A/N

Alright, so I made you wait a while for the last chapter, and I'm sorry. Now, you get

a quick and breezy, fluff preludical chapter. Tell me what you thought, and yes, Mr. Kaalor

will appear again, so don't worry. Oh, read, enjoy, and tell me what you think.

Chapter 28 Engraved in Gold

Naruto

I woke up, this time in my bed. The room was dark, my eyes were fuzzy. I felt the box in my grip, still there, from where I had held it the night before. Remembering the events of the previous midnight hours, I blushed. Reaching out with my chakra and concentration, I found the candle, and ignited the wick. The dancing flame sparked to life, and I looked around. Everything was as usual, dirty clothes lay on the floor, my pack in the corner. I finished my scan of the room. I slid from my bed, and over to the concealed bath. I pulled the screen around the small hole in the floor. I turned the knob on the edge, the one marked with a H, and steaming water flooded in from a hole in the side.

I slipped my clothes off, undressing, and testing the water with my toes. It was quite warm, bordering on the verge of hot. I rubbed my eyes, and stepped in. the water went up to my knees. I slowly lowered myself into the water, as I did, mentally turning on the lights. I opened my eyes, and the ceiling light now lit my bath. I sunk all the way into the water, resting my head on the edge of the tub, looking up at the ceiling. It was nice, warm and the heat of the water wiped any traces of tension of fatigue from my limbs. I yawned, and absentmindedly, probably out of sheer boredom, swatted at the steam that curled to the ceiling. I pressed my shoulders against the side of the bath, stretching my legs.

I unkinked the kinks in my legs, cracking my neck, and closed my eyes. It was highly relaxing, but something nagged at my mind. I looked over at what I could see of my bed, and caught a glimpse of the white box. I knew what I was going to do before we left, which we had planned to do this evening. I was kind of sad about this, I liked Sunagakure, and kind of wanted to stay or a few more nights. I didn't really want to leave, the nights were so beautiful, and were pleasant nights to spend with Hinata. I blushed, sinking down into the water. I ran my hands through my wet hair, thinking about Hinata again.I smiled, remembering the night before, my sleeping with Hinata. Sakura hadn't known, at least I didn't think she had, at least not yet.

After I was finished, I stood up, stepping out of the tub, and drained the water. The draining process was slow, but the water level dropped fast enough. I dried myself off with the towel that I had placed beside the tub. I pulled on my clothes, and dried my hair again, walking out from behind my screen. I picked up the white box from off my bed, slipping it into a pocket. I saw the locket again in my mind's eye, the gold, the heart shaped diamond, the carefully crafted chain. I imagined also, what I wanted it to look like. It opened, two heart shaped halves, each one bearing a letter. The left would bear an N, the right, an H. I left the hotel, not even bothering to wonder where Hinata and Sakura were.

I exited the building, finding myself in the bright streets of Suna. I walked along the roads, scanning the road side shops, looking for a jeweler or a gem-setter. After several minutes of searching, with no avail, I asked around. I pulled over and asked several passing strangers. The first two had no idea, obviously wanting to be on their way. The third, an old woman, didn't know, but recommended the Suna General Grocers for any food needs. I asked some more, finding out no more than I had already known. Finally, I found someone who knew of one. A bandaged young man, one arm in a cast, walked down the street. I hailed him, running over. I smiled at him, and he returned the gesture.

"Hi, mister. Do you think you could help me?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"Sure, if I can," He said, settling into a comfortable stance.

"Do you know where a jeweler or an engraver is in this town? I'm not from here, I'm from Konoha,"

The young man nodded, and smiled.

"I know you, you're Naruto, I saw you at the dance. And yeah, there's a jewelers right down the road. Take a left at the corner, and you should see the Kaalor's Gems. The owner should be able to help you," He informed me, and I nodded.

"Thanks a million," I said, preparing to leave.

"No problem, my pleasure," He said, waving and walking again in the other direction.

I sprinted down the sandy road, rounding the corner as I had been informed, and immediately saw the store I had been told about. Kaalor's Gems loomed close ahead, it's door open and from where I was in the road, I could see gems of all sorts. I entered the shop, looking around. I saw someone who was obviously the owner, sitting behind the counter, a bored expression on his face. I approached, and smiled. A flicker of interest flashed across the man's face, and I stood in front of him. He grinned, the small, dark gray beard wobbling as he stood up. His eyes were brown and cheery, and his hands were rough and strong, obviously highly skilled.

"Hello," His booming voice called, "How may I help ya?"

I nodded, and pulled the box from my pocket.

