Hello folks. It is Red here again. Last chapter I asked you guys to tell me why you chose your penname and the replies were very amusing. I also had a great birthday and some people wrote happy birthday to me through reviews and PM's so I really appreciated that. Ah, yes. I also wanted to address and clarify a few themes and such about this story. Dreams will obviously be a major theme within the story hence the inclusion of the word in the title, though to tell you the truth, I only picked this name because it was a song from Poets of the Fall that I really enjoyed. Alas, darkness and light will also be a recurring theme. Some scenarios and things will resemble Kingdom Hearts because I really liked the idea put forth by Tetsuya Nomura. And also, before I forget, the heart will also be a theme.

Also note that I have put a poll on my profile in which you can also answer through your reviews. Here it is: Should this story have a happy ending, a sad ending, or would you like to be surprised? Haha, it won't really affect how the story ends, I just wanted to know if you were one to like happily ever afters or tragedies, so I repeat it most likely will not affect how the story ends. I am simply…curious. And for some reason, I want to see a NarutoxAsuna and/or a NarutoxChao story. :3

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto and Negima.

Dreaming Wide Awake

Chapter 3: Buried Secrets

Naruto opened his eyes as he felt Mana moving in his arms. Negi and his group were still standing off to the side, watching the scene unfold. Their embrace came to an abrupt halt as Mana pushed him away, her bangs covering her eyes. He looked confused as she raised her right hand. A loud smack was heard as she brought her hand across his face and slapped him.

He held his hand up to the red handprint. He saw that her hands were balled into fists as she turned around and ran toward the forest, tears hitting the ground as she ran. He watched her and with every step she took, he felt his heart break. His hand lowered as he looked up to the moon.

This is what his two year absence had done to her.

He sighed as he turned to the group of teens plus Negi and Eva. Scratching his head, he said, "Don't worry about, Mana-chan. I'll go see to her right now…you can go and rest now, after all, it was a very tiring battle for most of you." He did a small bow and left in Mana's direction.

The group didn't know what to think. One moment it was a nice little, heartwarming scene between Mana and the mysterious man, the next she takes off in tears and he's running after her. Eva was the first to break off their thoughts and stalked off in the other direction, toward the inn.

Eva smirked. "C'mon, you idiots. We're all going to go back to Konoe-san's home and sleep and then early tomorrow, you're taking me sight-seeing, Negi-boya."

"Eh?"

In the middle of a clearing, Mana stood, tears flowing from her eyes. She furiously wiped her eyes when she heard someone approaching her from behind. He got closer to her, so that he was directly behind her.

"Mana-chan…" Naruto called out.

"You left! Left me all alone and…" She started to cry out. Her back was still turned to him as she raked her hands against her scalp. "and…you have the nerve to just walk back into my life and act like everything's okay!"

"Please, calm down…" He said softly, his heart starting to grow heavy. He laid his hand on her shoulder. In reaction, she whipped around to face him. Her voice quivered.

"I showed you my deepest secret, I opened myself up to you and what do you do? You walked out of my life! Do you know how I felt? Knowing that the one person that mattered to me most even left me…" She began to whisper, eyes brimming with tears. "How every morning when I wake up, I'm haunted by the feeling of dread, wondering if you are lying dead somewhere? And then hating myself for actually still caring about you because of what you did…" Choking back tears, she hiccupped before continuing.

"The pain of being left by your best friend, the pain of being left out in the dark, the pain and confusion I felt of not knowing if it was me who drove you away! So, don't you dare tell me to calm down!" She started to beat on his chest with her fists until she grew tired and collapsed to the ground. Her right hand covering her mouth to try to reduce her hiccups as her body shook while she sobbed in front of him.

Naruto stared at her downed form as his reality came crashing down. The truth of her pain fell onto his shoulders and he felt like he was carrying the weight of the world. What he went through for the past few years was nothing compared to what she had gone through during his absence. He didn't know how she felt about him but whatever turmoil went on in her when he was gone told him that she at least thought of him as a friend…a friend who left her.

