'The eyes are the window to the soul'

- William Shakespeare


~ • ~

'Saying she was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

She was surrounded by pastel walls adorned with posters of pretty-boy actors and boy bands, furniture with rhinestones to match, and a gaggle of girls with face masks.

Ever since Benji had started giving her attention, the popular girls had decided she was their new pet project. They seemed nice enough though, she figured that while being an outcast she had judged them too harshly. Just because they had some different interests didn't make them bad people.

"Kaiya, you should totally draw me!" One girl piped up.

"YASS," squealed another.

Kaiya chuckled and began to unpack her art supplies from her backpack, setting up everything spread out on the plush purple rug beneath her. Flicking through pages to reach a blank page, a hand abruptly stopped on a sketch stopping her.

"Oh my god, is that Benji?" A blonde beamed in amazement.

"Yeah, he sat for me the other day," Kaiya said smiling.

A resounding chorus of awes filled the air.

"Aww she does feel something past that calm demeanour!"

"Such a cutie."

"You love him don't you?"

Kaiya sighed softly to the flurry of compliments and questions. It was good to feel like she mattered for once.

"Haha alright, alright… am I going to draw or what?"'


Naruto was irritated. He was here, again.

This was the sixth day in a row Sai had come over, taking over his entire lounge room with papers and various inks and other art things.

The only reason he hadn't kicked the ass out was because of how much Kaiya was enjoying herself. When she had a pencil in her hand, she gave off a sense of calmness and contentment.

It made her happy.

And Naruto was happy seeing her happy.

So he sat and watched, lent back in his recliner half asleep from boredom, letting Sai create a dent with his butt in his couch.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, dickless?" Sai mused.

"Nope," Naruto snapped back, hands behind his head, "I got all the time in the world."

He was just daring him to give him a reason to hit him, but no, he would be on his best behaviour.

All for her.

Ever since Naruto saw Kaiya, he had been almost obsessed with her. So much so the kuubi balked a few times when he wasn't fuelling his other desires… but only in his dreams did he act upon those.

He hadn't felt so lovesick since Sakura, but Sakura-chan was very different to Kaiya.

Kaiya was a princess.

Pathetic puppy.

He growled inward at the fox spirit, his interruptions becoming almost as annoying as Sai these days.

Gazing back at the two artists in his mist, he saw Sai examining some of the loose pages within Kaiya's sketch book. At least he wasn't worried about him messing them up, he's been respectful of her art during every visit.

"Hmm…" Sai murmured, "who is this one of?" He questioned curiously.

Naruto's interest peaked, he was also curious. He had seen that drawing when he had looked through the book himself.

Kaiya shuffled along the couch closer to Sai to look, and he felt another growl at the back of his throat wanting to come out. It seems he had a jealous streak.

"Oh that's…" Kaiya began, before becoming silent.

Naruto watched her expression go blank and her eyes go glassy.

Fuck.

It was happening again, the same thing that happened at itchiraku that first time they spent time together.

"Kaiya…?" Sai queried, waving his had in her face.

"Sai, it's time for you to leave," Naruto said coldly, dashing across the room to her side.

"Is she…?"

"Not now Sai, go."

Sai nodded silently, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, leaving them alone.

Naruto, now seated next to her, closed the art book and attempted to quickly shuffle everything into a pile before attending to Kaiya.

She was still, almost like a doll. Expressionless and gazing into nothing.

He placed his hands on her face gently, "Kaiya come back to me."

Nothing.

"Hime…" he uttered sadly.

A single tear rolled down her cheek, another slowly forming in the corner of her other eye. A moment later, her hands grasped his wrists, nails embedded in his skin and he hissed.

But this pain was nothing compared to whatever was in her mind.

Her eyes were forced shut, nose creased and brow furrowed, the second tear falling off her eyelash.

"Kaiya, you're safe," Naruto reassured.

It was then her eyes opened, her grip loosening as her eyes focused on Naruto's.

A range of emotions flickered in her gaze before she calmed herself with her eyes closing once again.

"It happened again, didn't it?" Kaiya asked, hands falling in her lap, and face cast down.

"Yeah," he said softly, moving his hands to hers, "why does it happen?"

She shock her head, "It's too hard to explain."

"How can I help you?"

"You can't help me."

"Why?"

Kaiya finally looked back at him sorrowful, his heart aching at the pain she didn't attempt to hid this time.

A sad smile escaped her.

"You really do have a way with people, you know that?" She half-chuckled before looking to her lap again.

Naruto pondered for a moment before raising a hand to her chin and bringing her profile to his.

"I promised I'd protect you, even if it's from yourself."

Kaiya's head fell and rested against his shoulder, his hand now firmly on her back as he held her.

Neither said anything, both communicating without a sound letting the afternoon pass.

Naruto sighed at the closeness she allowed, and smiled to himself.

The first wall had been broken.