds were painted at both ends. Tayuya felt her breath leave her as she reached out towards the flute.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? The construction is very similar to the Chinese bangdi, and the body itself is made up of a mixture of titanium alloy, aluminum, and a small amount of nickel. The sharpest kunai couldn't even scratch a flute of this caliber, let alone slice it in half. There's also a chakra enhancing seal placed right inside of the blowing hole. Your genjutsu will be ten times more devastating, and even an experienced shinobi would have a tough time getting out of a simple B-ranked illusion; if you're talented, of course." The girl ran her finger tips along the grooved surface of the flute, relishing in the feel of the cold metal against her skin.

"How...how much is it?" she stuttered, afraid of what the answer would be. The owner sighed softly.

"Well, the original price is 65,440 yen." Both teens sucked in a large breath of air. That was a shitload of money, especially to two struggling genin. "But, with the half off sale, that brings the price down to 32,720 yen." Tayuya frowned again. It was way out of her price range; mostly because she was flat broke. She glanced over to Naruto who had a similar sad grimace on his face.

"Um...I don't have that much with me right now," he said, poking at his fatter than usual frog wallet. The woman sighed again and crossed her arms.

"How much do you have?" The blond shuffled through his money and let out a sigh of his own.

"Only about 17,000 yen."

"I'll tell you what; you show me that you actually have skill in playing the flute, and I'll cut the price in half again. It's not like I'll be able to sell all of these by the end of the month anyway," she said, motioning to the remaining flutes. The redhead's face lit up, and she smirked cockily at the proposition.

"That's it?!" she snorted, hobbling over to a small stool leaning against the wall. "Fuck, you might as well start wrapping this shit up right now!" After settling herself down on the wooden piece of furniture, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hadn't so much as touched a flute since her battle with Shikamaru, and for a musician of her caliber, that was a long fucking time. Tayuya flexed her fingers and ran her tongue over her lips a few times before lifting the small black instrument to her lips.

Blowing gently, she started off with a few scales to get used to the tone and timbre of the flute. For someone who'd only heard the sound of three different flutes in her entire lifetime, the small, metal woodwind produced the most beautiful sound her ears had ever had the pleasure of listening to. She nearly dropped the flute in surprise at the smooth, rich melody that emanated from the instrument, completely different from the wavering, haunting tone of her old flute. The older woman smiled knowingly.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, a small twinkle in her eyes. Still shocked, Tayuya slowly nodded.

"Fucking hell, I can't believe you're going to sell it to me for so cheap!"

"I haven't agreed to anything yet," the owner said with a mischievous grin. In reality, she'd known the girl could play as soon as she walked into the store. The redhead had blown into the store with an excited, wide-eyed expression, and without even being shown, easily found her way to the southern wall of the shop as if she was being led by the instruments themselves.

Instead of answering, Tayuya simply raised the flute to her lips and closed her eyes again. Surprisingly enough, she didn't know that many songs outside of the melodies she used to control her summoned ogres or genjutsu. Not because she didn't want to; No, between training with the Sound Five and missions, she rarely had any time for herself. Taking a deep breath, she decided to play the first song she'd ever heard her grandmother play.

The sound it made was simply astounding. Her fingers moved like liquid over the many individual air holes, and each note sounded as if the angels themselves were singing along in harmony with the flute. Standing to her right, Naruto could only watch amazed as she expertly manipulated the small instrument to do her bidding, increasing and decreasing her airflow with practiced ease. As he listened to her play, he realized that there was a whole lot more to the bitter girl he knew as Tayuya; underneath her angry, abrasive mask was a completely different person -- a girl who preferred to express herself through her music rather than her words.

"Adagio," the older woman whispered, jolting him from his trance-like state. In his daze, he'd completely forgotten that she was still standing next to them. He lifted an eyebrow and glanced up at her.

"Adagio?" She nodded slowly and smiled.

"By Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time. The fact that she can play the piece so well without any sort of reference...it's extraordinary!" He stared at the woman a moment longer before turning his eyes back to his teammate. He didn't really understand all the stuff about music or composing, but he did know that what she was playing sure sounded good.

A few minutes later, Tayuya finished the song and slowly brought the flute away from her still pursed lips. She kept her eyes closed for a couple of seconds, reveling in the rush she got from playing again after so long. Music was like a part of her soul, and without it, she didn't think that she would've lived as long as she did. It was the only thing in her life that she had complete control of, and it was often the thing that kept her sane when Orochimaru's demands became too much for her young mind and body to handle.

She slowly opened her eyes to see both Naruto and the shop's owner staring at her with a mixture of surprise and awe. Immediately, she blushed and scowled back at them.