He knelt before Mana, who was still trying to silence her sobs, and enveloped her into his arms. He felt her stiffen before she slowly relaxed, softly hiccupping. She slowly rested her head against his shoulder as her small sobs filled the quiet air.

"Why did you leave?" Her sob lessened though her voice still quivered as she posed the question.

"I…can't tell you." Naruto replied. "At least…not yet."

"Why not?" She asked again with more confidence.

"I cannot say, but in when the right time comes, I'll tell you…everything." Naruto disclosed. "Until then, let's just worry about the present here." He wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

The trees started to rustle as the leaves fell and was scattered by the light wind. As the leaves danced around them, Mana leaned more into him as she enjoyed the warmth radiating from him. His heartbeat was like a metronome that could calm her to sleep. After moments of silence, Naruto stated,

"I think we better get back to Kansai Headquarters, so that Negi-san and his group know that I didn't do something to you."

He got up and she followed suit, albeit a bit disappointed much to her own confusion. Shaking it off, she stretched and yawned. She felt exhausted for some reason. Looking up, Mana noticed that he was already making his way out of the clearing.

Naruto turned back and grinned. "Are you coming, or what?"

They walked together back to Konoe-san's manor a.k.a. the Kansai Headquarters in silence. Mana would glance at him from the corner of her eyes, seeing how much he changed in two years. He had grown taller as did she and he was still a little bit taller than her. His hair was still as unruly and spiky as two years ago, but he seemed calmer than before.

Naruto was doing the same as he scrutinized her at the corner of his eyes. She was almost his height and her hair was really long now. She had also physically developed more too, he noted with a slight blush. Her skills with the guns he gave her had gotten deadlier which were admirable.

They made it to Konoe-san's place and were welcomed by Konoka's father, Eishun Konoe, who was reverted back from being a statue. He told them that the others had just come back a while ago and were out like a light in their rooms. He thanked them for saving his daughter and showed them the way to one of the rooms. Eishun had smiled sheepishly and scratched his head disclosing that there was only one more guest room and they would have to share or think of their own alternative. He welcomed Naruto back from his absence before leaving them at that.

They looked at each other. A long pregnant silence followed

"I guess I'll go back to my inn to sleep…" Naruto broke the silence awkwardly. He moved to leave when she stopped him with her hand.

"There's no need for that. You can share the room with me." She smirked. "Of course that doesn't mean that I have completely forgiven you, but it's a start on the road to forgiveness." She opened the sliding door, allowing him to walk in first. As he passed her, he heard her whisper, "…but the road to forgiveness is going to involve many bullets, blood, sweat, tears, and lots and lots of pain."

Walking in to the room, they noticed a single futon big enough for two already set out on the floor, candles lit everywhere which lighted the room dimly. They sweatdropped. Was Eishun expecting or trying to make something happen between them tonight? Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. He couldn't leave now, so he took off his jacket and bundled it up to make a make-shift pillow. As he did that, Mana saw that two sets of sleeping clothes were provided in the bathroom connected to the room. She locked the door and changed out of her tattered clothing before opening the door and throwing the other clothes to him. He nodded gratefully and went to change.

Mana lowered herself into the futon and under the covers. Naruto had walked out of the bathroom and discreetly placed his clothes in a neat pile by the wall. He calmly walked to where he put his jacket turned pillow. Unexpectedly, Mana reached up and caught his hand.

"Naruto?"

His eyes shone with curiosity. "What's wrong, Mana-chan?"

"Can you stay right beside me until I fall asleep?" Her cheeks were heated a vibrant pink. He nodded. She released his hand but he caught it. Naruto held her hand with his. Humming a small song, it quickly turned into a soft ballad as he serenaded her to sleep. Her steady breathing told him that she was fast asleep. Brushing the loose hair from her face, he lowered himself beside her and started to close his eyes, entering into his own land of dreams.

