hi

xxx

Chapter 3: The Unexpected Happens

"Teme?"

He growled. Not in a nice way, but not in a really bad way either. Just merely acknowledging the fact that he heard her but was not pleased. "What, dobe?"

Naruto was sitting on the rug of the family room, head propped up with her hands. It was a gorgeous, spacey room. The curtains were drawn back, letting the sunlight shower in and sparkle the glass table that was elegantly placed in the center of the room. Dazzling paintings hung from the wall, and they seemed to be shrouded in some sort of ancient splendor. However, all this beauty was lost upon Naruto as she sulked, and her lower lip jutted out childishly. "I'm bored, Sasuke bastard. Amuse me. Do something."

The raven-haired boy lifted his eyes up from his book and glanced at her in annoyance. He was lying on his stomach, resting and reading at the same time. "Amuse yourself, usuratonkachi. I'm not your servant."

"Who said?"

He scowled. "I did. Now shut up."

The blonde glowered. "Never."

"Fine then. Whatever." Sasuke resumed back to reading his book, ignoring the girl that was sitting next to him. He flipped a page quietly, and his eyes quickly scanned the pictures. It was a book talking about the history of the Uchiha Clan, and although he read it at least a billion times, there was nothing to do. The dobe had summed it up perfectly – it was just a normal spring break with nothing to do. Fugaku and Itachi were both at an ANBU meeting, and Mikoto was at a friend's house, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone at home.

Naruto was not at all happy at being ignored by Sasuke, and she took the matter in her own hands. Grabbing the book, she threw it on the couch and sat on Sasuke's back before he could make a sound. "Play with me," she pouted, arms crossed.

"Wha… Wha… Dobe! Get off of me!" Sasuke choked out, gasping for breath. The little blonde shook her head.

"No. Not unless you play with me."

"What are you? Two years old?" Sasuke muttered, cringing as he felt his spine bend in the most uncomfortable way. "Get off!"

"Not unless you play with me, teme," Naruto repeated, jabbing Sasuke's head with one finger. "Sasuke?" She poked him harder. "Answer me!"

He had no choice but to comply. "Fine! Fine! Just get off!"

Naruto giggled and rolled off of Sasuke. "Yay! Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen!"

Sasuke seemed to remember something, and as he got on his feet, he smirked at the happily bouncing Naruto. "That reminds me, dobe. What about our bet from last week? You still didn't eat the tomatoes yet."

She froze in midair, and when she landed, the little stunned girl fell on her rear end. "Ow!" she cringed. Then horrified, Naruto begged, "No! Sasuke-teme, don't make me!"

"A deal's a deal, dobe."

The expression on her tanned face was a mixture between a glare and a sulk. "What? You are so evil. Please?" He shook his head firmly, and Naruto huffed. "All right! Five. No more."

Sasuke grinned, and once more Naruto was shocked at how nice the bastard looked when he was actually smiling. "Go get them from the refrigerator," he ordered. Naruto slowly walked over and morosely opened the door to the refrigerator. However, her face brightened instantly.

"No tomatoes! Yippee!" she shouted, punching a fist in the air. Sasuke blinked in surprise and dashed over. It was true. The refrigerator was completely empty.

He sighed. "That means we go shopping, dobe. Don't be so happy."

The response he got was totally unexpected. "What? We're going out to shop?" Her gleeful shout resounded throughout the whole room. "Hooray! I wanna buy candy! And ramen! And more candy! And more ramen!" Naruto clapped her hands together, cerulean eyes shining like two bright stars. "Let's go, Sasuke-teme!" And she dragged the protesting boy out of the house.

XXX

"I want candy."

"No."

"I want ramen."

"No."

"I do not like you."

"That's nice."

She growled in frustration, throwing her hands up in the air and stomping around the raven-haired boy. "What are you gonna buy then, huh?"

"Tomatoes."

Naruto deadpanned. "Why don't you go marry them, teme?"

Sasuke glanced at her, eyes impassive. "Because I'm not a tomato."

The blonde growled again in aggravation. "Argh! Talking with you is a pita!"

He looked at her. "Pita?"

"Pain in the ass," she replied sassily. "You are one anyways. Some day, you need to go ask your brother to get the stick out of your butt. It's killing us all."

He glared. "Shut it, dobe."

Naruto curled her lip. "Never." Then she sighed. "All right then, where's the tomatoes? Let's get this stupid shopping thing over with." Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and walked off, motioning her with a quick wave of his hand to follow. Naruto frowned fiercely, but obeyed. "Teme…"

Sasuke lead the two of them through curving streets. People were all over the place. Naruto was thrown here and there as she tried to keep up with Sasuke's fast march. Once, she was sure that this pervert even touched her butt, but when she told that to Sasuke, he merely shrugged. "Probably a pickpocket." Naruto mumbled heatedly about child abuse, but decided to keep quiet. At last, they stopped in front of a small stand in the midst of the bustling shops. Naruto raised a questioning eyebrow. "It looks pretty small, Sasuke-teme. Are you sure…?"

"We buy from them every time, dobe," was Sasuke's reply. "Their tomatoes are always the freshest."

Naruto smiled thinly. "If you say so. Tomatoes all look and taste the same to me… Well, except in ramen." The little blonde then pointed at the counter. "Dude. Nobody's there. What are you gonna do?"

"What else? Wait."

"Oh." Naruto and Sasuke sat down in front of the store and watched the pedestrians hurry by. The little blonde tapped her fingers against the ground in an impatient manner, but Sasuke was quiet. The little girl at times would peek at the boy, who was brooding deeply. His eyes would narrow suddenly, and his eyebrows would twitch. Finally, Naruto asked him, "What are you thinking about?"

He gave a start and blinked rapidly. Sasuke turned his head towards her, onyx eyes now narrowed in confusion. "What?"

She tipped her head sideways. "You were thinking. I'm asking about what."

"Oh." He gave a little shake of his head. "Nothing, really."

"Tell me," she persisted, lightly touching his arm. He glanced at her, considering, and then sighed.

"It seriously was nothing, but…" Here, Sasuke reddened just a little. "I was thinking about you."

"Me?"

He nodded gravely. "Yeah. Remember what you told me? About that nothing lasts forever, and you might be from another world?" Naruto bit her lip, and Sasuke continued. "Don't you think… I mean, one second, you act like a child, and another… Wait, what I'm trying to say is, you act normal, but there are times when you act strange. So, your amnesia… What happens if someone – or something – took away your memories for a reason? And that you really aren't from this world?"

Her head was feeling very light, and the world spun dangerously. Somewhere in her mind, the truth was coming back… Was it?

One startling memory flashed through her mind.

Sasuke smirked, and his curse mark slowly receded. "Hm. Seems like I missed your heart. Nice move with your hand. Didn't help much though, did it?" He pulled out his arm that was pierced inside Naruto's body. "You're still out a shoulder and lung. You can't even breathe properly. Forget about using signs or your jutsu." Sasuke's face hardened, and his leer froze in place. With the bloody hand that was free, Sasuke used it to grab Naruto's throat. "It's over."