"W-what?!" she spat, furrowing her brows. The looks were unfamiliar, and to be honest, a little nerve wracking.

"That was splendid!" the woman gushed, clapping her hands together at a rapid pace. "When I asked you to show me that you could play the flute, I was expecting something like Hot Cross Buns or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; not something as advanced and intricate as Adagio! Most musicians that have been playing for over fifteen years can't even play that piece, and you played it from memory! You have a true gift, do you know that?!"

Tayuya's eyes softened at her words. She'd never been complimented so vehemently, and found that it wasn't all that bad of a feeling.

"T-thank you," she murmured. The woman just shook her head and motioned for them to follow her to the front counter. Naruto waited until she was out of earshot before nervously scratching the back of his head and turning to his teammate.

"Ano, I know this probably doesn't mean much coming from me, but you were really great." The redhead's blush deepened to an impossible shade of red. She quickly stood up and grabbed her crutches, hiding her burning face with her hair. On the inside, she was thoroughly disgusted with herself for showing so much emotion over something so trivial. She'd been trained for nearly seven years to be a textbook ninja, and in less than three weeks, every rule and regulation she'd learn had been unceremoniously thrown out the window. All because of a loudmouthed, orange-wearing genin.

Instead of acknowledging his praise, she snorted and made her way to the front of the store. "Hurry up," she snapped, glancing over her shoulder at him. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her but followed anyway. He'd already seen some of what was under her mask, and was already plotting to uncover the rest.

When they reached the front counter, the owner smiled and set a small case in front of them.

"16,362 yen, please," she said, looking at the blond expectantly. Sighing slightly, he slowly pulled Gama-chan from his pocket to procure the money from the frog's open mouth, and Tayuya swore she saw a small tear roll down the now skinny frog's cheek.

The woman quickly counted the money and placed it in the register. She then pulled two medium sized paperback books from the shelf behind her and placed them next to the flute's case.

"I know they probably won't be of much use to someone as skilled as yourself, but since I need to get rid of most of this stuff soon anyway, I'll give these to you for free." The redhead blinked in surprise and looked down to read the titles. In big, bold black letters, the first book read Flutes, Songs, and Melodies. Curious, she flipped through the book to see nearly two hundred pages filled with sheet music, and even a blank section in the back to compose some of her own. The second book was a bit smaller than the first and read Theory and Composition of Musical Genjutsu. She looked up at the smiling woman in shock.

"I...I can't accept these!" she exclaimed, nearly recoiling at the thought.

"Don't be silly; Like I said before, it's pretty rare that someone comes here to buy a battle flute, and even rarer that they want to buy a book that supplements them. All I ask in return is that you continue to play and improve. Is it a deal?" Tayuya slowly nodded and grasped the books in her hands, still in a small state of disbelief that she was getting them for free. She handed them over to an equally surprised Naruto and placed the flute in its case. After locking the latch in place and picking it up in her right hand, she bowed to the woman one last time.

"Arigatou," she said, doing her best to sound as sincere as humanly possible. The owner waved her off with another smile.

"When you've composed a song of your own, I'd love to hear it! As a matter of fact, here." She quickly scribbled something on a slip of paper and handed it to Tayuya. "It's my address. Come by anytime; I'll probably be home a lot once this store closes for good." The owner then turned her eyes over to Naruto. "And you," she started, narrowing her eyes slightly. The boy gulped in fear. He knew she was being too nice to be true.

"Y-yeah?"

"Make sure she stays on top of her practice. I would hate to see such pure talent go to waste." Naruto hesitantly lifted his hand to his head in a military salute.

"Hai!" They waved one last time to the kindly old woman before walking out of the disorganized old store. As soon as they were outside, the blond shot his teammate an amused glance. "I didn't know you even had manners," he chuckled, not noticing her narrowing eyes. She smacked him upside the head with one of her crutches in response. Still, she couldn't find it in herself to stay mad at him and allowed a small smirk to play across her lips.

"Idiot. She just sold me the best fucking flute I've ever laid eyes on for cheap! Of course I'm gonna use some fucking manners!" She lowered the crutch to the ground and began to set off towards the training grounds at a casual pace.

"Where are we going now?" Tayuya paused long enough to glare at him from over her shoulder.

"I'm going to play my new flute. You can do whatever the fuck you want." Naruto watched her hobble away from him with a frown on his face. He'd been hoping to get a bowl (or five) of ramen with his remaining money, but he knew perfectly well that he couldn't let her out of his sight unsupervised. There was still a chance that one of Orochimaru's men was hidden inside the villages walls, and since she wasn't quite healed yet, it'd be too dangerous for her to try to protect herself. Sighing softly, he quickly jogged to her side and fell into step beside her.