"I won't ever leave you again…"

For the first time in years, he didn't feel truly alone.

Mana Tatsumiya was not one who would usually sleep in. So, she was surprised to have opened her eyes a crack to see the sunlight streaming brightly into the room. Opening her eyes fully, the face of a certain blonde came into full view. Eyes widening, she remembered what had happened last night and calmed down. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. His mouth was slightly parted as he let out a soft snore. Watching him like this made her think about how he spent the past two years. Had he missed her as much as she did him? Her hand unconsciously went to caress his scarred cheeks as a small smile graced her lips. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that he did miss her, maybe even more than she missed him, even if it was possible or not. It was just the kind of man he was.

She watched him sleep and when she was about to remove her hand, he reflexively grabbed it in both hands and continued to hold her hand to his cheek. She let out a small giggle. He responded by slightly opening his eyes. He blinked as he looked at her.

"Mana-chan? You're up?" She nodded. Naruto got up and rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other was still holding her. He yawned and looked down to see her hand in his. Looking at her, he slowly let go.

"Sorry. I must have done that in my sleep."

"Stop acting like a stranger, Naruto. You were only holding my hand, nothing to apologize for." Mana sneered with a blush as she also got up. She kind of wanted him to still hold her hand. 'Wait, what?' She thought.

Blocking the sunlight, he lifted his left arm, which she noticed still had the arm brace attached on his left arm while the one on the other arm was taken off.

"Why didn't you take the brace off your left arm?" She asked.

He looked at it. "Oh… I must have forgotten."

"…what are you hiding underneath it, Naruto?" She asked with all seriousness.

"I'm not hiding anything. I just don't want to waste the energy." He grinned nervously.

Mana looked at him with an unbelieving look. He was definitely hiding something and this time, she wanted to know what.

"If you are too lazy, then let me take it off since you said you weren't hiding anything."

She tackled him and latched on to his arm. Naruto had swung his arm back so she had to lean on him to grab it. Her chest was right against his chest and she was rubbing against him as she tried to pry the brace off. Her weight added to his made them both fall to the futon once more. They rolled around as Naruto tried to pry Mana off but she held on with revere to his arm. He kept telling her there was nothing to the brace but she kept at it. They stopped rolling around as Mana got the advantage and had Naruto pinned to the ground on his back. Her legs and lower body held his legs in place and she lied on his chest to keep him still. She grinned victoriously as she was about to slip the brace off and reveal what he was hiding underneath.

The sliding door suddenly opened as Eishun stood in the doorway.

"I just thought that I should give you guys a wake up call since the others already left…" Eishun's eyes open to look at the two and they widened.

They were in a rather provocative position as Naruto's and Mana's pajama tops had come unbuttoned. Naruto's had nearly come off showing off his chest and Mana's was hanging off her shoulders from the wrestling revealing her bra. Add to the fact that Mana had him pinned down with her body laying on top of his and her face inches from his didn't make the scene look any less suggestive.

"Um, this isn't what it looks like?" Naruto tried to explain but Eishun held up both his hands.

"No need to explain to me what you guys were doing, Naruto. I thought you wanted to go sightseeing but it seems you guys want to spend you're last day here doing more intimate things and it seems like last night wasn't enough, hm? So, I'll let you two resume. Try not to make too much noise though!" He perversely smiled and closed the door.

By the time he left, both their faces were bright red. Naruto used the opportunity to knock Mana off his body and turned the tables by pinning her down this time. His superior strength allowed him to keep her down.

"Listen, Mana-chan…Yes, I am hiding something with my brace but please, this is a secret like the others that I'll reveal as time goes on, but for now…Please, trust me when I say that you don't have to worry about what lies beneath my arm brace." He gave her a small smile.