But he was wrong.

Red chakra consumed Naruto, and the blond-haired boy clenched Sasuke's hand that was on his throat and yanked it off. The chakra swirled round and round the water, and finally condensed into one gigantic form: a fox demon. Naruto's eyes were bloodshot, his markings harsh against his tanned cheeks. The terrible wound that Sasuke inflicted on his shoulder began quickly healing itself, sizzling in the process. With a shudder, Naruto lifted his bloody, tear-stained face and snarled at Sasuke.

The raven-haired boy, to be exact, was staggered. "What…" Sasuke asked softly. "Tell me, what are you?"

Tears dripped down Naruto's face, mingling with his blood. "Your friend."

The word rang loud and clear in her mind…

Friend.

His voice woke her up from her daze. "Oi! Naruto! Dobe, wake up! Dobe!" She felt her shoulder being shaken back and forth, and the little girl blinked.

"Huh?" Naruto asked bleakly. "What… What happened?"

Sasuke looked at her in astonishment, and he waved one hand in front of her face frantically. "Hello? What do you mean, 'what happened?' Dobe, have you…? You… you all of a sudden turned frigid and…"

"I… I did?"

The raven-haired boy gave Naruto a strange look. "Dobe… Are you alright?"

She shook her head hesitantly. "I… I don't know. What did I say?"

Sasuke blushed, and the boy muttered almost shyly, "That – That I was your friend."

A comfortable feeling surged through her, and Naruto tried her very best to remember what had happened. But her mind was blank. Nothing came up, and Naruto sighed miserably. "Nope. I have no clue if that's true or not."

Sasuke frowned. "Well, I heard you. Do you not believe me?" Naruto opened her mouth, and—

The raven-haired boy didn't know whether Naruto would've replied or not, for at that very second, a screeching orange cat – wearing a cute ribbon on one ear – dashed by, yowling its head off. Naruto froze, but the next moment, she was seen running after the cat.

"Wait up! Kitty!" she shouted. "Come back! Don't be so scared!" And the girl was gone, disappearing around a corner. Sasuke was stunned only for a split second. Then, gathering his wits, the boy cursed and followed them hurriedly.

XXX

It wasn't her fault that they were in this tight situation.

It simply wasn't.

She had seen that cute little kitty rush past them, and well, it was cute, all right? And it was scared. So she ran after it. No duh. Anyone would given the same circumstances.

'Cept for that Sasuke. That dumb, heartless Sasuke who thinks it was her fault that the three of them were in a box.

But as she said, it wasn't.

The cat was very fast, and it actually jumped onto the rooftops of the shops. Naruto followed, still screaming after it, and Sasuke was right behind them. Could she help it that the cat leaped downwards and accidentally landed into a box on the ground? Could she help it that she actually followed, grabbing Sasuke's hand along the way? Could she help it that when they were trying to get out of the damn box, she slipped and grabbed the lid so she had unintentionally locked them in the stuffy "coffin?"

No. It wasn't her fault. It couldn't be.

Then why did he think it was like that?

"Dobe."

She sniffed resentfully. "What?"

His voice was dangerously suppressed. "Move. Your. Leg."

"I can't, baka," was her indignant reply. "I barely have room to breathe properly. So shutup, will ya?"

"Then move the cat's butt away from my face."

"I can't. It's unconscious, and besides, there's no room. Do you understand, teme? We're lying in some container, and we can't move no matter how uncomfortable. Ow, what are these packages lying under us?"

"You expect me to know?" he snapped at her. "You're the one who locked us in here."

"Hey! It was an accident. So it isn't my fault."

"Then whose fault is it?"

"That… I… Wait, do you hear that?" Sasuke shot her a glare in the dark, which she obviously did not see.

"Hear what?"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot. You don't have super hearing. Obviously you couldn't hear them." He could hear the smirk in her voice, and Sasuke was about to blow up when his ears at last picked up the noises.

"All ready?" one feminine voice asked.

"Yes, I do suppose. Let's go home now," a male answered.

"Hai." Some quick swishing sounds were heard, and the male spoke up in a surprised tone.

"Y-you're gonna summon him?"

She replied, "Hai. If I don't, it will take a few days to get home. With him, we can make it in a few hours."

"You do know that we have to do him a favor later? And his favors usually aren't light?"

"I am fully aware of that, but Kazekage-sama is not pleased. He is not a patient man; you should know that fairly well."

"I do. Very well. Summon him."

Sasuke and Naruto felt themselves get lifted up in the air as the female muttered, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Something big had appeared under the "coffin," and it growled menacingly. The two children shuddered from inside the box. Okay, calling out for help right now might not go so well…

Suddenly, the sensation of riding on something moving very fast overcame Sasuke and Naruto. They bounced up and down inside the container, and Naruto realized they were going to leave the village. "T-teme…?"

He grunted, licking his dry lips. "Yeah?"

"Wh-where are we going?"

Silence.

"S-Sasuke?"

"I don't know. Just… Just sleep for now, and when we get there, we'll know."

"Al-alright," was her weak answer.

XXX

As soon as it was quiet, they tried pushing open the lid. To their intense relief, the two ninja had unlocked it before leaving somewhere to "give the report to the boss." Sasuke and Naruto greedily breathed in gulps of fresh air as they both tumbled out of the box.

Four hours! Four hours of torture inside that airless, stuffy coffin! Naruto vowed that nothing was sweeter than air, and she prayed to the gods gratefully. Sasuke then noticed the scrawny cat under Naruto's arms.

"What are you gonna do about that?" he asked. "It isn't dead, is it?"

Naruto shook her head. "No. Just unconscious. And I'll carry it. Where are we…" Her voice trailed off. She had finally raised her head, and the sight that greeted her…

Sand. Miles and miles of sand.

Naruto's jaw fell open and would've stayed open if it weren't for the night breeze that floated over. The little blonde choked, spitting out grains of sand. "What. The. Heck. Is. This. Place? And why is it night already?"

Sasuke's face was pale. "Dobe, we're in Suna. Sand country."

She glanced at him warily. "Is that… far away?"

"It's not that far away from Konoha, but I wouldn't say it's near to Konoha either."

Naruto summed up their situation. "Basically, we're illegal, immigrant children from Konoha in what might be a hostile place with no money, no food, no adults."

Sasuke blinked, and then cautiously nodded. "Correct."

"Great, we're doomed."

"That too, would be correct."

Naruto frowned, but then sighed and reached for Sasuke's hand. He stared at it, suspicious. "Oi, teme," the blonde scolded. "This is so I don't run off again. And standing here ain't gonna help us. Let's find a place to sleep. Kitty here is getting too heavy."