They arrived at training ground three in just under half an hour. It was deserted except for the usual squirrels and birds, and Tayuya wasted no time in finding a large tree to recline against. She carefully lowered herself to the ground and pulled her flute from its case.

"What are you gonna play?" Naruto asked, plopping down beside her. He almost chuckled when he realized that it was the same exact tree he'd hung from during Kakashi's genin exam. Out of all the trees in the forested area, she just happened to pick this one. She shrugged slightly and flipped through the new songbook she'd received earlier.

"This looks good." He glanced down at the page and scrunched his nose. To him, the whole arrangement looked like a bunch of random scribbles and lines. His eyes traveled to the top of the page and read over the title.

"Clair de...Lune?" She nodded and lifted the flute to her lips. Blowing gently, she began to play, focusing diligently on the book in her lap. The tune was slow and sleepy; nothing like the haunting songs she already knew. The redhead felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards when she spared a glance towards the blond reclining beside her.

As he listened to her play, Naruto noticed that his eyelids were becoming heavier by the second. He was doing his best to stay awake and on guard, but Tayuya's melody was making his task increasingly difficult. 'I'll just close my eyes for a few seconds,' he thought, sliding further down on the rough bark of the tree. In seconds, he was asleep.

The girl watched amused as he snored softly at her side. She wasn't even halfway done with the song, and he was already asleep! Of course, it wasn't completely his fault; the song was designed to be a lullaby, and the fact that he was out cold proved that she was doing a decent job in playing it. She tore her eyes away from his sleeping face and smiled. At least now she could practice in peace. If there was one good thing that anyone could say about her, it was that she was diligent and aggressive in her training.

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For the first time in nearly three weeks, Hyuuga Neji smiled. Today, he was going to be released from the hospital and would be allowed to resume training in a week's time. As the nurse wheeled him out of the small, drab room, he anxiously awaited to see who would pick him up to take him home. In the worst case scenario, it would be Gai and Lee. Luckily, however, Gai had come by the day before and informed him that he'd be away on an A-ranked mission for a week. Although it was a morbid thought, he was almost glad that the Leaf needed extra help from the jounin-senseis to get back on their feet.

That left the Hyuuga household and his other teammates, Tenten and Lee. Any of the above choices would suit him just fine, although he really wouldn't like to see his cousins for awhile. The nurse rounded the corner and smiled. "Here we are!" Neji looked up to meet the smiling face of his teammate, Tenten. He let loose a small breath of relief. She was the most tolerable out of his team and of his family.

"Hello, Neji-kun!" she gushed, walking up to them. His brows furrowed slightly at her overly fangirlish attitude. Tenten usually wasn't like other girls; for the most part, she tended to stay calm and neutral in all situations. Unless she was meeting with her idol, the Godaime Hokage, of course. Still, he put on one of the famous Hyuuga smirks as she approached.

"Tenten," he said, acknowledging her greeting. The nurse stepped aside and allowed the brown-haired girl to grab the handlebars of the wheelchair.

"Remember, no training for at least a week! The wound in your abdomen still hasn't fully recovered, so Hokage-sama strictly forbids any kind of taijutsu. Training involving chakra should be alright, but take it easy regardless." He nodded as she walked back into the hospital, leaving the genin alone in the lobby of the building.

"So, Neji-kun, how was your stay?" Tenten asked, wheeling him out of the sliding double doors. The Hyuuga grunted angrily.

"Terrible. I was interrupted daily by nurses and visitors, fed the worst grovel I've ever tasted, and...Tenten, where are we going? The Hyuuga mansion is in the other direction." He glanced up at her to see a positively bone-chilling smile on her face. It wasn't her usual soft, caring smile. No, this one was much more sinister in nature, and for a moment, he thought he saw her eyes flash a demonic blood red.

"We're going to train, Neji-kun!" A small bit of panic welled up inside of his chest. There was something...strange about the way she'd said that sentence.

"But, the nurse just said--"

"Neji-kun," she snapped, cutting him off. All traces of happiness and playfulness were gone. She stopped pushing for a moment to collect her thoughts. "Do you know what I did yesterday afternoon?" she asked, her voice completely serious. Too surprised at her sudden change in personality to speak, he simply shook his head. "Well, I got a little visit from your cousin Hanabi."

Fuck. He seriously considered making a break for the Hyuuga Compound, but knowing his current condition, she would catch up to him easily. If he was going to live, he'd have to be smart.

"Really? What did she want?" Tenten placed her hands on his shoulders and dropped her head, building a slow chuckle in the back of her throat.