Mana looked to the side as she felt a bit shamefully about trying to pry into whatever he was hiding. He took a look at her underneath his frame. Her face was still sporting a blush as her hair scattered and also framed her face. She was only in her bra and her heavy breathing accentuated her chest. His gaze landed on her lips that seemed to call out to him. Finally landing on her eyes, she had turned to meet his gaze. Her eyes somehow gave of a magnetic pull and he felt himself lowering his head, letting his lips almost meet hers. Mana closed her eyes as she felt the need to try to meet him halfway. Their lips would've made contact had the door not burst open again.

"Oh, I also forgot to mention that-" Eishun's voice stated again before halting. They turned their heads to see him standing still with a bit of blood coming out of his nose.

Again, they were in a provocative position with Naruto being the dominant one and pinning her hands down with his and her legs with his. Mana's top had completely came off leaving her in only her bra and pajama bottom and Naruto's top was only hanging onto his right side. Their lips were also mere millimeters apart and their eyes were half-closed. They both turned their heads mechanically to look at Eishun.

"So, I was right with my assumptions and here I thought you two were going to stop and continue back in Mahora but I guess I was wrong and you two wanted to get to it right away after your long time away from each other. Sorry for interrupting again, please continue and I'll make sure no one else comes to interrupt you lovebirds." This time Eishun left with a full gush of blood erupting from his nose.

And once again, their faces were that of a tomato's. Naruto immediately got off her and offered her a hand which she took gratefully. Adjusting themselves, they gathered their things to leave. She kept the calm façade up though her cheeks were flushed red. He just looked at her with a blush adorning his face. As they were getting themselves oriented again, one thing crossed their minds as their faces continued to be flushed.

'I wish we hadn't been interrupted…'

"Where do you want to go to first, Mana-chan?" Naruto asked his female friend as they walked out of the Konoe manor. Eishun was shocked that they came out of the room so fast, but they ran for it before they could listen to what he was going to say. Naruto was clad in a red t-shirt and jeans and Mana was wearing a white blouse and capris, her guitar case hiding her guns slung over her shoulder. He fell over as Mana had decided to smack him on the head with her case.

"What was that for, Mana-chan?" He was hit again as the bruise on his head grew.

"I told you last night that the road to forgiveness had much pain involved and this is just one of those moments." She replied nonchalantly. "Now, first step down that road is that you will now address me as 'Mana-sama' until I tell you otherwise."

He blinked at her and he continued to rub his head. He slowly nodded as he said, "I did say that I'd gain your forgiveness, so alright, Mana-sama."

She nodded and smiled as she walked ahead. He ran after her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with her eyebrow raised.

"Then, allow me to carry your guitar case on my own accord, Mana-sama." Naruto grabbed her case and slung it on his own shoulders. "Now, where to again?" Their stomachs growled in response.

He gave a hearty laugh and walked off, saying, "To the anmitsu shop, I presume." She ran to catch up with him as they proceeded to the same shop they had gone to years before. Though this time, she joined in on his laughter.

They finished their meal and were off once again. Mana insisted on not telling him where she wanted to go and instead lead the way. And here they were, in front of the famous, local hot spring. They both walked in and Mana walked to the entrance to the women's section when she heard familiar voices coming from inside. They were her classmates' voices. She stood frozen, weighing out the choices of either going in to bathe with her loud, obnoxious classmates or her loud, rambunctious slave. Thinking intently about the choices, she did a 360 and dragged Naruto to the entrance of the mixed gender side. Modesty be darned. The classmates she overheard were the group she ditched yesterday and if she just walked in, there'd be many, many questions that she didn't feel like answering yet. Besides, she knew that Naruto had the decency to not be too much of a pervert and respected her body or at least she hoped he did.

"Why are we going to the mixed section?" Naruto asked confusedly.

"I don't feel like going to the women's side, so we are going to the mixed side."

"Why can't I just go to the male side?"

"Simple," She pushed him into the bathing part of the hot spring where there were separate washing stalls. "I wanted my man-slave to keep me company and protect me if any danger occurs."

"I'm your man-slave now? I thought I'd just be pummeled to the ground but I guess you're into bondage so..." He received a bruise of his head, courtesy of Mana's guitar case.