He scowled. "Fine." And the boy reluctantly gave Naruto his hand. The two walked hurriedly away from the strange container, which they now could see that it was filled with weapons, and started strolling on the empty streets of Suna. Naruto was amazed at how much sand there was, and simply astounded at how lonely this town seemed to be at night. Konoha had always appeared like a bustling place, even at night. But here in Suna… It was so quiet, so creepy. Naruto gave an involuntary tremble, and Sasuke, realizing why, gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled back at him, and to his immense astonishment, cuddled up to his arm.

"It's freezing," Naruto explained, and she brought the cat's unconscious body closer to theirs, trying to combine the body heat. "Why's it so cold?"

"Because Suna's a desert. There's nothing to trap the heat, except for the sand."

"Oh."

They walked silently on, letting the town's melancholy presence engulf them. There was no end to the snakelike black streets. Naruto could almost hear the wind whisper in her ears, "Doom, doom…" and the girl bit her lip in anxiety. Where they ever going to get home? Will she ever see Kiba and the rest of them again? Just as she was contemplating these things and beginning to feel rather hysterical, Sasuke stopped and touched her hand. Naruto looked up, and her face softened, azure eyes suddenly glistening with tears.

The park was such a desolate place, with its little creaky playground in the center. Two small swings moved back and forth with the light breeze, and the moonlight shone drearily upon the sand, making it gleam dully. Naruto had never seen anything so dead before, and her heart twisted wretchedly. "It's so empty, so lifeless," she murmured glumly, and her head came to rest on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke glanced at her, a frown on his face. "What do you mean? It's cold outside, and there's barely any light. I really don't think people will be out."

"I know. But still. It feels like this place is only just barely alive. It's clinging desperately on to life; like it wants to live so badly, but something won't let it..." Sasuke gave a start, and stared intensely at the contemplating blonde. The expression on Naruto's face… It was so mature, so sorrowful. But Naruto and Sasuke's thoughts were instantly shattered as jeering and shouting were heard in the distance.

"What do you know? The monster didn't go home yet."

"It's a total piece of shit. The disgrace of our whole village." Mocking laughter was heard, and someone muttered nastily, "Kill it! End its misery!"

Naruto and Sasuke shared a quick look before the two quickly ran towards the direction of the commotion. There, down this big sand hill, were ten men surrounding a small redhead boy. The men were sneering and leering at him, and he just stood there, expression unreadable in the dark. Sand was… swirling around him? However, Naruto didn't think much about it. She could stand it no longer as she saw the leader of the gang raised something like a miniature club up into the air and brought it crashing down down down…

Look, it's that monster.

Don't go near it!

Seriously, could you imagine if that thing became a ninja?

Bakemono…

With mixed emotions, Naruto threw the cat into Sasuke's arms and dashed down the hill. She leaped in between the redheaded boy and the club, pushing the boy away and waiting for the blow. There was a loud crack, and the blonde felt something trickle down her face. Then the pain came. How it burned! Naruto thought her head would split open, and she bit back a groan. Her fiery cerulean eyes locked with the man's beady brown ones, and she growled.

"Leave him alone," she snarled, lips drawn back into a ferocious sneer. "Back off."

The group was momentarily amazed, but the leader recovered fast. "Well, well," he said, scoffing. "Looks like the monster has its little friend. And what a pretty little girl too." He licked his lips greedily, and the gang chucked.

They never knew what hit them.

The leader's head was smashed against a big rock, and Sasuke threw five shuriken into the group, scattering them like flies. The boy then grabbed Naruto's hand and motioned the redhead to follow. "C'mon, let's go!" The redhead hesitated, but Sasuke gave a quick jerk of his head. "Hurry up!" And they ran away while the gang was still suffering the attack.

XXX

Ow.

It hurt! It ached! It burned! Her head felt strangely swollen, and Naruto wondered if this was heaven. Well, if it were, maybe hell would be better. The blonde growled and used a hand to pinch her arm. It stung.

Okay, either she was alive, or heaven just sucks.

Perhaps it was hell?

No matter. She'll get to the end of it. Naruto snapped open her eyes, and the white ceiling greeted her awake. The little girl flinched as she felt dizziness mix in with the headache. Definitely alive. The afterlife simply can't be worse than life, right? But if life were unfair, what would that make heaven or hell?

Why was she thinking about this crap in the first place?

Grumbling madly, she sat up, cringed, and swung her legs over one side of the bed. Suck it up! she thought, Don't be such a wimp! Naruto wobbled upwards and slowly walked over to the door. It was then that she realized three things. One: she was not in Konoha anymore. Two: her head was nicely bandaged. And three: she was not wearing her normal clothes, but rather some sort of weird, white cloak.

Where am I? she reflected. And where's… Sasuke?

Sasuke!

She had totally forgotten about that bastard! Quickly grabbing the doorknob and twisting it open, Naruto hobbled madly into the hallway. She looked around, and despair hung over her. Great… another Uchiha Manor. Why people liked big houses, Naruto did not know. It was such a bother to get around, and cleaning it was a terror. But alas, here she was, standing in the hallway of a home that seemed to be even bigger than Sasuke's house, if it were possible. Sighing forlornly, Naruto picked a direction. Better get started.

Later…

And behold! Just as she had predicted, Naruto got lost, and her headache increased tenfold. Oh, and don't forget that wooziness. The little girl decided irritably that Sasuke should be the one looking for her, and that she should be the one resting in the frigging bed. Screw him! Moaning, Naruto climbed the staircase that was to her right. She needed some air badly. And when she opened the door at the very top – which was umpteenth door she had opened that splendid day – her mouth fell open in surprise. She was on the freaking roof, and the house…

It was a hundred times bigger than she thought it was. She felt like she was standing in the sky.

The town of Suna lay open before her, greeting her as it would a Queen. And the town wasn't as desolate as Naruto at first thought it was. Carts and carriages filled the streets, forcing people to jump out of the way as they passed. Little kids – Naruto at first thought they were tiny bugs, being up so high – ran up and down the roads, playing mischievous tricks on merchants, and oh, the sand! With moonlight, it had a dull sparkle, but lo, with sunlight, what beauty and life it possessed! Naruto sighed happily, and walked over to the edge of the roof. The breeze floated over gently, flapping her cloak in such a tender manner.

"Why did you do it?"

Naruto's ears perked up in surprise, and she swiftly turned around. The redhead stood in front of the door that Naruto had just opened. Now, in the sunlight, the little blonde saw that the redhead had skin even paler than Sasuke's, and his eyes were empty and blank, like the sand she saw yesterday night. But Naruto's heart softened just for one second as she saw the little teddy bear that he was holding on to dearly.

Bowing – and inwardly recoiling at the ache throbbing in her poor, dear head – Naruto said courteously, eyes carefully guarded, "Good morning. I'm afraid I cannot answer your question. I do not know what you are asking of."

A tinge of curiosity was in his voice as he questioned once more, "Why did you jump in front of the club?"

"That would be because the club was going to hurt you," she answered calmly. "Unless I am mistaken, it was going to land directly on your head."

"I could've perfectly defended myself. You know that."