"Oh, Neji-kun, who are you trying to fool? I know you sent her to me. Hanabi told me herself." Neji swallowed noisily and desperately began looking for an escape route. No amount of talking could get him out of this one. "Now, Neji-kun, why would you send your eight year old cousin to ask me about masturbation?" Her tone of voice promised death, and if it weren't for his royal upbringing, he was sure that he would've pissed his pants by now.

"I...thought you'd know better than I would?" he asked, edging towards the end of his seat. She chuckled again and shook her head.

"Neji, Neji, Neji. Do you know how awkward it is to teach a straight-laced, stuck-up, sexually innocent girl what it means to masturbate? To answer every embarrassing, gut-wrenching, disturbing question without sounding like a complete brothel girl?" She was messing with him now, but judging by his tensing muscles and wide eyes, he hadn't realized it. At that moment, Neji shot up from his wheelchair and made a mad dash in the opposite direction. His legs were a blur as he sped down the street, and a glance over his shoulder showed a surprised and pissed off Tenten still gripping the handlebars of his wheelchair. He allowed himself a small smile as he turned his eyes forward -- only to meet the glaring eyes of the girl he'd just left behind. The smile instantly dropped from his face as he skid to a hasty stop.

"B-but...you...how?!" She placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him around. Instantly, the girl standing by the chair dissipated into nothing.

"Bunshin no jutsu, E-level genjutsu. Now," she chirped, grabbing him by the back of his collar. "How are you going to make it up to me?" He lowered his head in defeat. In his current condition, there was nothing he could do to fight off her advances, and his only chance for survival was to go along with her demands and hope for the best.

"What...whatever you want." Tenten smiled deviously as she dragged him along the ground on his back.

"That's what I wanted to hear! First, you're going to help me train. I just learned a new B-ranked weapons jutsu last week, and need someone to test it out on. Don't worry, I'll try not to kill you. Then, I want you to take me out to dinner. A new restaurant just opened in the market district, and..." As she droned on in her demands, Neji couldn't help but wonder what the hell he did to deserve such a fate. Maybe it was the fact that he used to be an all around asshole to any and everyone. Maybe it was because he'd tried to kill his own flesh and blood during the Chuunin Exams. Whatever it was, karma was rearing its ugly head at this moment in time, and he did the only thing one could in this situation.

Raising a stiff middle finger towards the sky, Neji glared at the clouds and mouthed two words towards the heavens:

'Fuck. You.'

----------------------------

"Naruto! Oi, bastard, get up!"

Naruto squeezed his eyes together and rolled over, a bit of drool seeping from the edge of his mouth. Tayuya was currently doing her best to wake him up without having to resort to violence. Unfortunately for him, she had a very short patience, and she picked up the larger of the two books and smacked him on the head with it.

"Ouch!" he yelped, sitting up and rubbing his head. He glared tiredly at the smirking redhead before letting out a wide yawn.

"Fuck, you sleep like a goddamn rock! Aren't shinobi supposed to be alert at all times?" The blond brushed off her question and retaliated with one of his own.

"Why'd you wake me up?" Tayuya rolled her eyes and pointed towards the sky. The sun was just starting to disappear behind the horizon, and the sky was illuminated with countless hues of orange, purple, and red. The clouds were also turned a vibrant shade of peach, completing the perfect mosaic painted by the sky.

"It's too fucking dark, and I can't read my book anymore." Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"And?"

"...And, I want to go home. I haven't had a decent shower in weeks, and I feel like shit. Let's go," she urged, pulling on his arm to emphasize her command. The blond rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Hai, hai. Geez, you're so bossy!" He reached out a hand to help her up, but she instead handed him her books and used the tree to get up by herself. When she was situated on her crutches, they set off towards the inner city at a leisurely pace.

Except for a few stragglers, the streets of Konoha were mostly devoid of life. Many of the citizens were still struggling with the memory of the attack by the Sand and Sound, and often shut themselves in by sundown. Even the builders and repairmen had called it quits for the day, leaving unfinished buildings and supplies strewn about the edges of the road. Not that they minded; for her part, Tayuya was becoming quite sick of being jeered at by the lowly civilians. Hell, back in Orochimaru's village, that was a one way ticket to the morgue; if she left enough of the victim, that is.

But, since Naruto seemed to ignore it, she endured it as best she could. They'd be leaving in two days anyway, and there was no sense in doing something that could threaten her chances of avoiding death or imprisonment. She glanced over at the boy in question to see that he was becoming increasingly nervous as they neared the residential district.

"What's up?" she asked, giving him a slightly concerned glare. Based on what she'd seen in the last three weeks, he never let anything get to him -- much to her annoyance of course. Her glare turned into a small mischievous grin. Since he seemed to be a little more vulnerable at the moment, now was a great time to pump him for information. "Are you nervous about what your parents will say when you bring me home?" His shoulders tensed for a split second, and if she wasn't a trained kunoichi, she easily would have missed it.