"I'm going to bathe over here, so don't peek." She moved to the side and started to strip.

He turned his head to look forward where he was again. "I won't." Naruto proceeded to quickly wash himself with the soap and water and grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around his waist. He walked out to see he had finished up first and discarded the towel and lowered himself into the hot water. He let the water cover him up to his mid chest. The one word that came to his find was relaxing as he closed his eyes. He heard someone approaching and dipping into the water and knew from the movements that it was Mana.

Mana settled herself in a comfortable position as she sat and enjoyed that water. She looked across at Naruto and a slight tinge of pink adorned her cheeks as the memory of this morning was still fresh on her mind. She shook the thought from her head and also shut her eyes.

"So…" She heard, "What was the real reason you decided not to head to the women's side of the bath?" Cracking an eye open, she saw that he had both his eyes shut but he had a vulpine grin on his face. It reminded her of Kaede.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She huffed as she blew a strand of hair from her face.

"Is it…because of your classmates on the other side?"

"How'd you…?"

The grin expanded. "I've known you for years. I can read you like an open book besides I could sense their familiar auras."

She hmphed. "Yeah, it's because of them, so don't do anything to bring their attention over here, I don't want to take their constant questions just yet." The grin subsided and he gave her a smile in affirmation. He didn't tell her that he could also sense the new aura of a certain red-head reporter who was currently on the other side of the wood fence in the women's side.

"…Taking commemorative photos!" Kazumi yelled as she held up her camera when group 4 asked her what she was doing hiding in the bushes.

"Asakura-san, why aren't you with your group?" Akira inquired as she held a towel to her chest just in case Kazumi was going to take more pictures.

Kazumi scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Well…I ditched them because as Class 3-A's Number 1 Reporter, it is my job to run around and take some last minute photos on the trip."

"So, you take pictures of us in the nude!" Yuna hollered.

"Yep!" Her eyes lit up a second later. "Hey, I have an idea…" This caught the other girls' attentions.

"The photos don't have to be of the class, just something memorable, right?" The girls leaned in to hear more. "So, let's peek into the mixed and male side and take 'memorable pictures'!" They all fell over.

"Eh! Asakura is a pervert!" In turn, Kazumi shrugged before running out and back in seconds. 'That was quick' they thought.

She sighed. "No one in the male side."

Placing buckets and other things lying around down as steps, she balanced herself with her camera and hand and peeked over taking a quick peek. Looking over, she saw Mana sitting alone in the water.

"Well, well, it seems like a certain classmate of ours is sitting on the other side."

"Who, Asakura!" Makie asked as she ran to wear Kazumi placed the knick knacks to keep her up.

"Who else but the missing member of your group?"

They put two and two together.

"Tatsumiya-san is here?"

"Let's go keep her company!"

"That's a great idea, let's!"

And so they got their towels and moved to the other section.

"Did you find the gun yet?" Mana asked apprehensively.

"No." He bluntly stated. "Why did you chuck the gun?"

"I thought I heard something."

"He raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't have shot at it?"

"…I forgot to restock the bullets from last night…" She said indignantly.

"That's unlike you…"

"Yeah, yeah, keep looking for it. It's a good gun." Her tone told him she was joking around.

He continued searching around. His towel was wrapped around his waist when he got up to retrieve her gun. This gave her a good view of a few scars on his body. There were no large scars as far as she could see but there were quite a few. To her disappointment, his left forearm no longer had the brace on but there were medical bandages covering it up. Around his neck was a necklace with a ruby in the middle that was accented with silver. Overall, it looked like jewelry a noble would have. She saw him looking behind a rock and coming back empty-handed.

"Maybe it's in the water." She suggested.

"Thanks." His voice dripped with sarcasm. He dove into the water after taking a breath.

Mana sat back and waited but a voice interrupted her.

"Tatsumiya-san!" Oh no…

Slowly looking up, she saw Kazumi and her group.