She did another small bow and replied, "If it's a matter of pride, I'm very sorry to have stolen your honor."

A slight frown appeared on his pale lips, and he said softly, "I do not understand. Do you… Are you from this village?"

Naruto thought fast, but she couldn't think of anything to say but the truth. "I'm afraid I am not."

His eyes were mildly taken aback. The hold on his teddy bear tightened, and he brought the stuffed animal up to his chest. "Y-you're not?" he whispered in what seemed to be in fright.

Naruto's big cerulean eyes dropped their cloudiness, and she took a hesitant step towards the boy. "Oh I'm so sorry for not telling you," she said soothingly. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"Where are you from then?"

"Konoha."

There was a silence, and Naruto's azure eyes met the boy's teal ones. Some sort of understanding passed through them, and Naruto shyly asked, "What's your name? I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." She smiled encouragingly. "Nice to meet you."

The boy frowned faintly. Then he replied, "Gaara."

Naruto's tan face broke into a grin. "Alright, then, Gaara. Will you help me find Sasuke-teme?"

"S-Sasuke-teme?" Gaara looked at Naruto in bafflement. "Are you talking about one of our servants?"

"Oh no. Sasuke's the boy that was with me yesterday night. Didn't you see him?"

"Him? I don't know. I think – "

"Gaara-sama? Who are you talking to?" A person with tan, shoulder-length hair walked onto the roof. He had a kind face, and he placed a loving hand on the Gaara's arm. "Gaara-sama, it is rather cold outside." Then the person noticed Naruto, and his eyes flickered for a brief moment in surprise. But then they crinkled in a nice, warm smile. "And you must be the miss that Gaara-sama brought home yesterday night. How's your head?"

"It's healing," she replied shyly. "Would it be you who bandaged my head? I thank you."

The man smiled again. "It was no big of a deal. I'm glad. And I thank you for protecting Gaara-sama. I am Yashamaru. What is your name, little one?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Recognition flashed through Yashamaru's eyes, but it was quickly gone, replaced by the gentle smile that Naruto was beginning to see as the man's trademark. "Naruto, is it? Well, assuming by the garments you and your companion wore, you are not from Suna."

"That… would be correct."

"Where are you from then, may I ask?"

Naruto bit her lip in indecision. What would Sasuke do? Then, noticing the quiet redhead, Naruto shot him a glance. Gaara, ever so slowly, nodded his head. "Konoha, Yashamaru-san," Naruto finally answered.

"Konoha? I thought as much… but child, how did you get here?" Yashamaru questioned, shocked.

"We…" She coughed in embarrassment. "We fell in a carriage box sort of thing, and it kinda… closed. So we had to ride on it."

"You rode it one for a week?!"

"Oh no," she hastily said. "They used some kind of "Kuchiyose Jutsu" and a gigantic thing was summoned. We stayed in the coffin for a mere dreadful four hours, thank goodness."

"They were ninja? Ninja of Suna?"

"Y-yes, I do assume so. They talked about a Kazekage as if they knew him rather well…"

There was a sharp intake of breath from Yashamaru. "It would be best if no one know of this. Naruto, does…"

"No. Just us now, I suppose."

Yashamaru closed his eyes in relief. "That's good to hear." He then asked, curiously, "Where are you from in Konoha? I think I recognized your shirt symbol somewhere, but I can't remember."

Naruto fidgeted. "Sasuke is from the Uchiha Clan. I'm staying at his house for a while. Supposedly, I'm new to Konoha."

"The Uchiha Clan! That's it, I see now…" Yashamaru said. "And why would you be new to Konoha? Where are you really from then?"

"I do not know, I'm afraid."

"You…"

"I have amnesia. Hokage-jiji told me I'm the long lost daughter of the Yondaime."

"So that's why your name was so familiar!" Yashamaru gasped, "Uzumaki Kushina…"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Uzumaki… Kushina?"

"Yes," Yashamaru answered gently. "Your mother. Strange. Why would you take your mother's last name?"

"I would not know that, I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's right. It should be I who apologize."

There was a peaceful hush, and Naruto inquired warily, "Please, Yashamaru-san. Do you know if Sasuke and I can get home? Uchiha-san and Mikoto-neesan must surely be panicking right now…"

Yashamaru smiled. "Do not worry. I'll speak with my brother in law, Naruto."

The girl nodded thankfully, and then…

"Dobe? Where are you?" his voice asked peevishly. Naruto perked up, and a beautiful grin graced her face.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, is it really you? I'm up here! The roof, baka! Teme, you gotta come and see it! It's so gorgeous!" Footsteps were heard, and Sasuke soon appeared in front of the door. Naruto, running by Yashamaru and Gaara, glomped him. "Morning, teme!"

He choked. "Dobe, get off of me!" She paid no attention. Grabbing his hand – it's almost become daily routine for Sasuke now – Naruto pulled him to the edge of the rooftops.

"Look, look! Isn't it pretty?" she asked childishly, eyes burning bright with excitement.

The raven-haired boy looked down at the lively town, smirking. "See? It was just too cold for anyone to be out yesterday night. Speaking of that…" He turned to Naruto again, and he brought one hand up to gently touch her bandages. "Your head, dobe?"

She stuck out her tongue. "Fine."

Sasuke then noticed Yashamaru and Gaara. "You met them?" he asked.

"They have names, teme. Though due to your poor memorizing skills, in which you cannot even remember the name of one classmate, I would suspect as much."

He ignored her. Bowing at Yashamaru, Sasuke said, "I'm sorry to have intruded on your home. Thanks for taking care of my sister" – horrified glare from Naruto – "and we shall be on our way."

"No way!" she protested. "I'm not getting back down there!" She pointed at her head. "Injury, remember?"

"And a mental one as well," Sasuke answered. "Let's go, dobe."

"Yeah?" she answered back, miffed. "Where are we going exactly, your Royal Bastardness?"

"Home."

"Huh, really?" she snapped sardonically. "We can't, my dear brother. We have no ride. You wanna try out that Kuchiyose Jutsu?"

Yashamaru could only stare. He had met the elders of the Uchiha Clan before. They were a stiff, nonresponding type, but one would expect that from the best Clan in all of Konoha. Yashamaru could tell from looking at Sasuke that he was like that. Well, he was. Either the Uchiha Clan was using lighter rules, or… Here, Yashamaru looked at Naruto for the tenth time. This girl… How strange she was… what a mysterious presence she had! Just like her father, the Yondaime.

The man cleared his throat. "If you don't mind me saying, Sasuke-san, I'm sure I can assist you in going home."

Naruto jabbed the raven-haired boy's side in an I-told-you-so way, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes and hissed at her, "How can you trust him?" Naruto, irked, pointed at her head. Sasuke blinked, considered it for a while, and relented. He turned to Yashamaru and gave a reluctant nod. "Very well. We place ourselves in your hands. Please take care of us."

"I assure you I will."

Naruto shouted, "Yay! Sasuke, let's go outside and play! Or shop. You have money?"