"I don't have parents." Tayuya shrugged nonchalantly. She'd kind of figured that, but didn't want to be caught off guard after she walked through the front door of his house. Still, she wasn't quite satisfied with his answer. Doing her best to sound as casual as possible, she prodded a bit further into his life.

"Oh. You know who they were?"

"Nope." She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"So you've been an orphan since birth?" Without even looking at her, he nodded. She found herself frowning more and more with each of his replies.

"Well, who the fuck raised you then?"

"No one." Tayuya nearly slipped off of her crutches. He'd had no one? She shook her head in disbelief. Something just wasn't adding up! This unfazable, perpetually cheerful ball of sunshine raised himself?! It was incredibly hard to believe that he was able to survive such open hostility and persecution without anyone to back him up. Fuck, if she'd had the Kyuubi inside of her, she would've use the bastard's power to go super saiyan on their asses years ago! Snorting softly, she realized that she had a whole new level of respect for the boy, even if it was grudging. They walked along in a slightly awkward silence for a few minutes until Naruto stopped and pointed to their left.

"That's where I live. If you don't want to stay here, it's okay. I'm sure Baa-chan has an extra room in that huge Hokage mansion she's got." The redhead tilted her head slightly and studied the wide building with a critical eye. She couldn't see it as well in the darkening light, but so far, it didn't look too bad. The light yellow walls of the three story building were slightly dirty, and there were countless shingles missing from the orange-red roof. Pipes and wires ran all around the exterior of the apartment, winding into and out of different windows and openings, and it seemed as though someone had done a half-assed job of repairing a few of the concrete walls with large planks of green wood. From the outside, it was very livable.

"You got water and electricity?" she asked, still staring at the building. Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, but--"

"That's good enough for me." Tayuya quickly crossed the street and made her way to the first flight of stairs. She frowned up at them until she felt herself being lifted into the air from below. "W-what the fuck are you doing?" the genin spat. While she was busy trying to figure out how she would get up the stairs, Naruto had ducked between her legs and lifted her up on his shoulders, crutches and all.

"What? I'm not gonna wait an hour for you to crawl up the stairs," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She hit him lightly on the top of the head with the end of her crutch and pouted.

"I'm not gonna thank you." The blond shrugged as best he could with a girl on his shoulders.

"You don't have to." Since she really wasn't that heavy, it took him just under two minutes to scale both sets of stairs and arrive in front of his door. He crouched down enough for her to get off and reached into his pocket for the key. "Ah, just so you know, it's kinda messy." She almost laughed at the nervous expression on his face.

"Are you fucking serious? I slept in the same room with three others guys for seven years of my life, and one of them was the fattest motherfucker in our village! Hell, you couldn't walk into our shit without stepping on a twinkie wrapper or a half eaten bowl of fuckin' Cocoa Puffs!" Naruto nearly choked on his spit as he cackled at the mental image her words were producing. Watching him fight for a breath of air, she allowed a small giggle of her own to escape from her normally scowling lips. When he recovered enough to stand up straight again, he stuck the key into the keyhole and twisted it in a clockwise direction. He then swung the door open wide and motioned for her to walk in ahead of him, to which she amusedly obliged.

Tayuya stepped into the small apartment and slipped out of her ninja sandals. She couldn't see anything from the hallway, so she slowly hobbled a little further until she came to a large door on her right.

"That's my room," he said, appearing behind her. Nodding, she opened the door and flipped on the light. Immediately, her eyes were met with the sight of dozens of scrolls, books, and wadded up pieces of paper on his bed and on the ground. A few ramen cups sat on the floor, and it was painfully obvious that he hadn't done any cleaning in at least a week.

She smirked at him from over her shoulder. "I didn't know you studied," she teased, causing him to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, well, I was just reading up on seals and stuff. Ero-sennin said if I learned the basics, he'd teach me how to do the cool stuff later. It's kinda hard, though." The redhead glanced back at the scrolls and frowned.

'Seals, huh?' she thought, scratching her head slightly. She'd learned how to seal small things like weapons and clothing from Orochimaru, but anything larger than a meter was out of the question. She briefly considered teaching him how to do it but decided to take a look at the rest of the apartment first. Tayuya turned around and limped the rest of the way down the hall until she came to another door.

"What's in here?" Naruto walked up to her side and opened the door.

"This is the bathroom. It's not that dirty, I don't think..." She turned on the light and smiled. While it certainly wasn't the cleanest bathroom in the world, it was definitely better than what she was used to. She turned around and walked towards the final opening at the end of the hall.