"…hello?" She half asked as they smiled and plopped in next to her telling her that they noticed her and thought she'd need company.

"Why are you here alone, Tatsumiya-san?"

"I'm not. I'm here with a friend."

"Do we know her?"

"No"

"Well…who is it?"

"I found it!" They turned to see a rather tall and good-looking male coming out from behind a rock holding a gun.

A long silence reigned as they stared back and forth.

"Ahhh!" The girls screamed. "Rapist! Someone call the police!"

"Eh?" Naruto let the gun flip down on his finger. "N-No, it's all a misunderstanding! I'm a friend of hers!" He pointed at Mana. The girls turned to her and saw that Mana was nodding.

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine, so please stop overreacting."

Kazumi reacted first. "Well, alright then. If he's a friend of Mana then he's a friend of ours!" Naruto sweatdropped as the other girls nodded in agreement. Are these girls bipolar?

Kazumi strutted up to Naruto and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Nice to meet ya! My name is Kazumi Asakura, Number 1 Reporter of Class 3-A. Will you please answer these questions?"

"Well…"

"Okay! What's your name? Where are you from? Do you have a girlfriend? What's your relationship to Mana? What is your ideal girl?"

'This will take a while…' Naruto thought.

After an hour of answering questions and reassuring them that Mana was not an assassin and that the gun was a soft air gun, they left the group of girls. They ended up walking around the park for a bit before heading to the station for the return back to Mahora. He had a friend bring his motorcycle to Mahora beforehand. He personally made a call to Old Man Konoemon that he was returning and he in turn gave the okay for him to accompany the class back. Naruto greeted Nitsuta and Shizuna as they and the rest of the class showed up. Class 3-A, save for the few who already saw him, were wondering who he was, but let it off since the teachers were fine with it.

They all boarded the bullet train and placed their luggage in the overhead compartments and settled down for the long trip back. Negi sat beside Asuna as he snuck a gaze at Naruto who was sitting comfortably with Mana in another two-seater. Negi remembered how Eva-san told him that Namikaze-san was a good person and if he were to trust anyone for help, it'd be him. He felt relieved and yawned as he closed his eyes and laid his head onto shoulder of Asuna, who also fell asleep. Hopefully Eva-san was right.

Naruto rested his head against the seat as the students began to settle down and the train lurched forward. Even his usual stoic companion was starting to look drowsy. He chuckled inside as he saw Mana closed her eyes and was fast asleep in a second. She ended up resting her head against his shoulder as a makeshift pillow and he smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face. Soon enough, the motion of the train made him shut his eyes and greet slumber, his head resting softly against Mana's.

"My, my…the rowdiest class…quiet at last." Shizuna smiled as she conversed with Nitsuta.

"They're like little angels. It's so cute!" She noticed Negi and Asuna, and Naruto and Mana and giggled. "Especially them! They make cute couples."

"Hm, there will be time for that later. But, for Namikaze-kun to be able to have gotten so close to Tatsumiya-san, it is quite astonishing." Nitsuta mused. "He is indeed a very special person, as is Negi-sensei…"

Cerulean eyes opened to see swirls of dark colors twisted into a strange dream world. Each step he took was full of uncertainty whether he would fall through the invisible pathway and into whatever abyss lie beneath the swirl of colors. Cracks appeared beneath him as he strode forward into the vast unknown. Walking further, he came upon an elegant, white room with a great, bright, white sphere in the center. Naruto couldn't see what was lying inside but spotted a young boy glimpsing at a close perimeter at the sphere. The boy turned to him and offered a small smile. It was then that Naruto could distinguish his appearance.

The little boy had light brown hair that was spiked up to the side. He was wearing all white. He turned and smiled, nodding as his frame was slowly dispersing. He looked familiar. Naruto walk toward him, a hand outstretched.

"Wait! W-Who are you!" He was already left.