The glare he shot at her would've killed anyone on the spot. Anyone except for this certain dense blonde. "No. I dropped it when someone decided to chase after a cat and got us stuck in this situ–"

"Kitty!" Naruto gasped. "Where's he?"

The corners of Sasuke's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "In my room, sleeping."

"Whew," Naruto sighed in relief. Then her eyes were two sparkling gems again. "All right then. No shopping. We'll go playing! The park must look different from before, ne? Oh, and I want to see my blood."

"Why… Why do you want to see your blood?" Sasuke asked, disgusted.

She grinned at him wolfishly. "So I can make fun of Kiba and say I did something that involved blood and that he didn't. I'll rub it all over his face."

Grabbing Sasuke's hand – grr – Naruto pulled him towards the door. "We'll be going, Yashamaru-san!" Then, to the surprise of everyone, she reached for Gaara's hand as well. "C'mon, Gaara-chan, play with us."

The redhead stared at it, not comprehending. It was Yashamaru who gave finally gave him an answer. "Go on, Gaara-sama. Just be back for dinner." Gaara looked at up at Yashamaru and nodded slowly. Then he cautiously touched Naruto's hand.

Sasuke felt strangely weird. But he brushed it off.

And the two boys were pulled into their wonderful adventure when the blonde leapt off onto the stairs.

"Yes! Let's go!" she shouted.

XXX

"Ewwwwwwwwww," she muttered. "My blood is brown."

Sasuke snorted. "It's dried, dobe." She looked up and stuck her tongue out at him.

They were in the park once again. Naruto was crouched over the red stain on the ground, staring at her blood while Sasuke and Gaara – who had not spoken a single word – stood next to her. The three of them had walked a bit in the town, but the people were not nice, Sasuke realized. Either it was the blonde's hyperactiveness, or…

But why would they be angry – or possibly, even frightened – at Gaara? And yesterday night, they called him a monster. Why?

"Ne, ne, teme?" Naruto asked.

He glanced at her, wary. "Yes, dobe?"

"I'm hungry," she said, touching her stomach. It gave a very audible growl, as if backing up its mistress. "Isn't there anything to eat?"

"There was something called breakfast, dobe."

Naruto scowled. "I had no time to eat that. I was too busy looking for you."

He blinked, startled. "Me?"

"Yeah, you. Though why I was looking for such an ungrateful priss I do not know why."

"P-priss?"

"Mhmm," she answered irritably. "Kiba called me that for always wearing your 'perfect, Uchiha clothes' as he put it. I socked him, but the name always stuck. Priss… It sounds like an awful insult."

Sasuke scowled. He was rather getting sick hearing about this stupid dog boy. "What's Kiba to you?"

Naruto looked at him. "Huh? What?"

"What's Kiba to you?" he questioned in frustration.

Naruto deadpanned. "A… classmate."

"Classmate?"

"Yes, if you have not noticed, he's your classmate as well, teme."

He glowered at her. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" she snapped at him.

Sasuke felt his patience wearing thin. "What's he to you? Answer me. Just a classmate? A friend? You know!"

"Oh… Right. Well, you could've asked… in a better way." Naruto thought for a while. "Well, if I had to say, um… Best friend, I guess. I mean, Kiba was the one who showed me the ropes around Konoha. Without him, well, I would've been very lost."

What was this pain that was surging through him? This throb that tore at Sasuke's chest… He had never felt this way before. This couldn't be… jealousy, could it? It felt different from the envy he had experienced from his brother and father's close relationship. But, if it were jealousy… For what reason would he be jealous of Kiba? It can't be because of that… that dobe…? It can't, it just can't.

Naruto must've seen the hurt that shown in Sasuke's eyes, but she didn't know why. "T-teme? Are you… okay?"

He lowered his gaze and let his bangs cover up his eyes, not letting Naruto see his weakness. Then, ever so softly, Sasuke questioned in a barely audible voice, "What am I to you?"

Stunned silence. Peeking in between his hair, Sasuke saw that Naruto's mouth was open to a little "o" and her cerulean eyes were wide in shock. He had never noticed how gentle they were, and he felt that if he tried, he could just stare and stare into their vast blueness and simple float in there, like a cloud would in the sky…

Her stomach saved them. It gave the biggest snarl anyone had heard in history – well, from a stomach – and the silence was totally broken. No one within a ten-mile radius could pretend that they did not hear it.

Sasuke, before Naruto could respond, said simply, "I'll go buy something."

He was gone.

Naruto, to be exact, was infuriated. What was wrong with that Sasuke? He was so… Argh! What a bastard! What a priss! What a prissy bastard! With a growl, she punched the dirt ground angrily.

Gaara touched her shoulder, and Naruto looked up in surprise. "Does he know his way around here?" the redhead asked, clutching his teddy bear tightly.

She smiled thinly. "Oh, I'm sure. That teme knows everything." Then she brightened. "Hey, Gaara-san, you talked!"

The redhead blinked his light teal eyes. "I also talked to you earlier today."

"But… Oh, whatever." She grinned, forgetting instantly about Sasuke. "You wanna go play?"

Gaara looked tentatively at the ground. "I… I don't know how."

It was Naruto's turn to be amazed. "You don't know how?" The redhead shook his head dejectedly, and Naruto smiled gently. "Okay, c'mon then, Gaara-kun. I'll show you. Let's play together!"

She reached for his hand, and Gaara slowly placed his in hers. Naruto gave him another encouraging grin, and the two of them began walking around the park. The little blonde chattered rapidly to the redhead, and every once in a while, Naruto would give one of her tinkling laughter. Sometimes – they were rare to catch – Gaara's lips would be curved upward into a very small smile as well, and for once, the jinchuuriki of Shukaku felt something warm stir in his heart, and he wondered about love. Would this be love?

Suddenly, there were laughing and giggling nearby. Naruto perked up, eyes shining. She ran towards the sound, and soon, a bunch of kids playing ball were seen. They passed the ball swiftly to each other, and it seemed like if one person dropped the ball, he or she were out. To Naruto's surprise, she felt the redhead beside her stiffen, and when she turned to look at him, the impassive teal eyes were now burning with an unyielding loathing. She blinked, not comprehending, until one of the kids saw them and screamed.

"Help! I-it's Gaara! He's here!" she shrieked, pointing. As soon as those words left the girl's mouth, the rest of the small group froze in place, and their eyes were filled with dread.

What was going on?

But Naruto decided to say the question she was going to ask anyways. "Hello. May we play with you?"

The leader, it seemed, of the party stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you."

"Why are you with that monster?"

She narrowed her cerulean eyes. "He's not a monster. He's Gaara."

The boy sneered. "Gaara. Monster. Same thing. Are you one as well?"

Naruto dropped the redhead's hand and walked towards the boy. "What are you talking about? It's rude to call other people monsters."

One of the girls in the group whispered, "Watch out, Akira."

Akira just rolled his eyes. "She can't do anything to me."

Naruto growled, "Apologize."