This room was easily the biggest in the entire house, being both the kitchen and the living room. A small stove and refrigerator sat in the corner closest to them, and a small table with a large basket on top was set up right in the middle. Numerous plants sat on a shelf next to the icebox, causing her to raise an eyebrow at the genin following behind her.

"Gardening?" she asked, motioning towards the pots with one of her crutches. He crossed his arms across his chest defensively and shrugged. Shaking her head, she turned back to finish her investigation of the room. There wasn't much left; a couch sat against the opposite corner of the wall, and a small TV rested on a black apple crate. "Not bad. I don't mind crashing here for a couple of days." A nervous grin appeared on his face, suddenly making her suspicious. "What? You don't want me to stay?"

"No! It's just that...you're gonna be the first person to stay over at my house." Both of her eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"Really? What about the faggot Uchiha and that pineapple-headed cocksucker? Aren't they your friends?" He frowned slightly and nodded.

"Well, yeah, but they've never slept over or anything. Anyway, make yourself at home! You can use anything you want!" She let loose a small sigh of relief and wasted no time in heading back down the hallway.

"Good, I've been waiting for this shit since last month!" Instead of going straight to the bathroom, she hobbled her way into Naruto's bedroom for a change of clothes. While her clothes weren't especially dirty, she really didn't want to sleep in something she'd worn all day, and she would probably have to wear those clothes tomorrow too. She opened the top drawer of his dresser and pulled out a pair of orange boxer shorts. She then bent down to sift through the rest of his drawers until she emerged with a simple black t-shirt. Satisfied, she made a beeline towards the shower.

After closing and locking the door behind her, she reached into the shower stall and turned the water on to let it get warm. When it reached the appropriate temperature, she stripped down to her birthday suit and slowly slid under the soothing beads of water. Immediately, she felt better than she had in awhile and let out a loud content sigh. As the water cascaded over her smooth, lightly tanned skin, she felt every annoyance, worry, and exasperation wash away along with the dirt and grime from the day's activities.

"Damn," she breathed, reveling in the feeling of the lukewarm water on her face. Deciding she'd enjoyed herself enough, she reached for the bar of soap sitting in the dish next to her and lathered her body with the small, fragrant oval. Stepping back from the water, she grabbed some of Naruto's shampoo and began to massage it into her scalp and hair, frowning at the length. Apparently, it hadn't receded when she was knocked out of her curse seal state. She made a mental note to get a haircut sometime within the next month.

Suitably clean, she stepped back under the water and proceeded to wash the suds off of her body and hair before turning off the soothing jets of water and carefully stepping out of the shower. Her legs felt a little better than they had earlier, and if she moved slowly enough, she could actually walk without the crutches.

Tayuya grabbed a towel from the nearby wrack and roughly attacked her hair, drying it as best she could with her own power. She then used the towel to wipe the fog from the mirror and peered curiously into the reflective glass. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and her mouth dropped open as she looked at her reflection.

The changes weren't huge; for the most part she looked exactly the same, and unless the person spent a fuckload of time with her on a daily basis, they probably wouldn't notice. The first thing she noticed was that her hair was slightly thicker than she remembered it. Only a few days before it was limp and flat, reaching towards the ground in a very lackluster manner. Now, however, it hung from her head in shining waves of rose-red, framing her face and drawing more attention to her eyes.

That train of thought brought her to her next observation. Instead of the plain dark brown they were before, her irises were lightly dusted with red, making them appear much lighter than they'd been before. The girl also discovered that her eyes were slightly more angular in appearance, giving her an older and more mature look to go along with her hair. She smiled at the thought, causing her eyes to immediately focus on her mouth. Or, more specifically, her teeth.

She nearly gasped at the length and sharpness of her incisors, tonguing them lightly to prove to herself that they were real. They were one step away from looking like actual fangs, and as she observed them further, she found that she looked eerily similar to the members of the Inuzuka clan Orochimaru had forced her to read about. Smirking slightly, she growled playfully into the mirror, baring her teeth and narrowing her eyes for added effect. To her amusement, she looked pretty damn intimidating (and hot) with that feral expression on her face.

Tayuya pulled her eyes downward to study the rest of her body. Not much had changed in her overall composition; she looked to be about the same height, although her muscles seemed a little more defined than they had been a few days before. Poking at her stomach, she realized that it was a bit flatter, too. 'Huh, weird,' she thought, lightly drumming on her tummy. As if on autopilot, her hands reached up to poke at her breasts.

