UPDATE: Okay so I'm reading over my story, and I noticed how much I hated how I wrote. This was my very first fanfic so I won't be so hard on myself buuut there are a couple of changes I'll be making to chapters 1 through 5 or 6-ish, so I just wanted to let you know.

Everyone else who is a new reader, just ignore that above and keep reading. :)

—Demonic Angel—

DISCLAIMER: Don't own nada.


Chapter 1: Mysterious Lady

Naruto Uzumaki watched the sun set on the horizon, a sign that the day was almost over. He was sitting on the swings beside Shikamaru and Choji, feeling lonelier as each kid in the park left one by one, running off to their parents, to their safety and their comfort. He longed for that feeling but pushed that aside and brought a smile upon his face as he turned toward Shikamaru and Choji.

"Hey, do you guys wanna go to Ichiraku's?"

Shikamaru eyed him lazily and shook his head, "We can't today, it's late and my dad's almost here."

Naruto smile faded slightly but he instantly recovered giving them a big grin, "That's okay. Maybe tomorrow?"

"I don't think I can," he shrugged. "Its ma's birthday."

"Shikamaru! Choji! C'mon kiddos, time to go," Shukaku called.

"See ya Naruto."

"Bye guys…"

They were the last to go, leaving the park empty. Naruto tried to smile as he waved goodbye to his friends as they progressed towards their parents, the ache in his heart increasing in size, the sun now barely above the horizon. He couldn't keep it in any longer; the tears started spilling out. These emotions that kept welling up within him seemed to become more and more frequent. He bowed his head, his yellow hair, pale under the gloomy sky, falling forward, covering his face as he tried to wipe away the thick droplets, eventually giving up after a while and letting them glide down his dampened cheeks. It just wasn't fair. Another day he was left alone. He had no one. And no one wanted him.

A small breeze steered his way, sending shivers up Naruto's spine as another presence graced the park, drifting towards Naruto. He remained seated on the swings, unaware of his surroundings and the person now standing before him.

She bent her knees until her face was at level with his. The concern in her eyes evident as she gently placed her finger under Naruto's chin and tilted his head up. The slight touch startled said boy who abruptly snapped his head up only to stare back into a pair of eyes the same shade of blue as his own. She smiled at him, "Are you Naruto?"

Her voice was very soft, Naruto noticed. Soft and kind. That came as a surprise to him. And then he remembered she had just asked him a question. Quickly wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his shirt, he replied. "Umm, y-yeah, I'm Naruto."

The rims of her lips curved upward, her eyes crinkling. "That's good to hear, I've been searching for you for a while."

Searching for me? He tried to recall if he had done anything wrong recently. Nothing came to mind, well except for the lovely paint job he had given to one of the street merchants who spoke rough to him… but in his defense, the guy totally deserved it.

"Did… did the Hokage send you?" He usually did send for someone to scold him for his daily pranks.

"Yes, he has."

Oh no, he was in trouble. Again. Before he knew it, excuses fell out of his mouth. "I promise I didn't do anything! I swear, I was just be—" he sputtered, but was cut off.

"Naruto, you're not in trouble."

He paused, blinking back at her with large confused eyes. "I'm… not?"

She laughed, amused. "No, dear child."

"Oh?" If it wasn't because he was in trouble, then what…

"Well, how should I put this…I'm your new caretaker."

The woman watched his expression change, disoriented by the sudden events. "My new… um what?"

"Caretaker. I'll be taking care of you from now on," she repeated, "that is, if you want me to."

Naruto stopped and considered it a moment. This was really random and unexpected. What if this was some evil plan everyone was a part of just to get back at him for all those pranks he pulled. He glimpsed up at the strange lady, who was waiting patiently for his answer. He gave her another look before confirming his decision. Well, she looked really nice and he had nothing to lose either way so he might as well go with it and hope for the best. Besides, he was probably not going to get another offer like this where someone was actually willing to take care of him.

He nodded. "Okay."

His acceptance brought a pleasant smile to her face. "I'm glad to hear that. How about we go eat together so we can talk some more and you can ask me whatever questions you have."

Naruto replied with another nod, still consumed in his thoughts. It remained silent for half their walk until the young boy's shyness began to wilt away and curiosity overtook him.

"Um... where are we going?" he asked her.