"For what?" was the jeering answer.

"For calling Gaara a monster. It's not nice."

Akira snorted. "It's not nice? Why should I care? He controls sand. He's a monster."

That stopped Naruto in her tracks. Turning around, she murmured, "Gaara… You can control sand?" He didn't respond, but the knuckles on the hand that was clutching his teddy bear turned ghostly white.

Akira smirked. "He never told you? Well then, Naruto. I take it back. It was apparent that you were hanging out with the wrong person without even knowing it. If you want, you can come to our group and ditch that monst–"

She kicked him.

Hard.

And in a very soft spot. She probably didn't mean it, but she did.

"Don't. Call. My. Friend. A. Monster," she roared, and for a moment, her eyes seemed to flash red. "I'll kill you."

They were gone. Scampered away in a few seconds. She stood there for a few more moments, huffing madly, before looking back at Gaara. Her eyes softened back to their normal baby-blue, and Naruto asked, "Is… Is what they said true?"

Gaara hesitated, and then nodded miserably. Without a single word, he turned and began walking away slowly. His teddy bear dragged on the ground, and his head drooped ever so low. But unexpectedly, he was whisked around and crushed in a big, warm hug.

"Where are you going?" she whispered softly. "Baka. Am I that annoying to you, Gaara?" He had no reply, and she laughed. "Sorry, Gaara. I didn't know. You should've told me. Then I wouldn't have gone to those stupid, bastardy, prissy kids. I'm sorry. It must've been tough for you… I'm sorry."

His mind was going to explode. He couldn't understand. First, it was the man in the club. Now, now this. Why? Why did she do these things? "Aren't you afraid of me?"

She frowned. "You mean your sand? Was that what I saw the other day? Well, to be frank, I'm more amazed than scared."

"A-amazed?"

Naruto nodded, head still buried in his cloak, and she said in a muffled voice, "Yeah. I mean, controlling sand is pretty cool."

"No it isn't."

She finally looked up at his face, and to his astonishment, they were etched with distress. "Why not?"

"I… I can't control it."

"You…?"

He was silent, and then his teal blue eyes met hers again. "When I get mad, the sand just takes over and… That's why everyone is afraid of me. They're right. I am a mons–"

"No!" she burst out. "No you're not! You're a human as well. Why do you have to be a monster? You have a heart. You have feelings. Maybe it's your sand that has these dumb stupid monster characteristics. But you aren't a monster!"

"Then why do I even hurt the people around me? Why are they all afraid of me? Why…?" Gaara hadn't realized that his cheeks were damp, and he stopped talking. Naruto shook her head slowly after some while, and her hold on Gaara tightened.

"We all hurt our love ones some time, Gaara," she said softly. "We're just lucky that we don't have the power that you have. What you need to learn is to control it."

"I tried already. I can't. It's too strong."

"You can't let the monster take over you, Gaara. How can you say you can't if you haven't tried?"

"But I did."

"No, you didn't." Naruto smiled a sad smile. "At least, not to the best of your ability." She was quiet for some while, and said, "You know what I think counts as trying to the 'best of your ability'?" Naruto didn't wait for Gaara's reply. "You try and try until you die. Either you die first, or you get it right. You understand?" He didn't answer, and she smiled again, this time with a lighter mood. "It basically means you don't stop trying until you die. Otherwise, it doesn't count as trying."

"What does it count as?" he asked.

"Giving up. And giving up does mean you're a monster." She stopped. Then the little blonde girl added, "A monster at living. An epic failure." Naruto giggled and wiped at Gaara's tears. "Ne, Gaara? May I ask you a favor?"

Teal ones met ceruleans.

"Promise me something," she pleaded softly.

"What?"

"That the next time I see you…" A gentle breeze passed, and Naruto's face split into a wide smile. "You would've tried."

"I would've…" His voice trailed off.

"Yes. Gained control of your sand. Tried to the best of your ability."

Gaara stared into Naruto's sparkling eyes, and, cautiously, whispered, "I promise."

She smiled. "A man never goes down on his promise, Gaara."

"All right."

"Oh, and one more question."

"Yeah?"

Naruto looked at the teddy bear that was Gaara was holding and reached for it. The redhead hesitantly gave it for her to hold. "What's his name?" she asked shyly.

"It doesn't have one."

"What?" She sounded flabbergasted. "Well, I think he should have one. What do you wanna name him?"

The redhead was only quiet for a few seconds before his face broke into a sweet smile that warmed up Naruto's heart. "It's not a 'he.'"

"Oh?" Naruto said, tipping her head sideways. "What's her name then?"

"Naru-chan."

Her face softened before the smile took over. "It's a beautiful name, Gaara-chan."

"You think so too?" he asked, relieved that she wasn't mad. "I'm glad that you approve of her, Naruto."

"Of course!"

XXX

"And these shinobi will escort you home, Uzumaki-san and Uchiha-san," the Kazekage said, face impassive. The two children bowed.

"I thank you greatly," Naruto replied, and her voice was level and polite. She did feel like the Kazekage was a formidable figure, but she didn't let that get to her. He was just a leader of Suna, that's all. Nothing more. "We're dreadfully sorry to have intruded without your permission, Kazekage-sama. Please forgive us."

The Kazekage nodded peacefully. "Do not worry. I'm simply ashamed though, that our shinobi would not know there were two children in the weapon carrier."

"Oh, please, Kazekage-sama, please do not punish them," Naruto hastily said. "You may blame that on our excellent shinobi skill instead."

The leader of Suna gave out a great booming laugh – all the ninja in the room were naturally astounded – and the Kazekage said, "Very well. I shall not punish them. Now, I assume, would be best for you to leave. It will still take you a week to arrive home. We had already sent a letter, but I do not know when it will arrive. Sometimes these sandstorms do get rather annoying."

Sasuke bowed again. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama. We'll be leaving now." He glanced at Naruto and tugged on her sleeve. "C'mon." But she didn't look at him. Instead, her gaze was at Gaara, who stood next to his father. Yes, she was rather bewildered – and miffed – to have found out that Gaara's father was the Kazekage, and that he had two other siblings without her knowing.

She made a face. Sasuke, who knew the blonde was up to no good, tried to stop her, but alas, the cat - it was sleeping - was thrown into his arms, and Naruto ran up to Gaara before any of them could blink. And when they did, they saw a little girl embracing the disgrace of their village. The shinobi of Suna – and the Kazekage and Yashamaru – were simply floored.

"Sorry about this," she whispered for Gaara to hear, but everyone else heard anyways. "I always sucked at goodbyes. Remember, Gaara, it's a promise."

He smiled – heart attack for everyone now – and brought the little teddy bear up. "All right, Naru-chan."

She grinned. "Feel special, Gaara-chan. I only allow one other person to call me that."

"Kiba?"