While no could've ever called her flat chested (Like a certain pink-haired kunoichi), she certainly didn't remember them being this...big. They'd never filled her hands like this before -- although to be fair, she didn't have a lot of free time to look herself over every single week. Bracing her hands against the sink, she lightly bounced up and done, delighting in the slight bounce of her chest when she stopped. She almost brought her hands up to touch them again, but forcefully pulled them back down to her sides. If she didn't hurry up and get dressed, Naruto would start to worry. And the last time he'd worried...

A light blush adorned her cheeks at the thought of the blond peeking in on her while she studied the subtle changes of her body. The door was locked, but then again, he was a shinobi (albeit a dense one). Quickly shaking off that thought, she grabbed her change of clothes off of the toilet seat and hurriedly got dressed, taking special care not the put too much pressure on her legs while she did so. The boxers were a little shorter than she would've liked, only reaching to about the middle of her thigh, but they weren't much smaller than the tight training shorts she wore on a regular basis. Taking one last glance at herself in the mirror, she grabbed the crutches leaning against the wall and slowly walked out into the living room.

Naruto was currently sitting on his couch, focusing intently on a large scroll perched comfortably in his lap. Judging by his expression, she could see that he was having some trouble understanding it. His brows were furrowed in hopeless concentration, and his hands were digging viciously into the weathered paper of the document. Deciding to make her presence known (It was never a good idea to sneak up on a shinobi, no matter how incompetent they were), she loudly cleared her throat to get his attention.

"I used your clothes," she said, moving towards the kitchen area of the apartment. "You can take your shower now if you want." The blond nodded slowly and rolled up the scroll. His eyes were beginning to hurt from reading so much at once, and Tayuya's suggestion was a much welcomed interruption. She watched bemused as he dragged his weary body from the couch and languidly trodded down the hallway. When he disappeared into the small, steamy bathroom, the redhead set about her task of finding something to eat.

The first place she checked was the refrigerator. Unfortunately, it was pathetically empty save for an expired carton of milk, four or five eggs, and half a jug of apple juice. She checked the cupboards one by one, finding things like unused pots, pans, plates, and just about every utensil known to man -- but no food. Just as she was about to give up and yell at Naruto for being a poor son of a bitch, a large box sitting next to the stove caught her eye. Or rather, it was the word written on it that got her attention. In big, black permanent marker was the word RAMEN.

"Of course," she mumbled, opening the box and peering inside. The brown cube was literally packed with different flavors of cup ramen, apparently color coded and alphabetized by flavor. Grabbing a dozen cups from the bin, she simultaneously pulled a large pot from the cupboard and filled it with water. Heating up the cups one by one would take far too long using a kettle, and in her opinion, it was a whole lot easier to just cook them all in one batch. With that thought in mind, she set the pot onto the stove and turned it up to high. The girl then reached into the cupboard for a couple of bowls and slowly ambled over to the table.

Just as she was about to set the bowls down in their places, she noticed the small basket sitting right in the middle of the tiny folding table. "How the fuck did I miss that?" she wondered, removing the excessive amount of plastic from around the edges. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside; a whole variety of different fruits and vegetables, ranging from apples and bananas to potatoes and zucchini. She plucked the small piece of paper resting boastfully on top of the assortment and looked it over, rolling her eyes at it's contents.

"Naruto -- You eat too much ramen! If you want to be a good ninja, eat your fruits and veggies!" she said, reading the message aloud. Well, she couldn't argue with that. Whoever had left the basket didn't sign a name; only a small chibi picture of some faggot with one eye. Shrugging, she grabbed a few mushrooms, carrots, and an onion to add to the soup.

Once the water started boiling, she quickly opened all twelve of the cups and dumped them in one by one. She then chopped the vegetables she'd found a few minutes earlier and threw them in on top. Using one of his (brand new) spoons, she stirred the mixture until everything was boiling evenly.

"Let's see..." she muttered to herself. She opened the icebox again and grabbed the remaining eggs, breaking one to see if it had gone bad. To her relief, they seemed rather fresh, and she wasted no time in breaking the rest of them and tossing their innards into the boiling pot of soup.

At that moment, a certain blond ninja wafted into the kitchen, creeping up beside her and peering into the pot. "Whatcha cookin'?" he asked, squinting to see what was inside. Tayuya snorted slightly and stirred the contents again.

"Ramen. It was the only shit left in this entire fucking house, and you should be grateful that I'm making some for you, too." Naruto lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"You're cooking some for me? Why?" She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"I might be a bitch, but I'm not an unappreciative one. You've done a lot of shit for me these past three weeks, and if all I have to do is cook some ramen to pay you back, then fuck, I'm all for it!" He laughed softly at her answer, causing a small smirk to appear on her own face. They stood there for a few more minutes, both staring impatiently at the boiling noodles rushing around in the large black pot. Realizing their close proximity, the redhead quickly turned the burner off and stepped away from the stove. "I-I think it's done now. Why don't you bring it to the table?" she stuttered, grabbing the apple juice and some cups before heading towards the dining area. The blond nodded and grabbed the pot by its handles.