"That depends on what you like, what do you usually eat sweetheart?" she asked gently, her melodic voice never rising above a moderate volume.

This is where he definitely knew what to say. He gave her a big grin, "Ramen! It's the bestest food ever! Can we go to Ichiraku's please?"

Kurai stopped and bent down to sit on her ankles and held Naruto's arms. She gave him one look over and knew that when he said ramen, he meant it, and that was probably the only thing he ate too. She let out a sigh and wondered who took care of him because they weren't doing a very good job of feeding him. His clothes hung loosely on him and his frame was thin and small. This boy needed a large meal to add some meat on to his bony figure.

"How about we go to this one restaurant I know of, I'm sure you would love it and afterwards, if you are still hungry, I'll take you to Ichiraku's too. Is that alright?"

Naruto thought about it for a minute before frowning. "I can't… I don't… I don't have enough money." He knew money wasn't only the problem, but the top concern was how everyone gave him a callous look wherever he went and they wouldn't let him even near their stores. But he couldn't tell her that. She would have thought that there was something wrong with him too and stay away from him just like all the other grown-ups and a lot of the kids; and being a small six-year-old boy, that was what first came into his mind as an excuse to cover up for that.

She let out another sigh and said, "Naruto, you don't have to worry about money anymore, I'm buying it for you, whatever you wish to eat, you don't have to trouble yourself over something as small as that."

She saw how he still looked uncomfortable and quickly deduced that money was perhaps not the issue. Her heart felt melancholy for whatever was bothering the boy and though she wished for him to consume something other than ramen, she had to bring that sweet smile upon his face again.

"Actually Naruto, I just realized that that restaurant is closed today, I had completely forgotten so I guess we'll just being going to Ichiraku's after all!"

The moment she mentioned Ichiraku's, his smile burst back and she felt relieved and content on the inside. She was going to have to uncover the cause to the boy's uncomfortable behavior earlier. But for now she stood up and took his hand once more, walking gracefully towards Ichiraku's.

When they arrived, she saw Teuchi and Ayame; it had been a while since she had been here. Neither probably remember, Teuchi was just starting his business a few months before she left and Ayame was a year younger than her.

Naruto ran up towards the old man and ordered one bowl of Miso-ramen. He barely had any money left and that was all he could afford at the moment. The part about this lady being his caretaker still hadn't settled in yet and his habit of fending for himself obviously wasn't going to part with him all the sudden. He heard the beautiful lady sit beside him as she said, "Naruto, didn't I say I would pay for you? You can have more than one bowl you know."

Naruto didn't want her to pay for him, as nice as she was being to him, he still couldn't take in the fact that someone might actually care for him. He thought this might just be a trick and he wasn't going to fall for it. He had been hurt far too much in his short life, and there weren't many people he could trust.

"I know, but it's okay, I don't want anymore," he said. She could tell he was trying to convince her, but the lie was clear as day. Obviously he was still suspicious of her, for some reason. She looked at Naruto with his one bowl, and stood up making quick eye contact with Teuchi, who had been staring at her with curious expression this whole while.

"If you are sure, Naruto. I'll be right back."

She walked out of the ramen shop and went towards the back, and she saw Teuchi come out. She slid her hand into her long dark coat and pulled out a bundle of cash. Stretching her arm, she brought forth the money and looked at Teuchi whose eyes had widened from the amount.

"This…?" he began.

"Please take this. I can tell that Naruto comes here often and I would really be grateful if you could let him have all the ramen he wants for the time being without having to pay."

He took the money hesitantly. "You'll have to forgive me for my caution, I just haven't met anyone so freely giving, especially to that boy. But of course, I can do that." He didn't question her motives or ask the reason for her benevolence and she appreciated that. She turned around and started to walk back, when she heard Teuchi stop her with a question.

"If I may ask Miss, what is your name?"

She stopped for a moment, and stood still. Without turning around she replied slowly and so very softly that Teuchi remained uncertain if he had heard her correctly.

"My name is Kurai.

"Kurai… Namikaze."


There you have it, the very first chapter!

If anyone of you are wondering what Kurai looks like, she is the image set for this fanfic up at the top of the page, left corner. Took me ages to find that lol.

Well, leave me with your thoughts!

Till next time.