Looking to the side, he saw that the sphere had cracks all over it. Running his hands over the surface, he felt a certain familiarization. A door materialized behind the sphere. Opening the door, he walked in before it de-materialized. Seeing no way out, he continued forward…

"Naruto. Naruto." Naruto felt someone shaking him by the shoulders.

"Huh?" Mana came into his vision. He looked out the window and saw that they had arrived in Mahora and the others were already filing out. He got up tiredly and walked like a zombie out with Mana, who handed him all her luggage. They walked out into the night and saw Takahata and Old Man Konoemon waiting for their arrival. Negi, Nitsuta, Shizuna, and Naruto went up to him. After having a brief exchange, Konoemon told them all to rest and that things will be discussed further tomorrow. They dispersed and Naruto walked back to where Mana was waiting. The other girls were going back to their dorm.

He walked her to her dorm room and when they got there, he placed her bags inside for her.

"…where are you going to stay?" Mana inquired.

"Back where I stayed before. In the shrine." He lifted the one bag he had with him over his shoulder and walked off.

"See you tomorrow, Mana-sama!" Naruto called out as he walked to his destination. When he addressed her like that, he felt like it didn't fit her. Calling her 'Mana-sama' just didn't seem right, but he shook the thought off.

The brisk, night air made him think about the dream he had before. Who was that boy? And…why did he seem so familiar? What were all sudden and strange dreams? He felt so…confused. Were they clues to what he had been searching for? The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

He made it to his living quarters and turned on the lights. He was surprised to see it sparkling clean. All his things were already in the room, thanks to a friend and his motorcycle should be in the shed. He'd have to ask Mana about it later. Flopping onto his bed, he grabbed his bag and unzipped it…and pulled out a black cat. He cuddled it.

"Mreow."

"Aw…you're so cute!" He gushed. "I think I'll name you…Ciel." Smiling as he saw Ciel purr, he set her down in a small bed he bought and got ready for bed. He looked forward to a good slumber. He closed his eyes, but he wouldn't be able to get the rest he wanted.

Rain began to fall though most of the inhabitants of Mahora Campus were already safe in there respective rooms as night had already set in. Raindrops danced along the pavement and drummed a harmonious beat that helped nearly all to slip into a peaceful sleep. Not everyone was lucky enough to enjoy this unexpected lullaby though… Naruto sat and looked out at the rain from his old living quarters. The lights weren't turned on and the only available source of light came from the frequent bolts of lightning that sliced through the clouds. He had taken off the arm braces and left them on his desk. His eyes unconsciously closed as he touched his left forearm. He started off having a good sleep, but he was awakened by a voice that reminded him of his predicament. He took a deep breath and let his arms swing to his side.

On his left forearm was a tattoo that depicted a numberless clock. The single hand was pointing to his forearm, the half-way marker. As he stood there, he felt a sort of madness just thinking about the consequences of when the hand of the clock finishes its rotation. His eyes opened. Lightning crackled, illuminating his features. There was a slight black coloring that was slowly blending into the blue of his eyes. His hand went to cover the changing eye.

He whispered a single statement. "I'm running out of time…"

And that's a wrap! I finally got my own PlayStation 3 for Christmas! And Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood! So, if any of you have a PS3 and want to add me as a friend or just play some multiplayer on Brotherhood, I'd be happy to agree. I only have like one friend because many of my friends have an XBOX 360. So, my online ID is: Redflash-Legacy (But if you do try to add me, could you PM or tell me who you are because I don't want to randomly have a stalker like I do on Facebook.). I don't think this chapter was as good as I had wanted it to be but I kinda rushed…sorry! Btw, the dreams are clues to Naruto's past…

As you can see above, I started this chapter just after Christmas and it took me this long. Xin lỗi! The one scene seems a bit OC-ish, maybe? But this is my story so it seemed good to me! No lemons…yet…maybe? And alas, it seems that Mana also has strong feelings for Naruto but when will they be together? Will Naruto know of Mana's reciprocated feelings? Tune in next time on Dreaming Wide Awake!