Chapter 3

Summary: A lonely boy finds family he didn't know he had. A woman holds a promise close to her heart.

NOTE: IMPORTANT: so I went back and edited chapters one and two and changed a couple things. you can go back and read them again if you want but basically:

-Sakura takes on the name "Nagisa"

-Sakura now has red hair

basically I realized belatedly that it was kinda dumb for me to not change her name and at least slightly alter her appearance. the reasoning for the red hair is pretty flawed (explained in chap 1) but oh well, i do what i want/need

anyways, enjoy!

Nagisa stopped a few yards away from the familiar ramen stand, taking a deep breath as she tried to compose herself. She could hear his boisterous voice, could sense his sunny chakra and it hurt her and comforted her in ways she hadn't felt in a long time. This was what she wanted to protect; this was her true mission. Saving the world was all well and good, but what use was the Earth if the sun sank below the horizon, never to rise again?

She steeled her resolve and walked. Gently pushing the hanging banners out of the way, Nagisa stepped into Ichiraku's, the familiar smell filling her nose and bringing forth memories she hadn't visited in years.

"Hello, there! I'll be with you in one moment, Miss," Teuchi greeted jovially. She waved to him in acknowledgement and took a seat next to the young blond she had avoided looking at. As she waited for Teuchi, she could feel a gaze burning into the side of her head. She turned to meet cerulean eyes filled with curiosity and mild suspicion. The boy immediately looked away, embarrassed at having been caught. Nagisa smiled fondly at him, forcing back the tears that so desperately wanted to spill.

"Hey. What's your name, kid?" She asked, voice warm and posture relaxed. He whipped his head around to face her again and clenched his fists at his sides.

"I'm no kid, 'ttebayo!" He proclaimed loudly. "I'm gonna be Hokage one day, so I can't be a kid!" Nagisa blinked in mild surprise, but just smiled easily.

"Alright, then. What's the name of my future Hokage?" She inquired. Naruto paused for a moment at the casual way she said that- at the simple faith she had in his dream.

"I- I'm Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" He beamed at her proudly, puffing out his tiny chest. Nagisa tilted her head and tapped her chin.

"That's funny; I'm Uzumaki Nagisa," she said with fake contemplation. Naruto froze, jaw dropping as he stared at her in shock and awe.

"You-"

"Alright, Miss, what'll ya have?" Teuchi interrupted, wiping his hands on his apron.

"One pork ramen, please," she replied. Teuchi gave her a thumbs up and turned back around to prepare the food. She faced Naruto again to see that he was still staring at her. She waited patiently for him to speak.

"You're… Uzumaki?" He asked shakily, a hopeful and sad look crossing over his face.

"Yes, I am. Well, sorta," she scratched the back of her head. "I'm not Uzumaki by blood. Neither of my parents or their ancestors were Uzumaki that I know of. But my best friend- he was an Uzumaki. I took on his name after he died as a way of carrying on his memory. We were family in everything but blood, so it felt right," she explained, a sad glimmer in her jade eyes as she spoke of her friend. Naruto immediately decided that he didn't want this young woman to be sad. There was something about her that screamed at him, telling him that she was safe- that she was home.

"Well- You can be my nee-chan if you want! I mean… We can start a new family, and- and it'll be the best one!" He stumbled over his words and looked at her pleadingly, as if he could fight away her sadness with hopeful words. Nagisa stared at him in shock, not expecting such a reaction. Naruto noticed her silence and continued to blabber on. "I mean, only if you want! You- you don't have to stay…" he mumbled the last part and looked down.

Then, a hand was on his head, ruffling his sunshine-blond locks. He looked up again to see a soft smile on a pretty face, framed by red hair. "I would love to be your nee-chan, Naruto-kun," she said honestly. "I would want nothing more than to be a part of your family." Once more, was left unsaid. I'll be your family. And I will protect you.

As the afternoon passed and the two chatted, Nagisa buying the little Naruto bowl after bowl of ramen, they became fast friends. Naruto immediately took a liking to his new nee-chan, and his beaming smile never wavered as they spoke. Even when the only sounds were the slurping of ramen and the clanging of pots and pans, the young boy radiated happiness. Nagisa knew that Naruto had had a lonely childhood, but she was determined to change that. She knew his easy acceptance was due to a lack of affection all his life. Now that she was here, however, he would be loved and cherished.

"You're a ninja?!" Naruto exclaimed. He beamed up at her, demanding details. "What rank are you? What jutsu do you use? Are you super strong? Do you go on top-secret missions?" His excitement was almost overwhelming, but Sakura just smiled fondly and tried to answer his questions as they spilled out of his mouth.

"Yes, I'm a ninja. I don't have a rank like chuunin or jounin, since I haven't lived in a village in a long time," she explained smoothly. She did have a rank, but that was in her old time. Before. "For combat, I specialize in water and Earth ninjutsu, but my main focus as a shinobi is medical ninjutsu, which I can actually use in a fight. I'd like to think I'm pretty strong- I've worked hard to get where I am- but there's always room to learn more and better myself. And why would I tell you if I go on top-secret missions? That defeats the purpose of them being secret!"