"Hello, I need something engraved, I heard you could help me," I asked of him, and he chuckled again.

"'Course I can help, can I see what I will be engraving?" He asked, and I nodded.

I opened the box, revealing the ornate, gold locket. His eyes sparkled, and he looked from the locket to me.

"For your girl?" He asked, scooping the locket from the cushion with the hands of a loving mother.

"Yeah," I blushed, and another hearty chuckle shook the shop.

"Alright, what will I be engraving upon it?" The man asked?

I took the locket, and explained the setup that I had planned, describing how I imagined it. He nodded, taking the locket back. He beckoned me around the counter, and into the back room. I looked around it, taking in the equipment and tools. He sat down on a stool, placing the locket on the counter. He pulled on gloves, flipping tools off the shelf, catching them and opening the locket. I watched eagerly, as he took a tool with a thin, spinning tip. He lowered it to the interior of the locket, and it dug smoothly into the soft gold. He was very careful and precise, biting his tongue as he went. I held my breath, not wanting to disturb the obviously delicate work. He stopped briefly, wiping the sweat from his brow, and continued on the H.

As soon as it was finished, he sat up. He switched tools, smoothing out the letters, shaving the rough edges off, filing, smoothing and perfecting. I snuck a look over his shoulder, and saw the intricately carved letters. Now, the jeweler swapped tools again, picking up a small canister with a thin, round tube. He set it to the top of the N, and a whirring, buzzing sound emanated from it. The tube spilled silver liquid into the grooves, filling the letter without mistake. The second letter was filled with the silver, and the whizzing noise stopped. Kaalor stopped, setting the tool down. He pulled a large, flat lamp over top of the locket. He turned it on, and a searing heat blazed from it.

Sweat dripped down my forehead, and I blinked the salty water out of my eyes. The lamp was designed to heat and solidify the silver, as I was informed by Kaalor the owner of the store. Less than two minutes later, the lamp was turned off. Pliers were used to retrieve the locket, and the bearded shop owner carried it to the sink. He dipped it into the clear, cold water, steam issuing from it. He pulled it out quickly, wrapping it in a towel. He grinned at me, and wiped his face with the same towel.

"Now, we wait a few minutes, then you can have your locket," He said, unrolling the towel and exposing the shining locket.

I grinned at the man, and gently fingered it. It was still rather warm, and the man nodded.

"Yup, now you can take it and give it to your young lass. She'll like it for sure," He smiled, and escorted me out to the main shop.

"Now, that will be... three hundred," He told me, and I leafed out the money.

"Good day," I winked at him, and put the locket in the box.

I left the shop, waving over my shoulder to the store owner, and exiting the shop into the morning sun. Said sun beat down on me as I walked back to the hotel. The sand clouded around my feet, and I meandered towards the tall building. I entered via the front door, and waved to the receptionist. I felt the box in my pocket, and quickly scaled the stairs. Halfway up, I thought of something, and descending them again. I took a piece of paper from the front desk, and taking a pen, carefully wrote on a small, heart shaped piece of it. I took the paper up to my room, and sat down on the bed. With a kunai knife, I cut it out, and fitted it into the locket. It was a snug fit, and I smiled. I slid the locket into the box.

Now, I had to find Hinata. I slid the box into my pocket, and stood up. I opened my door, entering the hallway. I knocked on Hinata's door, but I got no answer. Shrugging, I knocked on Sakura's door. It was closed, but a piece of paper jutted from the crack. I pulled it out, and read it.

"Dear Naruto, Hinata and I are going out for a little while. Don't worry, we'll be back by lunch, so have fun. And yes, we plan to leave this evening. Alright, have fun," The note read, and I looked up.

Well, it was almost noon, so the two girls would be returning soon. I made my way back down to the hotel lobby, then through the side door to the cafeteria. I sat myself down at a table, and waited. I waited for about half an hour, before Hinata and Sakura came through the hotel door. I grinned and waved, and they walked over. They both had a bag of clothes and supplies, and they looked ready for anything. I smiled warmly at Hinata, who blushed.

"So, got supplies for the trip?" I asked, and Sakura nodded.

"Their all in here," She declared, raising one arm, indicating the bag of food.

"N-Naruto, we're going to go put these up in our rooms, so we'll be right back," Hinata said, following Sakura, who was already making her way up the stairs.

A/N

There you go, hope you liked it, and if you did, click the magic button below and tell

me all about it. Alright, I look forward to reading all the multiple reviews I know I'm

going to receive. (Hint Hint, Cough Cough) Yeah, well, that's all.

~Matthew~