Naruto laughed this time, and her chiming laughter resounded all over the quiet room. "I'll give this to you. Your memorizing skills are better than Sasuke-teme's." She giggled again, and slowly, standing on her tippytoes, she bent over and gave him a light kiss on his cheek. "You aren't a monster. You'll always be my dear friend. Remember that, Gaara. And I'll remember your promise." She winked at the dazed boy and ran back to Sasuke. "Ja, let's go home, teme!"

And Sasuke felt that burning feeling inside of him again. Jealousy. He could not deny it. It was pure, raging jealousy. And he didn't know why.

XXX

She sighed. It's been two days ever since coming home from Suna. Mikoto-neesan had fussed all over Sasuke and Naruto, and Fugaku… Well, he told them to never do that again. But Naruto could've sworn she saw a flash of pride in those stern eyes. Itachi didn't say anything except for a "Welcome back, brother, sister," and he ruffled Naruto's hair. And flicked Sasuke's forehead.

They had also returned Tiger, who turned out to be the poor, wretched cat of a rather chubby lady, back to its rightful owner. Naruto felt her heart go out for Tiger, but what could she do? He wasn't her cat.

But that wasn't the problem. Oh no. The problem is that dumbass teme who started ignoring her.

She didn't get him. Why was he all angry with her? What did she do this time?

Nothing. She did nothing.

Naruto sighed again, and decided that Sasuke was being a total priss. And well, she was sick of the glares he sent her behind her back. If he wasn't going to say something, she will.

Standing up, Naruto marched straight to Sasuke's room – she knew her way around in the big mansion better and better now – and yanked it open. It flew to the side with a screech, and behold! The bastard prince was there in the center of the big room, reading his stupid history book that he seemed to have in his hands every time she looked at him.

He ignored her.

She snarled not pleasingly. "Explain. Now."

No reply.

"Sasuke, I will burn everything in your room to ashes."

No response.

"Teme… You are getting on my last nerve."

No answer.

"Bastard"

No reaction.

"That's it! That's the final straw! You seriously done it, du—"

"Why don't you play with Kiba?! Or write a letter to Gaara?!" he shouted, throwing his book at the wall, and his eyes glazed with an anger Naruto had never seen before. There were shadows around those onyx eyes, and she realized that he hadn't been getting a lot of sleep either.

Why was he doing this? What do Kiba and Gaara have anything to do –

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

No way… Naruto reeled back. He… He couldn't have been… Why would Sasuke care in the first place? He's…Jealous of Kiba? And of the kiss she gave to Gaara?

WHY?!

The poor confused blonde burst into tears. She didn't understand. Sasuke had never worried much about her, right? The times he had talked to her were only because… because she was living in his family. And besides, she was just another girl to him. He wouldn't care about her. Why would he? There were so many girls in class.

SO WHY?!

Sasuke didn't know what to do. She ran into his room, started threatening him with such a dark hatred in her eyes, and yet, when he had shouted out the two names, something clicked in her mind and she…

She began crying. Hard.

WHY?!

Naruto wouldn't care about him. She had… had that Kiba. And pretty much everyone else in school. Also, she befriended Gaara. So why did she come into his room? It couldn't be just to bother him, could it? And moreover, she was crying right now. Sasuke, from experience, connected a girl's crying with a want. When girls cry, they wanted something.

SO WHAT DID NARUTO WANT?!

Naruto first spoke. "Wh-why? Why a-are y-you do-doing th-this t-to me?" she hiccupped, tears still running down her cheeks.

Sasuke clenched his hands into a fist. "Doing what? I'm not doing anyth – "

"You're ignoring me!" she wailed, more tears dripping. "Why?! I'm… I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry, Sasuke!" She stomped her foot crossly, crying harder than ever. "I don't know what I ever did! I'm just sorry, all right?!"

It broke his heart. He couldn't see her like this. And oh god, if everyone else knew that their sunshine had been reduced to rain and sleet because of him… How they would kill him! Sasuke quickly ran over and hugged the little blonde gently, soothing her. "It's all right. I'm so sorry. It should be I who apologize. Don't cry, Naruto. Please stop crying…"

She hiccupped again, and wiped furiously away at her tears. "W-why?"

He tightened his hold on her. Somehow, hugging her so close… It made him contented. "I don't know, Naruto. I'm sorry. I really don't know…"

Naruto was quiet. Then, gently, she brought her hands up to Sasuke's back and gave him a warm hug as well. "Does it have anything to do with the question you asked me before about Kiba?"

He grunted.

"And that kiss I gave to Gaara?"

He didn't answer.

She smiled ruefully, and said, "I'm sorry, then, for not doing this." And once more, she stood on her tippytoes, and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. He froze. "For your question, Sasuke, you're more than a best friend to me," she murmured in his ear. "I'm just as confused as you are. I don't know this feeling. I don't know if it's supposed to be directed towards a family member or towards a very close friend. But I do know that you're very precious to me, Sasuke. And you won't get replaced by Kiba and Gaara, okay?"

It blossomed across his chest, this warm, relaxing sensation, and he hugged her harder, not wanting to let her go. "I don't know it either, Naruto. I… I never really had a close relationship with anyone in the family except for maybe Mother, so I don't know if this is a brotherly feeling. I don't think so. But I don't talk to girls either, so I don't know if it's… it's…"

The two couldn't bring themselves to say it. But they still thought of it.

Love.

Naruto snuggled into Sasuke's chest. "Ne, Sasuke. Question."

"Hn."

"May I sleep here tonight?" He looked at her in incredulity. Naruto gave him a small smile. "Judging from the dark circles around your eyes, you haven't had a good sleep for these two days. Nor did I. So I'm just asking for tonight. May I?"

He blushed. "All right. But you're sleeping in your own bedcovers."

She looked offended. "Of course! And don't worry." Here, the blonde snorted. "I don't wet the bed."

Sasuke smirked. "Right…"

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"

The boy rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his face became serious, and he asked, "Naruto? I was wondering… After I went to buy lunch that day, what happened between you and Gaara? Because…"

Naruto's face instantly became grim. "Oh…"

"Naruto?"

She placed her head gently on Sasuke's chest and listened to his heartbeat for a few moments. "The whole village thinks he's a monster."

"I figured that much out."

"He's not though! He's a perfectly fine boy!"

"Oh?"

She nodded fiercely. "Yeah. He is. But there's just one special thing about him."

"And that would be…?"

"He can control sand." There was no response from Sasuke, and Naruto continued. "So what? That doesn't make him a freak! I think it's cool to have the ability to control sand. So when the kids called him a freak, I kicked the leader in his nuts."

Sasuke winced. Ow, poor boy… "And the promise? What was it?"

Naruto's cerulean eyes flickered upwards to glance at Sasuke's onyx ones before they closed tiredly. "Sometimes, when Gaara gets really mad, he can't control the sand all that well, and it's more like the sand controls him. And he accidentally hurts his loved ones. So I made him promise me that the next time we meet each other, he would've tried his very best and would've controlled all of his sand. Every bit of it."

Sasuke stayed silent, but he smiled a little bit. "Oh."