Despite Nagisa's little dig at the end, Naruto was in absolute awe of his brand new nee-chan. She sounded super cool! But, wait- "Why haven't you been in a village?" he asked. Nagisa's face twisted with a foreign expression before smoothing out.

"My old village was destroyed," she told him sadly. "Remember what I said about my Uzumaki friend? He and I were the last ones left."

Naruto stilled as he heard Nagisa speak. The heavy grief was crushing. He did the only thing he could think of.

Nagisa let out an 'oof!' when Naruto's tiny form collided with hers in a tight hug. He almost fell out of his seat, but Nagisa managed to pull them close together so that wouldn't happen. She ran her fingers through familiar blond hair and let a few tears drip as the young boy hugged her.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. It's sad to think about, and it hurts, but I think he'd be really happy to know that we found each other. It sounds like fate, ne?" She continued to pet his hair as he squeezed her waist. She caught Teuchi's eye and gave him a nod which he returned. It was good to know that old man Ichiraku was looking out for Naruto when he could.

Eventually, Naruto lifted himself up and wiped his moist eyes. "Nee-chan?" He mumbled, sounding unsure of himself.

"Yeah, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm glad you found me."

Eventually, it got late, and Nagisa had to walk Naruto home. She decided she would get settled into Konoha before telling him about her adoption plans. She wanted him to have a stable home, and also to genuinely want to be there. He was overjoyed by her presence, of course, but she had to be sure. She wanted him to trust her.

After dropping Naruto off at his dilapidated apartment building, Nagisa gave a pointed look to a certain spot in the trees a few yards away. "Quit following me like a creep. You might as well just walk with me," she sighed, hands on her hips. Shisui immediately flickered over to her, a not-so sheepish grin on his handsome face.

"Hey, Nagisa-chan!" he chirped, hands in his pockets. The sudden shift in honorifics nearly gave the woman whiplash, but she ignored it, save for the newfound tick in her brow.

"So why the stalking?" she asked casually. They started walking towards a nearby park, though it would most likely be empty at this time in the evening.

"Curiosity, mainly," he admitted with a shrug. "Also, Hokage-sama sent me to tell you about your new living arrangements." He handed her a slip of paper with an address, as well as a key. Nagisa thanked him and took the items, putting them in her pouch.

"Curiosity about what? You heard pretty much everything before," she raised an eyebrow as she spoke. Shisui hummed in acknowledgement as he fished for an answer.

"Well," he started, "hearing about what you've been through and what you've done is one thing. Seeing you interact with someone out of the goodness of your heart is another. And if I'm honest, it makes you seem more… real."

"What do you mean by that?" Nagisa questioned. Shisui paused and looked her in the eye.

"Hardly anyone is kind to Uzumaki. To see you go out of your way to do so shows not only that your story has weight, but that you were affected by it. It shows that you're human enough still, even after everything, to give a lonely boy a family," he explained, something heavy and intense in his gaze. "And, for you to seek one out yourself."

Nagisa was rather surprised. She didn't expect Shisui to think so much about her actions and reasonings. If anything, she had thought he was simply there to keep an eye on her. "You're rather… thoughtful," she observed.

Shisui laughed. "Well, someone has to be," he said with a grin. Nagisa rolled her eyes, but had a small smile gracing her lips. Shisui just had this way about him that inspired something good in those he encountered. He almost reminded her of Naruto, but more reserved and practical.

They continued to walk until they reached the park. Sitting down on a bench, Nagisa gestured for Shisui to join her. He took the offer, and the two sat in silence for a while, until Nagisa broke it.

"I've missed this," she said quietly. Shisui looked at her in silent question. "Being in a village. Being part of a whole. It's lonely on your own, and there were times I almost lost sight of my goal- almost lost sight of myself." She wasn't quite sure why she was telling this to the young man next to her. Maybe it was the desperate need for human comfort, or maybe it was something else. She didn't know.

"But you didn't," Shisui pointed out. "That says a lot about your character- that you were able to keep going and eventually make it here." Nagisa remained quiet, but Shisui knew she had heard and acknowledged his words. He was understanding like that, and Nagisa was immensely grateful.

"You know, I think I'd like to meet Naruto sometime," Shisui said after a while. Nagisa turned her head to him with surprise evident on her face.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah I mean," he shrugged, "I was one of his guards, for a short while. Until suspicions of the Uchiha grew. I would've approached him of I was permitted. At least buy him dinner once or twice."

"That… I think he would like that," Nagisa said softly. "He'll need more people than just me in his life who care for him." Shisui nodded in agreement at her words.

"Maybe once you get settled and Naruto is more comfortable with everything, you could introduce us," Shisui suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Nagisa agreed. A comfortable quiet settled around them like a soft blanket.

When Nagisa entered her new home to find it lightly furnished, with a small pouch of ryo on the table she smiled. It wasn't much, but it would be soon. She would make this her home.

NOTE: ahhhh, i really enjoyed writing this chapter! im so sorry it took so long, but i hope the cuteness makes up for it. im already working on chapter four, so hopefully it'll be out in a week or two, depending on how busy i am. please leave a comment and/or kudos if you liked it! also, i only have a vague idea of where this fic is going because i scrapped several ideas, so if you have any suggestions of things you'd like to see, please let me know either in the comments or on my tumblr, lxkewrites. see you next time!

xoLuke