He moved the basket and set it down right between them. Neither of them wasted any time in digging in to the large amount of ramen, pouring copious amounts of the soup into their bowls. Tayuya hadn't eaten in nearly two days, so for the first five servings, she was easily keeping up with the self-proclaimed ramen king. By the time she reached her seventh, the pot was already empty and both were contentedly leaning back in their chairs.

"That was great," Naruto sighed, stretching his arms languidly into the air. The girl nodded her agreement and lazily poked at her bowl with her chopsticks. After a few more minutes or relaxing, she placed her hands on the table and forcibly pushed herself up into a standing position.

"I'm tired. Where do I sleep?" she asked, grabbing her bowl and cup from the table. Her teammate stretched one more time and grabbed the remaining dishes off of the tiny card table.

"You can have my bed. Baa-chan said you need to recover, and you won't be comfortable on the floor." She nodded again as she hobbled towards the kitchen. The sooner she could walk, the better. She placed her dish in the sink and walked towards Naruto's bedroom. "Night!" Naruto called from the living room. Tayuya froze mid step and looked over her shoulder at the blond, briefly taking notice of his silly looking nightcap.

"You're not sleeping in your room?" When he shot her a confused glance, she quickly rushed to explain herself. "Because, it's your room, and I'd feel bad if you had to sleep on the couch." Naruto shrugged and continued to fix up the chair.

"It's no big deal. I can sleep on it for a couple of nights."

"Oh...well, I heard somewhere that sleeping on the floor is good for your back sometimes. Works out all the kinks and shit." She was bullshitting now, but knowing his gullible nature, he'd probably buy it. A smirk flittered onto her face when he appeared to be thinking it over. It was almost too easy.

"Really? Hm...that does sound right. Thanks!" He moved his sheets from the couch to the floor in front of it, earning a groan from the disabled girl in front of him.

"Goddamnit Naruto, if you're gonna sleep on the fucking floor then you might as well sleep on the fucking floor in your own goddamn room!" He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You don't mind?" Tayuya shook her head and let loose an exasperated sigh. Fuck, he was dense.

"No, Naruto, I don't mind. Come on." He grabbed his things and followed her into the large room. It took a few minutes to clean up the all the paper and trash littered on the floor, but eventually he was able to spread his sleeping bag next to the bed. Yawning, he plopped back onto the makeshift bed and placed his hands behind his head.

"Ne, Tayuya..." he asked, still looking up at the ceiling. She was currently sitting on his bed, stretching her legs as much as she was able to in her current condition. She paused momentarily to look at him.

"What?"

"Well...why did you want me to sleep in here? I know I'm not the smartest guy around, but I'm not stupid either." Tayuya's face unnoticeably flushed in surprise. She was certain that she'd gotten away with it, and slowly leaned back until she was in a position mirroring the boy's own.

"Don't feel special or anything; I've just never really slept alone before. In the Sound, there was always at least one of the fuckers in the room with me. I'm not used to being by myself yet."

"Why didn't you just say that?" The redhead frowned, glaring at him as if it was obvious.

"Because it's fucking embarrassing! What kind of third-rate shinobi is scared of sleeping by themselves?!" She watched him close eyes and turn over onto his side, facing the wall away from her.

"I think that since you were brave enough to admit it, you're stronger than anyone." She felt her cheeks grow warm at the compliment, and lay back on Naruto's bed in silence. She could see why he was called Konoha's number one surprising ninja; who would've guessed that the hyperactive blond idiot actually had a brain? Smirking amusedly to herself, she pulled the sheets over her tired form and closed her eyes.

"Night, Naruto," she murmured, already feeling her consciousness slipping. Unbeknownst to her, Naruto was smiling happily in his makeshift bed on the floor. For the first time in thirteen years, he had someone to say goodnight to -- other than his photo of team seven, anyway.

"Night, Tayuya!" With that, both teens drifted into a peaceful slumber, dreaming of the past, present, and the future.

----------------------------

AN: 11k Words. Longest chapter to date! Sorry it took so long; some parts were extremely hard to write, and 95 percent of this chapter was written within the last three days. Ahahaha...thanks for over 500 reviews! I'm glad to see that you're enjoying this story as much as I am! Oh, and there are four or five made up words somewhere in this chapter (Not counting swear words). A cookie to the one who finds them all, lulz. Thanks again for R&R...ing!