She smirked up at him. "Mhmm. So, Sasuke, what did you think the promise was?"

He reddened. "Nothing, really, now that you've mentioned it." Naruto coughed, but it sounded somewhat like a muffled "liar." Sasuke growled. "All right. I thought it was some plot for you guys to run away when you're both older and live together or something."

Naruto giggled. "Oh dear. Aren't you a bit jealous?"

He scowled at her. "Be quiet. It could've been protective, brotherly emotions too."

"Yeah…" She sobered up. "It could've been, huh? Jeez, Sasuke, we suck. We can't even understand our own feelings." Sasuke smiled again, and Naruto said, warily, "So it's over? You won't ignore me anymore?"

Sasuke shook his head, hugging her again. "I'm sorry."

"Good. And one more thing."

"Hn."

"He named the teddy bear after me. It's 'Naru-chan.'" Naruto laughed. "Isn't it sweet?"

Argh. That feeling again, Sasuke thought. Stupid, dumb ole jealousy/protective brotherly emotions. They should all just –

Chuu.

She kissed him softly on the cheek once more. "Let go out and play, dear brotherly friend of mine. Don't scowl like that. It'll cause premature wrinkling. Yeah, Kiba told me that one. I was pissed at your fangirls. Sasuke! I told you! Stop scowling!"

XXX

At night…

Mikoto, feeling unsafe about something, had decided to check on Naruto. The poor girl sometimes had bad dreams at night, and so the mother wanted to make sure the blonde wouldn't get them tonight. Oh, imagine her horror when she entered Naruto's bedroom only to find no one there! Panicking, she ran back to her own bedroom and hurriedly woke Fugaku up. After explaining to him the details, they dashed to Itachi's room and roused the ANBU ninja. Itachi said calmly that they should ask Sasuke if he knew where she went, and so they arrived in front of Sasuke's door. Mikoto hastily pushed open Sasuke's door…

And froze quickly.

Naruto had a beautiful smile on her face as she rested her head on Sasuke's chest. And he… He had a small smile gracing his face as he wrapped two arms around her petite body. Their chest moved up and down in unison, and sometimes, when Naruto would mumble something – probably a nightmare as usual – Sasuke, still asleep, would gently pat her back.

This was Sasuke?

The parents had a hard time believing. So did Itachi, to be exact. Maybe that eye doctor was wrong. Maybe they did have something wrong with their eyes, and he just didn't catch it.

Mikoto brought one hand up to her chest. She looked at Fugaku, who was just as staggered. "I… I…"

Fugaku smiled. "She's fine, I believe. Let's go back to sleep now. They'll both be fine, Mikoto."

"A-all right."

The next morning, Sasuke was woken up by Naruto, who seemed to have a wonderful sleep. "Ne, ne, Sasuke! It's morning already! Get up!" She ran over to the window and drew the curtains open, letting in the bright sunlight.

He yawned unenthusiastically. "Mhmm… Let me sleep some more."

"No way!" Naruto said, upset. "We're going to play tag with everyone today, remember?"

Sasuke groaned. "Argh. I'm so stiff and tired."

"But why?" was her innocent question.

He glared. "You seemed to have not remember. But every once in a while I'll be woken up by your whimpers."

"I whimper?"

"Nightmare."

Understanding dawned in her pretty blue eyes, and she sighed. "Oh. Now I remember." Naruto walked over and got into her bedcovers again. "Argh, I keep on having the same dream."

Sasuke looked at her, frowning. "Would you like to tell me about it?"

She glanced at him. "Well… I hardly…" The girl sighed. "Kyuubi."

"Kyuubi?"

"Yeah. He's a fox demon."

"A fox demon?"

"Teme, you're repeating everything I say." Naruto closed her eyes. "A fox demon with nine tails. In my dream, I'll be in the middle of a gorgeous meadow. But then they come." Her voice became sad and forlorn. "Behind me are three people and one fox. The fox looks just like Kyuubi, except it seems nicer. And one of the three people is a man with reddish hair and foxlike eyes. But the other two…" She took in a breath. "They look just like me! I don't know why. They just do. Oh, and one of them is a boy. He has shorter hair than me, but he's older. Like, fifteen or something. And the girl looks younger than me." She stopped her rant and her voice trailed off.

"You said those people appear behind you?"

"Yeah. And in front of me, Kyuubi would appear. He'd glance at me – he has such scary red eyes – and then walk off. I… My feet for no reason follow him, but I'd get so scared…" She hugged her chest, and her eyes opened.

Sasuke smiled. "It's just a dream."

"I keep telling myself that!" she said, and her cerulean eyes looked at Sasuke. "I do, I really do. But my heart… It's telling me a whole different story. It knows these people. Maybe not Kyuubi, but the people behind me. And I don't know why."

Sasuke didn't reply. What could he say anyways?

"Sasuke?"

"Hn."

She curled up into a tighter ball. "You know Gaara?"

"Hn."

"That night, when we first saw him… I… I felt weird."

The raven-haired boy glanced at her. "What?"

"I… I heard voices in my head."

"Voices."

"Yeah, voices. They were saying mean things like 'monster' and all that… Except they were directed at me."

Sasuke eyes widened, and he cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder. "You aren't a monster."

"But I…" Naruto shook her head again. "No… It was different. When I saw Gaara, I felt a connection with him. A bond. Something like… like I understood his pain"

"A bond?" he asked, confused.

"Mhmm. I don't know why either. No one… No one called me a monster before." Then her voice turned thoughtful. "Unless… Before my amnesia…?"

Sasuke growled, and he sat up. "You aren't. You just aren't, dobe. Now hurry up. We're gonna be late for…" He twitched. "Kiba and them."

Naruto smiled at him gratefully. "All right. Let's go, teme. Keep your hair on." She stopped, and her eyes met his again. The little blonde grinned widely, then added tentatively, "Thank you, Sasuke."

"Hn."

ALL READERS, PLEASE READ THE MESSAGE OF THE BOTTOM!

There. I hope you got that.

Important message: Okay, everyone. The fated time has come... Itachi and the Uchiha Massacre. Should it, or should it not occur? I wish to get some of your views on that.

a) Itachi murders his family.

b) Itachi murders everyone except let the parents off barely alive.

c) He doesn't kill anyone but turns evil and leaves.

d) He doesn't leave.

Author's opinon: Personally, I like 'b.' Cuz of later on. ; If you don't, please review or write me a message telling me your view, and if you can, explain why. I would like to know.

And to those who don't review, I do not wish to see your opinions later on in the story going on about "Why did this happen? Why did Itachi do bleh bleh bleh?" I gave you a chance right here to tell me your thoughts. So if you decide to not tell me what you want, don't blame me if you do not like what happens to the Uchiha Massacre.

Okay, everyone, please tell me your thoughts!

PS: Review if you want me to upload every Sunday (or, at least try. 8th grade is being a 'pita,' as Naruto puts it. ;)

And review if you liked this chapter. Thanx!